Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-06-11-Speech-1-103-000"
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"en.20120611.20.1-103-000"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we decided to table this oral question because the issue is particularly important. We have always strived to bring citizens closer to the EU institutions. We do so in many ways, through the visitors to Parliament, through our local actions, using all the means of communication that our timescales allow us. We do this with constant echoes in all our resolutions; we do so, too, with the Commission’s public consultations.
The Commission often uses these consultations to form the basis of their communications to Parliament and other EU institutions. In other words, the Commission bases its work on the responses it gets. Where, then, is the problem? The problem is that often, the results of these consultations are objectively embarrassing. A few dozen answers, sometimes even just single figures, representing the half a billion citizens that make up the European Union. Truly embarrassing. In 2011, the Commission had already committed to reviewing its consultation policy but to date, that is, mid-2012, we have neither seen nor heard anything. It is not a matter of lengthening timescales: we could even do it for 365 days, but the results would be the same.
One of the most obvious problems is the use of languages. We very seldom go beyond the use of English, and hardly ever use any other languages apart from English, French and German. My mother could never take part in the consultations because she does not know any of the three languages in question and many of our citizens are in a similar position to her. It is not just a matter of ignorance, it is also a matter of the values we believe in and on which we have based our Union. Multilingualism, Commissioner, is one of them.
Of course it is important to be competent in languages, but we have 23 of them, and why should a Portuguese, an Italian or a Lithuanian not find out about the Commission’s consultation in their own language? Of course, the lack of answers does not only depend on language but we have to start somewhere. Language is not only a great place to start but, Commissioner, also becomes a priority because, if we were to continue in this way, we might just as well make savings at the root by abolishing this instrument since we are making such a terrible impression.
I want to conclude with a question to you, Commissioner: if you were in charge of a communication company, would the results of this communication satisfy you and your company?"@en1
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