WRITTEN QUESTION E-0894/98

by Daniela Raschhofer (NI) to the Commission

(26 March 1998)

Subject: Interpreting costs of possible enlargement to the east

If current policy is adhered to, the expansion of the European Commission to take in the CEECs would mean expanding the interpreting service.

1. Will the policy of attaching equal value to all the languages of the European Union be continued?

2. Are efforts being made instead to establish a small number of languages as so-called "official languages" and which languages would these be?

3. What are the costs of expanding the interpreting service (including publication costs) for the CEECs?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(2 June 1998)

1 and 2. The Commission would confirm that it regards the attaching of equal value to all the official languages and working languages of the Union institutions as important, in accordance with Council Regulation No 1/58, as amended, determining the languages to be used by the Union institutions(1).

The Commission does its best to ensure, in accordance with the treaties, that the widest possible language coverage is provided for conferences and meetings, with equal consideration being given to all the Union languages(2).

The Commission's view is that the present language arrangements, whereby all the Union languages are regarded as equal, should be kept when the Union is enlarged to include the central and eastern European countries.

3. As regards translation, the Commission has embarked on a modernisation and rationalisation process to ensure that services can be provided on the most cost-effective basis possible. Because of the scale of the challenge represented by the forthcoming enlargement, there are plans for close cooperation between the institutions.

As regards publications, the extra manpower required will mainly concern proofreaders and associated managerial staff. As an indication, the last time the Union was enlarged the Official Publications Office of the European Communities was given 60 extra posts.

As regards interpreting, the Commission firmly believes that an expanded interpreting service can be provided, primarily by using modular booths combined with asymmetrical interpreting, by providing suitable intensive training and by targeted recruiting.

With this in view, since a reorganisation of the Commission's Joint Interpreting and Conference Service (JICS) began in the second quarter of 1996, it has been possible to undertake to supply, at constant 1998 budget figures, additional coverage and interpretation into the new official languages at minimal cost in five years' time (1 January 2003). In addition, while continuing to give priority to bringing all the current official languages up to the same level, it has been decided from this year on to put special effort into training in the languages of central and eastern Europe. The Commission will be able to hold interpreting costs to a reasonable level when the planned enlargement takes place provided that the training and recruitment policy can continue to be pursued, so that the standard of interpreting at meetings and the overall standard of the service can be maintained or even raised.

(1) OJ English special edition: Series-I (52-58) p. 59.

(2) In accordance with the Council's conclusions on linguistic diversity in the European Union.