WRITTEN QUESTION E-1179/00

by Gorka Knörr Borràs (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 April 2000)

Subject: The Basque language in Navarre

The legal regime governing the use of Basque in Navarre is at present laid down by regional law No 18/1986 of 15 December 1986 (on the Basque language). This law divides the territory of Navarre into three language zones, namely: a Basque-speaking zone, in which Basque and Spanish have joint official status; a mixed zone'; and a non-Basque-speaking zone (in the latter two, the sole official language is Spanish). According to data supplied by the regional government of Navarre, Basque is spoken by 70 % of the population in the Basque-speaking zone, 21 % in the mixed zone and 7 % in the non-Basque-speaking zone.

In the Basque-speaking zone, given the co-official status of Basque, education and administration are conducted on a bilingual basis. In the mixed zone, Basque is not official and its use is voluntary. In the non-Basque-speaking zone, language rights do not exist as such: Basque exists only as a school subject, and Basque-medium education is not offered, even though there is certainly demand. The administration in this zone is under no obligation to deal with the public in Basque, nor does it have the resources to do so. Furthermore, Basque-medium education is not offered in the sole state university of the region of Navarre, as Basque has recently been given a status similar to that of foreign languages such as English or French.

Given that the regional law No 18/1986 on the Basque language defines Basque as a specifically Navarran language, and in view of the numerous resolutions adopted by the European Parliament such as that of 30 October 1987 in which it is recommended that Member States should give an official dimension to the teaching of regional and minority languages and give such teaching the same status as that accorded to the teaching of national languages, and, similarly, the resolutions of 9 February 1994, 17 December 1998 and 16 March 2000, is the Commission aware of this situation?

Does the Commission not believe that the present state of affairs in the non-Basque-speaking zone runs counter to the principles of those resolutions? On the eve of the European Year of Languages, does the Commission not believe that cases such as that of Basque in Navarre need to be closely monitored? Does the Commission intend to draw up a progress report on respect for the cultural diversity of the Member States, in line with the principles arising from Article 151 of the Treaty?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(14 June 2000)

Respect for linguistic and cultural diversity is one of the foundation stones of the Union. The Commission takes note of the information provided by the Honourable Member on the situation of the Basque language in the Communidad Foral de Navarra.

Tit should be pointed out that a Parliamentary resolution is not legally binding on the Member States. For its part, he Commission has taken action within its field of competence e.g. by drafting a report on the situation of regional and minority languages in the Union (the Euromosaic study) and providing financial of the said resolutions support for safeguarding and promoting regional and minority languages, as well as supporting the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages and the Mercator information network. The Commission has alsoopening up Community programmes, where applicable, financed initiatives involving regional and minority languages within other Community programmes.

As for the European Year of Languages, the main aim of this initiative is to heighten awareness of the importance of learning languages. All languages deemed eligible for support identified by the Member States for the implementation of the European Year of Languages, whatever their status, will be given equal access to the programme.

As part of its action for safeguarding and promoting regional and minority languages, the Commission intends to conduct a study of regional and minority language communities in the Union today. This project will build on the results of the Euromosaic study to present an updated view, among other things, of the position of such languages in national, regional and local legal, administrative and education systems.