Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-24-Speech-2-497"
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"en.20091124.39.2-497"2
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"The languages of Europe’s peoples as a cultural whole form the cultural heritage of Europe, just as the Commissioner has also said. I thank him for making this point. There are no differences between languages, whether they are spoken by a minority or majority. At the same time, people’s right to use their own language is an integral part of their basic rights, as is also stated in Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It is no coincidence that national communities are extremely sensitive about any infringement of their rights in this area.
I am speaking out, on behalf of a minority numbering more than half a million, against Slovakia’s national language law containing certain articles which infringe and restrict the rights of this minority. Let me give you a few examples. Article 8(4) of the law stipulates that doctors must communicate in the national language with patients in locations where the minority’s proportion is less than 20%. This also applies to social workers and their clients, as well as to fire-fighters and paramedics, if they are on duty, in other words, when putting out a fire or taking someone to hospital. According to Article 6(1), Slovak must be used in the text of adverts, whether public or private. According to Article 8(6), adverts must appear first and larger in the national language, or the letters must be at least as big as those in the text in the second language. This obviously conveys the message that the first language is more important, while the second is subordinate and second-class.
Article 9 of the law imposes penalties that are disproportionate on legal entities contravening the appropriate language use, including small businesses. In any case, why is it a punishable offence for someone to speak in their mother tongue? Such a law cannot, obviously, be implemented properly.
Mr President, Slovak legislation could have integrated as part of its domestic legal system those commitments which it accepted from the Council of Europe’s Charter on languages and assumed through ratification, instead of approving a law which is diametrically opposed to this. It is not even aimed at bilingualism, as it does not require workers, even in the public sector, to know the minority language, nor encourage them to learn it.
Mr President, just a final word. I am pleased that the European Parliament has put this debate on the agenda and I greatly appreciate the clear stance adopted by the Parliament’s President, Jerzy Buzek, as well as the unequivocal message from the Commission that minority rights must be protected, not restricted."@en1
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