Video alert:

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Video Alert: Irish gets official status

BRUSSELS, 8 Dec. (EUX.TV) -- A new television programme now is available
on EUX.TV, the Europe channel, about Irish becoming an official EU
language next year. The programme, produced for the European Parliament,
as part of the 'Eurinfo' series, also includes members of the European
Parliament discussing the EU's multilingualism policy.  Irish in 2005
already became the EU's 21st official working language, 32 years after
Ireland joined the EEC. In its negotiations to join the EEC in 1971, the
Irish government decided not to seek full status for the Irish language
and Irish was thus granted the status of 'treaty language.'

This meant that all EU treaties were translated into Irish, and it was
possible to make written submissions to the EU institutions and receive a
reply in Irish, but the EU Official Journal was never translated into
Irish. In November 2004, the Irish government tabled a proposal in
Brussels seeking official and working status in the EU for the Irish
language. In June 2005, this proposal was adopted. It will come into
effect on 1 January 2007, with a partial derogation in place whereby only
key legislation must be translated into Irish. From 2007, Irish MEPs will
be able to speak in Irish during Parliament debates, and Irish people will
also be able to count Irish as a second working language when applying for
jobs within the EU institutions.

The EU will pay for the translation costs incurred by this decision, as it
does for all official languages, but the Irish government must first
provide the necessary training to provide a group of skilled interpreters
and translators for recruitment to the EU institutions.

http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=1728

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