Eurolang articles

[Harold F. Schiffman]

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MEPs SAY 'YES&' TO CONSTITUTION AMID HEATED DEBATE OVER LANGUAGE
RIGHTS AND 'NATIONAL MINORITIES'
Brussels and Strasbourg 1/13/2005 by Davyth Hicks and Simone Klinge

Yesterday a large majority of MEPs voted in favour for the Constitutional
Treaty for Europe in Strasbourg, saying that it wholeheartedly
supports its ratification. However, it did not pass without strong
criticisms and heated debate amongst MEPs over language rights and the
'national minority' question.


LANGUAGE ACTIVIST EOIN MCKIERNAN LEAVES $40,000 TO IRISH-MEDIUM EDUCATION
Belfast 1/13/2005 by Eoghan ó Néill

In his 89 years on earth Eoin Mc Kiernan was a passionate and innovative
advocate of all things Irish, particularly the Irish language. And now seven
months after his death the renowned Irish American has given a boost to
children in the hard pressed Irish-medium schools in the North of Ireland.


HOLIDAY HOMES SHOULD SUBSIDISE AFFORDABLE HOMES, SAYS PLAID CYMRU
Abergele 1/12/2005 by Huw Morgan

Holiday home owners should pay thousands of pounds more in stamp duty with
this extra money being used to help those that cannot afford homes in their
localities. This is one of the recommendations in the Welsh nationalist
party Plaid Cymru's Right to a Home campaign. The party says that
there is an "affordable homes crisis in Wales" with prices more than
doubling in seven years, especially in rural Welsh-speaking areas.


LATVIA: ELECTION COMMISSION DECIDES TO STOP DISSEMINATING INFORMATION IN
RUSSIAN
Bruxelles/ Brussel 1/11/2005 by Davyth Hicks

On 7th January 2005, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Latvia
announced that it has stopped the broadcasting of a Russian-language
information video on public TV. The video explained voting procedures for
the forthcoming municipal elections.


GERMAN ELECTORAL PRACTICE FOR MINORITY PARTY TAKEN TO COURT
Brussels/Bruxelles 1/10/2005 by Brigitte Alfter

Only six weeks before the elections in the German province of
Schleswig-Holstein, the party of the Danish and the Frisian minority in the
province, SSW, is confronted with another case to try the electoral practice
of the province. According to the electoral law, the SSW has to achieve only
two percent of the vote at the election to ensure representation, rather
than the usual five percent.


POLISH PARLIAMENT AGREES ON THE LIMITED USE OF BILINGUAL PLACE NAMES
Bruxelles/ Brussel 1/10/2005 by Brigitte Alfter

The Polish parliament, the Sejm, decided last week that only communities
where more than 20 percent of the population belong to a language minority
will be able to have bilingual place-name signage.


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Simone Klinge
EUROLANG NEWS

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