States as international persons — In general — Sovereignty and independence — In matters of domestic jurisdiction — Reserved domain — Belgian legislation on use of languages in education — Whether within scope of application of European Convention on Human Rights — Whether subject to review by European Court of Human Rights.

Disputes — European Court of Human Rights — Jurisdiction Preliminary objections — Objection to competence of Court ratione materiae — Contention that subject — matter of complaint outside scope of European Convention on Human Rights and within reserved domain — Belgian legislation on use of languages in education — Whether applicability of Convention of a preliminary character — Whether pertaining to the merits.

The individual in international law — Human rights and freedoms — European Convention for Protection of — Articles 8 (right to respect for private and family life) and 14 (non-discrimination) — First Protocol (Article 2 (right to education)) — Belgian legislation on use of languages in education — Complaints by French-speaking inhabitants of Flemish-language region — Alleged failure of Belgian State to provide French-language education — Refusal to provide grants for institutions not complying with language legislation and to homologate leaving certificates issued — Whether compatible with Convention and Protocol — Whether within reserved domain — Meaning and scope of Article 2 of Protocol and Articles 8 and 14 of Convention — Whether conferring independent right — Whether operative in conjunction only with rights set out in other Articles — “Discrimination” — Criteria for interpretation — “Objective and reasonable justification” — “Proportionality between means employed and aim to be realized” — Limits to review by court — Subsidiary nature of international machinery of collective enforcement under Convention.