WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1176/98 by Ulf HOLM to the Council. Swedish language under threat
Date: 1998-04-23
Institutions: European Parliament, HOLM
Subjects: European Patent Office, European patent, Sweden, access to EU information, anti-discriminatory measure, equal treatment, mother tongue, official language, translation

21. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 323/115

What  valid  reasons  were  there  for  the  cancellation  of  the  Council  President(cid:146)s  visit  to  the  Head  of  State  of  a
friendly government?

Does the Council intend to isolate Croatia, at a time when numerous ministers are going to Belgrade to visit
Mr Milosevic?

Is this a manoeuvre to compel Croatia, which has traditionally been a state oriented towards the West, to belong
to the Balkans, which is evidently the plan of certain leading officials in the Commission?

Answer

(6 July 1998)

The President of the Council was obliged to cancel his planned visit to Zagreb, at short notice, in order to be able
to  travel  to  Belgrade  to  present  the  Union(cid:146)s  position  on  the  situation  in  Kosovo  to  President  Milosevic.  The
Croatian authorities were fully informed of the reason.

The Council would welcome concrete action by Croatia, particularly to bring about the return of refugees, in
accordance with its international obligations.

The Council(cid:146)s position as regards Croatia(cid:146)s European aspirations is governed by the regional approach and the
policy of conditionality.

(98/C 323/176)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1154/98

by Jose· Apolina·rio (PSE) to the Council

(28 April 1998)

Subject: European Agency for the Oceans

With reference to the International Year of the Oceans and the organization of an exhibition on the subject of
oceans (Expo (cid:146)98), does the Council not consider that the establishment of a European Agency for the Oceans
should be encourages? What does the Council think of the merits of such a project?

To date the Council has received no proposal on the subject from the Commission.

Answer

(6 July 1998)

(98/C 323/177)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1176/98

by Ulf Holm (V) to the Council

(23 April 1998)

Subject: Swedish language under threat

For a number of years, the European Patent Organization, EPO, has persistently raised the question of changing
the rules governing patent applications in Europe. The EPO is now proposing that only a small part of a patent
should need to be translated into the language of the country in which the application for a patent is made. Under
the proposal, it should in the main be sufficient to translate the whole of the patent into English, German and
French.

The implications of the proposal are that the position in the EU of languages such as Swedish would be severely
restricted.  It  is  also  an  attack  on  our  democratic  principles.  Swedish  citizens  would  lose  their  right  to  read
documents nationally applicable in Sweden in their own language.

Does the Council consider that this proposal is in keeping with the democratic principles whereby every EU
citizen should have the right of access to applicable documents in their own language? What does the Council
intend to do to prevent the marginalisation of certain languages in the EU? Does the Council consider that the
number of official languages in the EU should be limited with the forthcoming enlargement in view?