WRITTEN QUESTION E-2438/00 by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission. Failure to respect linguistic diversity by the European Commission.
Date: 2000-07-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU programme, access to EU information, use of languages

C 151 E/6

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.5.2001

(2001/C 151 E/007)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2438/00

by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(19 July 2000)

Subject: Failure to respect linguistic diversity by the European Commission

Can the Commission explain why it now systematically gives priority to English in the communications it
issues which are of interest to the public,
increasingly cutting down its use of the other ten official
languages of the European Union?

Most of the information contained on the web-sites of the Commission(cid:146)s directorates-general is in English
and, where translations are available, these are usually confined to French or German. For example, the fact
that instructions for the submission of projects are almost exclusively in English makes it difficult for non-
anglophone citizens, associations or bodies to take part. In addition, the Commission frequently asks
project organisers to submit interim and final reports on their activities in the Commission(cid:146)s (cid:145)working
languages(cid:146) (English and French), causing pointless delays and extra administrative costs to those who do
not have a good knowledge of these languages, to the detriment of the operational aspects of the project.

Does the Commission not consider that these practices promote discrimination? Are such practices not
incompatible with the activities and programmes designed to promote respect for cultural and linguistic
diversity geared to the European Year of Languages?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(30 November 2000)

The Commission does not give preference to the use of any of the official languages of the Community by
comparison with the other languages, except for the internal work of the institution, in conformity with
Article 6 of Regulation No 1 of the Council of 15 April 1958 establishing the language regime of the
Community (1). This Regulation still remains the guideline for the contacts of the Commission with the
public and also for the publishing policy of the Commission. Regulation No 1 determines the official
languages of the Community and determines that legal acts have to be published in those languages.

The Commission pays great attention to the respect of the language regime, in particular with regard to its
own communication with the public, in order to guarantee non-discriminatory practices. Thus, the web-
sites of the Directorates-general are usually presented in the eleven official languages too. It may happen
that supplementary information can be made available in one language only. This is sometimes unavoid-
information and the limited resources available for translation of all
able due to the actuality of
information or documents in all the official languages.

Instructions for the submission of projects are generally published in the Official journal, so that citizens,
companies, or organisations have the same fair chance to take part in the execution of a programme. In
cases where additional information appears on a web-site in one or some of the official languages only, a
request can be addressed to the Secretary general of the Commission, who will examine what further steps
can be taken.

(1) OJ 17, 6.10.1958.

(2001/C 151 E/008)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2446/00

by Fernando FernÆndez Mart(cid:237)n (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 July 2000)

Subject: Islands

Article 154 of the Treaty, which concerns trans-European networks, specifically refers to (cid:145)the need to link
island, landlocked and peripheral regions with the central regions of the Community(cid:146).