Brussels, 01/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 1 December, the European ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, asked the European Commission to publish its public consultation documents in the 23 language of the EU or to produce translations upon request. The ombudsman concluded that the European citizens are not able to take part in the decision-making process of the European Union if public consultation documents are not available in all official languages. It asked the Commission to draft clear guidelines as regards its language policy for public consultation procedures.
In October 2010, a Spanish lawyer brought a complaint before the ombudsman, as the public consultation on taxation in the financial sector was published only in English, French and German. He also referred to other examples of consultations published only in English (partnership to help SMEs, cutting use of plastic bags, free movement for workers). The plaintiff argued that the Commission's language policy was arbitrary and ran counter to the principles of openness, good administration and non-discrimination.
The Commission acknowledged that the language barrier may constitute an obstacle to the citizens' involvement in public consultations. However, it maintained that the principle of multilingualism for its consultations depends on the constraints of time and resources available. According to the Commission, its 2002 communication regarding public consultations does not oblige it to publish the consultation documents in all EU languages.
The ombudsman does not share this view, sympathising with the plaintiff's argument. Multilingualism is vital to allow the citizens to exercise their right to take part in the democratic life of the EU, a right which is guaranteed them by the Lisbon Treaty, the ombudsman stressed. He concluded that the “restrictive” language policy of the Commission constitutes maladministration and called on the institution to publish its public consultation documents in all 23 EU languages. The Commission must submit a detailed opinion on the recommendation by 29 February 2012. (LC/transl.fl)