The OCB presents allegations against the Linguistic Use Regulations of the Consell de Menorca

PalmThe Balearic Cultural Association (OCB) has filed objections against the Regulations on Linguistic Uses of the Menorca Island Council and is demanding the revocation of its initial approval or, alternatively, the immediate suspension of its processing. According to the organization, the text violates the legal framework in force in the Balearic Islands and presents "numerous procedural deficiencies." Among the main shortcomings, the OCB denounces the absence of mandatory reports from the Balearic Islands Legal Advisory Council and the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), as well as the need to obtain the opinion of the Social Council for the Catalan Language. The organization maintains that, in accordance with the Law of Island Councils, the Regulations should necessarily be submitted to the Legal Advisory Council for a report.

Regarding the UIB (University of the Balearic Islands), it is worth noting that the Statute of Autonomy recognizes it as the "official consultative institution for all matters relating to the Catalan language," and it is emphasized that omitting this consultation could lead to the annulment of the regulation, as established in rulings by the High Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands. In this respect, the OCB (Catalan Language Observatory) considers that the content of the Regulation directly impacts linguistic normalization, relations between citizens and the administration, and the internal functioning of the Council—areas that require prior technical evaluation.

Regarding the substance of the text, the organization warns that the proposal represents an "unjustified setback" in the protection of Catalan, especially when compared to Decree 49/2018 of the Government and the 2021 Language Regulation of the Council of Menorca, which is still in force. The OCB asserts that the reform violates the principle of non-regression and introduces measures that weaken the normalization of Catalan in areas such as personnel, public procurement, internal administrative procedures, and its use by public officials. Finally, it criticizes the prioritization of the Menorcan variety as the formal form of the language, an option it describes as "unscientific" and contrary to the legal system, since, according to the organization, it seeks to equate a dialectal variant with the academically established language. For the OCB, the Regulation is an attempt to "set back the Catalan language, native to Menorca, and to erode the linguistic rights of its citizens."