Brussels, 24/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - A significantly large number of languages are in danger of disappearing in the European Union. On 23 April, MEPs on the European Parliament's education and culture committee emphasised that it is a whole area of our rich cultural heritage that will disappear with these languages. The Parliamentary committee organised a debate on the own initiative report of François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA, France), “Endangered European languages and linguistic diversity in the European Union” which is due to be adopted by the committee in May.
Languages are a fundamental part of cultural heritage. In the European Union, several languages and dialects are currently dying out, creating a serious problem for cultural diversity which is so specific to the European Union. Alfonsi pointed out that the notion of linguistic diversity covers not only the 23 official and co-official languages spoken in the EU but all the languages spoken in the EU. He expressed his concern at the decline in the European Union's concern for endangered languages. European aid allocated to these languages has fallen sharply over the past two multiannual financial frameworks (2000-2007 and 2007-2013). The report seeks to mobilise the EU and member states: all possible means of protecting endangered languages must be used to protect endangered languages, through Community financial support instruments for the 2014-2020 period. The rapporteur is recommending that the European Union support a linguistic approach that facilitates the acquisition of two mother tongues from the earliest age possible, which will help to transmit traditional languages between the generations. Laszlo Tokés (EPP, Romania) and Piotr Borys (EPP, Poland) discussed the specific situation in member states from Eastern Europe, whose Communist past wiped out linguistic particularities and led to certain languages and dialects disappearing. Gianni Vattimo (ALDE, Italy) said that the disappearance of certain languages was unavoidable, as was the case with Latin, but that their memory must be preserved through academic work. MEPs also expanded the debate to minority languages (Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid (EPP, France), Emma McClarkin (ECR, United Kingdom), which must also be protected to preserve cultural diversity. Speaking on behalf of DG EAC at the European Commission, Ana Carla Pereira, underlined the limits to EU intervention in a field where responsibility is the remit of the national and regional authorities. She did say, however, that the Commission could play the role of catalyst in its determination to promote the teaching of languages in the new “Creative Europe” programme. (IL/transl.fl)