Brussels, 16/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption with two abstentions of the own-initiative report by Michl Ebner (EPP-ED, Italy) on "regional languages and lesser-used languages in Europe in the context of enlargement and diversity" at its meeting in Brussels on 7 July, the EP's committee on culture is criticising the lack of legal provision at EU level on languages. It calls upon the forthcoming intergovernmental conference to include a clear reference to the promotion of linguistic diversity, including regional and minority languages in the provisions concerning the Union's cultural policy, as an expression of cultural diversity.
The Parliamentary committee also recommends that the European Commission carry out a feasibility study on setting up a European agency for linguistic diversity and language learning, and also to put together a multi-annual programme for linguistic diversity (regional and minority languages plus sign languages), accompanied by concrete financial measures to promote projects to forward the acceptance of multilingualism. In a press release, the committee specifies that the budgetary impact of these actions and programmes should be compatible with the threshold of heading 3 of the budget (internal policies) without needing to re-programme existing policies.
The Ebner report will be put to the EP plenary session in Strasbourg in September.