Respect for Linguistic Rights
In the courts of Catalonia, challenges are faced regarding respect for the linguistic rights of citizens. Although the Statute recognizes the right to be notified in the Catalan language, the majority of courts do not respect this linguistic choice.
According to data extracted from the e-justicia.cat computer application, in 2023, only 8% of citizens and participants in a judicial body chose to receive notifications in Catalan, while 92% preferred Spanish. Of those who chose to interact with the courts in Catalan, only 20% received the resolutions in their language, leaving the remaining 80% dissatisfied.
Actions to Ensure Compliance
Given this situation, the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) has agreed to promote four actions to guarantee compliance with linguistic rights. These actions include reminding judges of their responsibility in the effectiveness of these rights, promoting compliance in judicial bodies, activating control mechanisms in the processing of procedures, and proposing verification of the level of compliance to the Council’s inspection services. General of the Judiciary (CGPJ).
Qualified Professionals and Training
Despite the difficulties, the Department of Justice ensures that Justice in Catalonia has qualified professionals to serve in the Catalan language. More than half of the professionals in the Administration of Justice have a good level of Catalan language, and legal training programs have been promoted for judges and prosecutors.
Measures to promote the use of Catalan
Various measures have been proposed to promote the use of Catalan in the Administration of Justice, including scholarships for law graduates, Catalan classes for magistrates, and the program to promote Catalan in the office. Despite these efforts, the number of performances in Catalan in the office service represents only 5.72% of the total.
Law Translation and Legal Language Resources
The Generalitat has undertaken the translation of more than 300 laws last year, and legal language resources have been promoted to facilitate the use of Catalan in the legal field.
Pending Challenges
Despite these efforts, challenges persist in respecting and fulfilling the linguistic rights of citizens in the courts of Catalonia. It is essential that judges and lawyers of the Administration of Justice respect and enforce the linguistic option of the citizen to guarantee the effectiveness of these rights.
