Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-24-Speech-2-525"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20091124.39.2-525"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"I would like to begin by focusing on the essence of the multilingualism policy which we have wanted to promote during this period. On the one hand, we have wanted to be able to guarantee respect for and celebrate every language spoken in the European Union, whether we are talking about national, regional or minority languages, or languages spoken by citizens who have come from other continents. On the other hand, we have wanted to ensure that this celebration of diversity achieves the common aim which we all want, namely, to preserve and consolidate the unity of the European Union, in other words, our unity. We are talking about, if you like, the most direct application of the principle of ‘unity in diversity’. In my speech, I cannot help either but take heed of the remarks made by Mr Swoboda to the effect that through what we are doing, we must look for those elements that unite us rather than divide us.
We must have respect for everyone, but we must also have the wisdom to find the ways to understand each other, communicate and be able to interact with each other. This is precisely the reason why multilingualism has played and does play an extremely important role in strengthening intercultural dialogue. We need to have dialogue and we cannot achieve this without languages.
I have had the opportunity to visit all the Member States. I have also had the opportunity to travel in areas and regions where, regrettably, there are still discussions and disputes going on and, unfortunately, sometimes languages are held hostage to certain political interests which are not inspired by the EU’s unity. I have also said loud and clear: we must find solutions enabling us to communicate and interact. This is the reason why, as I have already said, even in situations where things seem more difficult to accept, the fact of learning and speaking the languages of the communities which we live alongside offers us important solutions in terms of understanding one another. Therefore, in situations of this kind, and there have been countless cases, I believe that we can progress in terms of mutual understanding.
For example, the ability to speak the language of the area where representatives of national minorities are in the majority, in other words, the ability to speak the language of these minorities, along with the ability of the national minorities to speak the language of the national state, builds bridges and establishes points of understanding which can help us.
I want to make a few comments about the efforts we are making to be able to offer support to all languages spoken in the European Union. We fund a large number of projects linked not only to official languages but to numerous regional and minority languages as well. There are countless specific examples where the European Commission has supported, on the one hand, networks of organisations intended to promote regional and minority languages, as well as the less widely spoken languages in the European Union in general. However, we also fund projects linked to particular minority and regional languages. There are also specific examples of the way in which we support these languages. As I have said and wish to repeat, the strategy on multilingualism adopted in 2008 is aimed at all the languages spoken in the European Union. We have no barriers. We consider each of these languages as an asset to the European Union and as part, if you like, of the cultural heritage which we currently have in the European Union.
I would also like to say a few words about the amendments made to the legislation on the use of Slovak in Slovakia, of course. We are pleased that talks are going on at the moment between the Hungarian and Slovak prime ministers about the options enabling them to find common solutions based on mutual understanding. From a Community perspective, I want to stress that, given the extremely wide scope of application of this law, we are currently unable to evaluate all the possible implications of its enforcement. This is exactly why the implementation of this legislation is crucial, particularly the manner in which it is implemented. On this point, I want to emphasise that the European Commission will carry out a very thorough analysis where we will examine in detail the way in which the legislation is going to be implemented.
I would like to end by emphasising once again that we are endeavouring, within the constraints of the relatively limited powers that we have, to support all the languages used in the European Union, whether they be official, regional or minority, such as Welsh, where we have specific examples of the way in which we are supporting this language, or Catalan, where, for example, the European Commission has tried to open up to or draw the attention of people using this language. For instance, we have extremely detailed websites and information in Catalan about the Community’s policies. The same applies to Basque and numerous other languages. I want to show that these efforts are enabling us to demonstrate the specific way in which we want to support this policy, which I consider as being an important European Union policy, one which is actually at the foundation of creating the European Union."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples