WRITTEN QUESTION E-0679/01 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Procedures for the European recognition of the Veneto language.
Date: 2001-03-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Veneto, competence of the Member States, cultural identity, regional language, relations between the State and the regions

C 235 E/236

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.8.2001

these flocks has not been permitted, for example in Finland; some bodies and authorities maintain that
cormorants are protected by EU directives.

What is the Commission(cid:146)s view on this? What action is permissible and how can the damage caused by
cormorants be reduced?

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(3 April 2001)

The cormorant is a naturally occurring bird species, and as such is covered by the Council Directive 79/
409 EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds (1), the Birds Directive. In 1997 this species
was removed from the list of birds subject to special conservation measures of Annex I of this Directive
because it was no longer considered to have an unfavourable conservation status.

As the cormorant is not included in the lists of huntable bird species of the Birds Directive (Annexes II/1
and II/2), Member States have to protect it like most naturally occurring species, prohibiting for example
deliberate killing or capture, destruction of or damage to their nests and eggs, and deliberate disturbance
especially during the breeding period.

However, Member States may derogate from these strict protection provisions to prevent serious damage
to fisheries and water and for the protection of flora and fauna where no other satisfactory solution exists.

In order to grant such a derogation there is however the need for some scientific evidence that such
serious damage is taking place. At present the studies from Sweden and the information from Finland do
not demonstrate an overall negative effect.

The Commission has received information indicating that damage to nests of cormorant is taking place in
some locations.
justifying
a derogation as mentioned above, such actions are in contravention of the Birds Directive.

In the absence of substantive proof of damage to fisheries and wildlife,

(1) OJ C 103, 25.4.1979.

(2001/C 235 E/279)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0679/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(8 March 2001)

Subject: Procedures for the European recognition of the Veneto language

The Veneto language is recognised as such in important documents on languages, such as the Unesco Red
Book of Endangered Languages by Professor Tapani Salminen of the University of Helsinki (Finland) and
The Ethnologue Languages of the World (cid:129) 13th edition (cid:129) Summer Institute of Linguistics, Dallas, Texas
(United States).

A variant of Veneto is decreed as the official language one week a year in Serafina Correa, a state in Rio
Grande do Sol in Brazil, in honour of the hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the Veneto living in
Brazil, who still speak the language.

According to a study carried out by ISTAT (the Italian Statistical Institute) in 1998, 52 % of those living in
the Veneto speak Veneto rather than Italian in inter-personal relations, in offices and at the workplace.

21.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 235 E/237

In March 1995 the Veneto regional government published a (cid:145)unified manual for the spelling of Veneto(cid:146).

On 22 November 1999 the Veneto regional parliament adopted, by a large majority, a resolution (No 262)
calling on the Italian State to recognise Veneto as a regional language.

Veneto was the mother tongue of various important figures, such as the explorer Marco Polo and the
writer Carlo Goldoni.

Despite all this the Italian State and the European Office for Minority Languages have not yet recognised
Veneto(cid:146)s status as a regional language.

Can the Commission say what procedures and measures are needed to ensure that Veneto is recognised as
a regional language by the European Office for Minority Languages as soon as possible?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(17 April 2001)

The recognition of regional and minority languages is a matter for the Member States, which take various
approaches. As far as Italy is concerned, this Member State ratified the European Charter for Regional and
Minority Languages of the Council of Europe on 27 June 2000 and drew up the list of the languages
recognised in this connection, without including Veneto.

The European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages (EBLUL) is co-financed by the Community and represents
the regional and minority language communities of the Community. It is an independent body made up of
national committees representing the various cultural associations and bodies that are active in the national
language communities. Their composition is their own responsibility, and the Community does not
intervene in this organisation.

it

In both cases,
the Italian
Government for recognition at the level of the Italian State, and the EBLUL for the question of its presence
in this body.

the competent authorities or persons directly:

is necessary to contact

(2001/C 235 E/280)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0681/01

by Karin J(cid:246)ns (PSE) to the Commission

(27 February 2001)

Subject: The freedom of German firms to provide services in the sphere of aerial photogrammetry

1.
Is it true that in the context of Europe-wide calls to tender in the sphere of aerial surveying for
contracts worth more than € 200 000 German contractors are obliged to prove that they have their
registered office in the Member State issuing the call to tender? The Member States concerned are Italy and
Greece.

The firm concerned is a legal person taking the legal form of a German limited company with a registered
office in Germany only. The company aims to obtain contracts not only in Germany but also in other
Member States, in order to tackle the growing pressure of competition in the field of aerial photogram-
metry. In particular, firms from other Member States are gaining entry to the German market without
having to fulfil the above-mentioned obligation, whilst German firms in the Member States Italy and
Greece have to prove that they are based in those countries in order to take part in tendering procedures
in the form outlined above.

2.
Is it true that in the context of Europe-wide calls to tender in the sphere of aerial surveying for
contracts worth more than € 200 000 German contractors are obliged to prove that they have specific
authorisation to carry out photogrammetry flights in another Member State?