Eurolang articles

[Harold F. Schiffman]

EBLUL-FRANCE PROTESTS TO THE UN OVER EVERYDAY LINGUISTIC DISCRIMINATION IN
THE FRENCH STATE
Bruxelles / Brussels 2/25/2005 by Davyth Hicks

The French committee of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages
(EBLUL) intervened in Geneva on Wednesday during the 66th session of the
Committee for the Elimination of all the forms of Racial Discrimination
(CERD), part of the UN, in order to protest about discrimination suffered by
the speakers of the various minoritised languages under the French state.


LANGUAGE COMMUNITY IGNORED IN NEW ITALIAN FUNDAMENTAL LAW
Udin 2/25/2005 by Max Mauro

The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region approved a new Fundamental Law in early
February which does not give minority groups the attention they deserve and
even creates discrimination among language communities. This is according to
comments this week from the 482 Committee, which gathers together the most
important cultural associations of Friûl (Friuli), following the recent
approval of the new Act by the Regional Council.


LANGUAGE INTERGROUP DEBATES STATUS OF RUSSIAN-SPEAKING MINORITIES IN LATVIA
Strassburg/ Strasbourg 2/24/2005 by Simone Klinge

The conclusion of the European Parliament Intergroup for Traditional
National Minorities, Constitutional Regions and Regional Languages debate
today was clear and unanimous. While the tragic history of the Latvian
people under Soviet rule cannot be forgotten, it is now crucial to face the
present and give citizenship and the right to Russian-medium education to
the Russian-speaking minority in Latvia. At the same time all parties agreed
that is crucial to have a very good command of Latvian, the state language.


HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER’S SUPPORT FOR AUTONOMY CONTINUES TO CAUSE
CONTROVERSY IN SLOVAKIA
Biel/ Bienne 2/24/2005 by Peter Josika

A remark by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, in which he
expressed his support for the creation of autonomous regions in majority
Hungarian speaking areas outside of Hungary, was angrily rejected by
Slovak politicians in mid January. Eurolang's Peter Josika asks whether
autonomy is divisive or does it strengthen diversity and neighbourly
relations.


THE NETHERLANDS RATIFIES THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF
NATIONAL MINORITIES
Strassburg/ Strasbourg 2/24/2005 by Simone Klinge

On February 16th, the Netherlands ratified the Framework Convention for the
Protection of National Minorities and declared it will apply to the
Frisians.


COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS BACKS CULTURE 2007 PLAN, BUT CALLS FOR LINGUISTIC
DIVERSITY CLAUSE
Bruxelles/ Brussel 2/24/2005 by Davyth Hicks

At the Committee of the Regions plenary session in Brussels on Wednesday the
organisation supported Welsh Assembly member Rosemary Butler’s (PES/UK) call
for the European Parliament and the Council to support the Commission’s
Culture 2007 programme. However, Ms Butler insisted that the text for
Culture 2007, “should refer to the need to safeguard and promote linguistic
diversity, notably lesser-used and regional and minority languages”, which
is not the case in the current draft.



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