B4-0038, 0052, 0060, 0075, 0094, 0110 and 0113/95

Resolution on the use of the official languages in the institutions of the European Union

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the statement made in December 1994 by Mr Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs, on replacing the 11 official languages of the European Union with five working languages,

B. whereas, according to the provisions of the Treaty, the languages used by the institutions of the European Union are a matter for decision by the Council acting unanimously,

C. having regard to Regulation 1/58/EEC and amendments thereto putting the official languages and working languages of the Communities on an equal footing ((OJ 17, 6.10.1958, p. 385.)),

D. having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Communities, the Single Act and the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community,

E. having regard to the rules of procedure of the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament,

F. whereas people belonging to a recognized language group must not be relegated to the status of second-class citizens; whereas any proposal to limit the number of languages increases the distance between the public and the European institutions, which has already reached a disturbing level,

G. whereas technical and budgetary arguments can in no circumstances justify a reduction in the number of languages,

H. having regard to its resolution of 11 December 1990 on the situation of languages in the Community and of the Catalan language ((OJ C 19, 28.1.1991, p. 42.)),

I. having regard to the view expressed by the President of the French Republic before the European Parliament that 'Europe must assert its cultural identity through its diversity',

The European Parliament,

1. Reaffirms its commitment to the equality of the official languages and the working languages of all the countries of the Union, which is a cornerstone of the concept of a European Union, of its philosophy and of the political equality of its Member States, and asserts that the different languages are one of the characteristics of European civilization and culture and an important aspect of Europe's diversity and cultural wealth;

2. Declares its determination to oppose any attempt to discriminate between the official and the working languages of the European Union;

3. Urges that the principle whereby citizens of the Union have the right to use their own language, both orally and in writing, in their contacts with all European institutions be respected;

4. Takes the view that the right of an elected representative to express himself and to work in his own language is an inalienable part of the rule of democracy and of his mandate;

5. Reaffirms its independence and its power to determine its own modus operandi, in regard to languages as in other matters, and recalls its resolution of 6 May 1994 on the right to use one's own language ((OJ C 205, 25.7.1994, p. 528.)) which strongly reaffirmed the importance of using all the official languages without discrimination as working languages within the European Parliament;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the Presidents of the other institutions of the European Union.