Summary
Symposium in the EP asks
for research and feasibility studies
about a common non-discriminatory language
for communication in a multilingual Union!
A one-day symposium on "What language policies for
a multilingual European Union?" organised on 6 May 2003 in the European
Parliament by different NGOs (see www.europe-citizen.net)
in collaboration with parliamentarians from different political groups
(Richard Corbett, Willy De Clercq, Jean-Maurice Dehousse, Michael Gahler),
ended with the adoption of a number of universal principles in language
use (communication) which every citizen in the European Union should know
and respect in a multilingual community like the European Union (see document
on conclusions).
The contributions and the discussion in the symposium
have shown, in particular, that there are not one, but, at least, three
solutions for language use (communication) between the citizen and the
public authorities in a multilingual community like the European Union,
all official languages, one language and two languages; each in a specific
field of daily communication and language instruction.
It was evident that under the title of the symposium
also the question of a common language for internal, professional and
inter-ethnic communication had been discussed; inter-linguists and experts
in planned languages like Esperanto showed the possibilities and limits
of a common language model for daily communication and language instruction
in schools. A linguistic expert of Czech mother tongue, Mrs. Vera Barandovska,
even gave, probably for the first time in the European Parliament, a speech
of 15 minutes in Esperanto, interpreted into French as relay for the other
languages (German and English) which were available for the participants.
The only real controversial point in the discussion between
the participants at the symposium was about the question, whether, for
the purpose of professional and internal communication, there should be
several or only one working language? - It was argued that, if one can
find a non-discriminatory solution in the form of a universal language
model like a planned language, then, after serious studies and language
experiments, this aspect could be solved in the future.
Therefore, "the competent bodies at the Union level and the educational
authorities in the Member States" were called on by the participants,
"to undertake research in the field of a non-discriminatory system
such as a universal language model (planned language), its conditions,
capacities and limits, to support feasibility studies and to facilitate
language experiments with a view to ultimately resolving the remaining
discrimination in internal and inter-ethnic communication."
Furthermore, a very promising approach for future diversity
in language learning at school was shown under the name "language
orientation course", a 'propedeutical' course in language instruction
presenting the necessary structures and grammar of a language on the basis
of a planned language. If everybody, besides his/her mother tongue, learnt
at school the first foreign target language (English, German, French,
Spanish, Italian, Polish, Hungarian or Swedish, or whatever) by means
of such a "language orientation course", we would leave school
with two languages at our disposal, one for professional and private purposes
and one for non-discriminatory inter-ethnic communication; a perspective
which would guarantee, in the long run, diversity in language learning
and a common neutral communication means at the same time. A member of
the "Research Centre on Multilingualism", Prof. Weber from Mannheim,
proposed already, as first feedback from the symposium, to look further
into the idea of a "neutral multilingualism" by investing more
research in this field.
The participants also gave a clear answer to the subtitle
of the symposium which was: "Shall we write the citizens' communication
rights and duties into a European Constitution?"
Addressing the members of the Convention on the future
of Europe, the participants asked for the inclusion in a European Constitution,
at least, of the principles to be applied in communication. These principles
must cover the main objectives of European integration, i.e., democracy
in diversity, equality and non-discrimination, efficiency and transparency,
and, last, but not least, the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic
diversity. In a community with different languages, the citizen has to
know his rights and his duties in communication with public authorities
at the European, national, regional and local level, when travelling,
working or settling somewhere within the territory of the Union.
The adopted principles on the citizens' communication
rights and duties can also be found in various documents circulated by
NGOs during the symposium, for example, in a draft project entitled "Declaration
on the citizens' communication rights and duties in a multilingual European
Union" (Working group - on the language problem in the EU) and in
a proposal for an amendment of A rticle 7 (Citizenship of the EU, citizen
rights and duties) in the planned Constitution (Forum for language rights
and cultural diversity). All documents can be found in the internet: http://www.europe-citizen.net/documents.html.
Brussel/Bruxelles, 19.5.2003
Forum for language rights and cultural diversity
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