Brussels, 20/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - Anna Maria Campogrande, an official at the European Commission and a member of the Comite executive d'actoin et defense-Belgique with responsibility for language issues, has written to Commissioner Jan Figel, responsible for multilingualism, about an appeal lodged by the Italian government to the European Court of First Instance against two decisions by the European Commission that they claim introduce linguistic discrimination against Italy. She urges him not to follow the example of the former Vice-President of the Commission, Neil Kinnock. As Italian newspaper La Stanpa points out, Italy has appealed against two decisions by the European Commission whereby notices of high-level vacancies open to applicants from outside the Commission would be published in the Official Journal only in English, French and German, because of the additional problems of translating arising from the recent enlargement of the EU. In her letter to the Slovak Commissioner, Ms Campogrande says that in the light of the huge number of cases of discrimination by the former Commission against most Member States, there is reason to believe that the Commission will face more appeals in the future. She writes that Commissioner Neil Kinnock made a serious attack on the fundamental rights of the majority of European citizens by dismantling the linguistic services and using all the means at his disposal, as Commissioner for administration and the Commission's computer services, to ensure the use of a single language, English. Ms Campogrande criticises the former Vice-President of the Commission of promoting specific and got lucrative contracts, even considering farming out the Commission's translation services under the aegis of the British Council. She comments that responsibility for multilingualism is now in Commissioner Figel's hands, noting that he does not have the same origin or interests as Neil Kinnock and is in no way obliged to continue with the same policy. She urges Jan Figel to be an enlightened Commissioner and, more importantly, a Commissioner for all Europeans, and to give European and Europeans what they need, namely linguistic services that are up to the job that falls on them and are designed as centres of excellence in the service of citizens.