2012
Is self-identification of individuals/groups a criterion for recognition and respect of minority or ethnic cultural linguistic religious groups' rights by the state/government?
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Austria
The association with an ethnic group is based on self-identification.
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Bulgaria
Yes.
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Cyprus
No.
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Denmark
No.
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Finland
Yes, for the Sámi, with the requirement that certain other conditions specified in legislation are also met.
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France
It isn't a criterion but some linguistic rights are respected
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Germany
Yes, self-identification of individuals/groups is a criterion for the recognition as a national minority.
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Greece
No.
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Hungary
Yes.
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Ireland
Self-identification is not a criterion for minority, ethnic, cultural, linguistic or religious groups' right to recognition by the Irish government. This is evident from its first report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in 2004. Here the Irish government refused to recognize Travelers as a distinct ethnic group despite their self-identification as such (census).
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Italy
No
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Poland
No.
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Portugal
Public authorities in Portugal do not recognise the existence of national or ethnic minorities, except for the Roma.
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Romania
In 2011, census legislation was amended making it unclear whether self-identification with regards to minority/ethnicity/language is the only criterion for registering these characteristics during census. However, the guidelines for the 2011 census reviewers were clear that they should only register this information as declared by the person and not make suppositions about the person's ethnicity, etc.
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Slovenia
Self-identification is not a sufficient criterion for recognition of status of national/ethnic minority in Slovenia (for minority communities without such status).
On the other hand, in the case of the Italian and the Hungarian national minority a self-identification of members of these minority communities is a condition for exercizing double voting rights.
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Spain
No data.
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Sweden
Yes, self-identification of individuals/groups is a criterion for recognition and respect of minority or ethnic cultural linguistic religious groups' rights by the state/government. There are five recognised minority groups in Sweden.