Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, not only in this plenary but far beyond these walls, it was repeatedly said that we faced, in the shape of enlargement, an historic step. This historic step demands of us, above all else, understanding, an understanding that must be profound rather than merely superficial, a real comprehension rather than just a random encounter. We need languages as a vector if this understanding is to be guaranteed. In this place, we will soon be representing twenty-five states and over three thousand years of cultural history. Many cultures and many languages are far younger and hence less deep-rooted, so there is, in all of them, concern about their own identity. I believe that these concerns do not need to persist, and would like to give you the example of the South Tyrol, from which I come. We have benefited from the European Union. The Austrian minority in South Tyrol – speaking German and Ladin – has been greatly strengthened by the EU, by a policy of openness on the part of Italy and by developments in the European Union. It is my belief that this minority has become a bridge between Italy and Austria, between the German-speakers and Italian-speakers. That is why I would like to dispel the misgivings of the minorities, the small linguistic communities within the EU and of those who will be joining it. This report seeks to value and maintain languages and cultures and to strengthen all of them – not just the official languages, but also the regional and less-used ones. Europe is a mosaic, and a very beautiful one, and we want this mosaic to be conserved rather than becoming a cocktail. In the Europe of Fifteen, there are at present over sixty minorities. Another sixty will be added from the ten candidate countries. This wealth of languages makes for diversity and enriches us, and it will be possible for many of these minorities to function as bridges between States. The Commission, with its action plan and its inclusive approach, has recognised that at the right time. I would like not only to single out Commissioner Reding for specific mention, but also to express due gratitude to her for this initiative. The Action Plan on Linguistic Diversity is the right way forward. I am grateful to the Members of this House and to those who, in past parliamentary terms, have made substantial contributions towards this end, above all those in the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport who have helped to improve this report. Parliament played a leading role in this. From 1981 to 2001, it has taken the initiative with the Arfé Report, the Kuijpers Report, the Reding Report, the Killilea Report, and, most recently, the Morgan resolution; now, with this resolution from the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport, it wants to go one step further. This is a decisive moment before enlargement, when we are able not only to express our positions on the work that the Convention has completed, but also to offer proposals. The Year of Languages 2001 was important, but it was not enough. The learning of languages must not be limited to one year, but must become and remain a continuous process.

Political group: PPE-DE