Brussels, 08/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - Luciano Caveri, MEP from the Valdaosta Union and President of the French language and cultural diversity intergroup, has written to the President of the European Convention, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, requesting that a reference to "linguistic" diversity is added to the draft of Article 3.3 of the future constitutional treaty on "cultural diversity in the Union". While admitting that English had "irredeemably become the common language (lingua franca) in Europe and the whole world", the Italian MEP considered that it was necessary to "allow for expression to non-English speaking cultures" in order to re-balance this "linguistic dominance". The President of the Regional Committee of the EP regretted that "French, for example, had been relegated to a marginal position, although it was a language that could serve as a main pivot, indeed a guarantee of cultural diversity". Caveri was also convinced that it was necessary to "resist unification of all cultures". He concluded that "European decision-makers" who were accountable to citizens, should meet this "linguistic challenge".