Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Promotion and Protection of Regional and Minority Languages"
Date: 2001-06-13
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: cultural policy, heritage protection, regional language

14.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 357/33

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Promotion and Protection of Regional and
Minority Languages’

(2001/C 357/09)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 13 December 2000, under the Fifth paragraph of
Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to draw up an Opinion on this matter
and to instruct Commission 7 — Education, Vocational Training, Culture, Youth, Sport and Citizens’
Rights to undertake the preparatory work;

having regard to the European Parliament’s resolutions on linguistic and cultural minorities Arfe,
(1991,1993); Kuijpers, (1987); Reding (1990); Kililea, (1994);

having regard to the Council’s resolution of 20 January 1997 on the integration of cultural aspects in
community actions (1) (97/C 36/04) and the Committee of the Regions’ opinion of the 16 January 1997
on the ‘First report on the consideration of cultural aspects in European Community action’;

having regard to its Opinion of 17 February 2000 on the European Parliament and Council’s proposal
regarding the ‘European Year of Languages 2001’ (CdR 465/1999 fin) (2);

having regard to its Opinion of 14 December 2000 in which a multiannual community programme is
adopted to stimulate the development and use of European digital contents in world networks and to
foster linguistic diversity in the information society (CdR 316/2000 fin) (3);

having regard to the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe;

having regard to Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

having regard to the Draft Opinion (CdR 86/2001 rev.) adopted by Commission 7 on 23 April 2001
[rapporteurs: Mr Tony McKenna (IRL-EA) Mr José Mun˜ oa Ganuza (E/EA)];

whereas the preamble to the EC Treaty indicates a wish to increase solidarity between peoples out of
respect for their history, culture and traditions, as well as promote social and economic progress of its
peoples within an internal market;

whereas Article 151, paragraph 4 of the Treaty establishing the European Community stipulates that ‘The
Community shall take cultural aspects into account in its action under the provisions of this Treaty, in
particular in order to respect and to promote the diversity of its cultures’;

(1) OJ C 36, 5.2.1997, p. 4.
(2) OJ C 156, 6.6.2000, p. 33.
(3) OJ C 144, 16.5.2001, p.38.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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whereas that the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council in Copenhagen on 21 and 22 June 1993
state that respect for and protection of minorities is a requirement for membership of the European
Union;

whereas the Council’s conclusions of 12 June 1995 on linguistic diversity and multilingualism in Europe
emphasised that ‘linguistic diversity must be preserved and multilingualism promoted in the Union, with
equal respect for the languages of the Union and with due regard to the principle of subsidiarity’;

whereas the European Council’s meeting held in Lisbon on the 23 and 24 March 2000 specifically
recognised European cultural diversity as a potential for creating competitiveness in the European content
industry,

adopted the following opinion at its 39th plenary session on 13 and 14 June 2001 (meeting of 13 June).

The Committee of the Regions

1.6.
believes that the availability of goods and services in
minority (lesser used) and regional languages and access to
new information and communication technologies is an
essential factor in language promotion;

1. The Committee of the Regions’ views on the Pro-
motion and Safeguarding of Regional and Minority
languages

1.1.
defines ‘regional or minority languages’ as (i) languages
traditionally used within a given territory of a State or within
a Region of the European Union by nationals of that State who
form a group numerically smaller than the rest of the State’s
population; (ii) does not include dialects or (iii) the language
of migrants;

deems that the minority (lesser used) and regional
1.2.
the European Union’s
languages are an essential part of
linguistic and cultural diversity and a vital element of our
common European heritage, respect for which creates better
mutual understanding among people and furthers European
integration;

1.3.
believes that regional identity is strengthened by the
safeguarding and promotion of minority (lesser used) and
regional languages;

1.4.
regards cultural and language diversity as an appropri-
ate field in which to promote European territorial cohesion, as
it is a multiplying factor and provides added value in regional
and local development projects;

1.7.
deems that language permeates all aspects of people’s
lives. Linguistic issues are of a comprehensive and all-embrac-
ing nature and as such should be present in all areas of policy
formulation and implementation;

1.8.
considers that the European Charter For Regional or
Minority Languages contributes towards the maintenance and
development of European cultural traditions and wealth which
emphasises the value of interculturality and multilingualism,
in accordance with The Council of Europe’s Convention on
the Protection of Human Rights and fundamental Freedoms;

agrees with the priority areas of action identified in the
1.9.
Charter: education, the legal system, public services, the media,
cultural services, economic and social life and cross-border
exchanges, and welcomes:

— the promise of the Signatory States to plan to provide
education at all levels in regional and minority languages;

— the undertaking that a series of steps in promoting
knowledge and use of regional and minority languages in
the field of public service be taken;

1.5.
believes that any action of the European Union in the
domain of language policy, should be guided by the aims of
conservation, intergenerational transmission, use, promotion
and quality of regional and minority languages;

— the facilitation of cross-border contacts in the fields
of culture, education, information and vocational and
continuous training;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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would ask the European Council

1.10.
to consider
extending qualified majority voting to Article 151 (culture) of
the Treaty of the European Community, excluding harmon-
ization of the legal and administrative rules of the Member
States and regions, respecting the internal distribution of
competences and guaranteeing the principle of subsidiarity in
the Community actions;

1.11.
calls upon the European Commission to apply the
principles and objectives of the Charter as a bench mark in
assessing compliance of the applicant countries with the
obligations towards the protection of its minorities as outlined
in the Conclusions of
in
Copenhagen.

the 1993 European Council

2. The Committee of the Regions’ recommendations

2.1.
believes that the European Union is in a privileged
position to contribute, within its own area of competence and
while respecting the importance of subsidiarity, towards the
survival and development of the more than forty historical
languages that form a crucial part of Europe’s cultural legacy,
by:

— raising awareness of our cultural heritage;

— developing innovative approaches, by fostering the
exchange of specialist experience and knowledge; and

— creating networks between people active in this field and

applying best practices;

languages,

2.2.
calls upon States except Ireland and Luxembourg,
where Irish and Luxembourgish are the first languages in both
states, to sign and ratify without reservations, the Charter on
regional and minority (lesser used)
in order to
support the principles and objectives laid down therein and
extend the level of support offered to minority and regional
languages, especially as regards their use in the field of public
service. In view of the options available for the degree of
protection afforded to minorities, the signatory countries are
called upon to take on board those provisions that guarantee
a high level of protection and contain specific obligations.
They should avoid selecting less binding provisions which
would undermine the aim of the charter — which is to protect
languages and minorities — and make the signing of the
charter no more than a PR exercise for the countries concerned;

in all

languages,

(lesser-used) and regional
the European
Union’s policies and programmes with special reference to
information technology, audio-visual policy,
the fields of
education, culture,
language learning, cross-border cooper-
ation, cultural tourism, language technology, regional develop-
ment and spatial planning;

2.4.
recommends that the Commission establish a multi-
annual programme that will have as its objective the promotion
and safeguarding of the minority (lesser used) and regional
languages of the European Union;

urges the Commission to take immediate action to
2.5.
ensure that minority (lesser used) and regional languages are
included in the activities of all current European Union
programmes: in particular The Fifth Framework Programme
for Research and Development, the Culture 2000 Framework
Programme, the Media Plus programme, an action plan within
pre-existing programmes such as Socrates, Leonardo and
Youth , European Union action in support of education and
SMEs, Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds, the e-Europe
action plan, the e-Content programme, and the action plan on
venture capital;

2.6.
deems it necessary that the European Commission
intensifies its information and awareness-raising campaigns
informing the citizens of the European Union about the
richness and diversity of its culture including the linguistic
the regions and also support a
and cultural richness of
representative organisation of the linguistic communities at
the European Union level;

2.7.
proposes that the European Commission consults with
the bodies in charge of language policies and/or representative
associations of the linguistic communities in terms of funding
and long-term strategy as far as regional and minority
languages are concerned;

2.8.
considers necessary that the Commission on a regular
basis will support a research project to collect precise, reliable
and periodically up-dated information on Europe’s socio-
linguistic development, identifying the factors that have con-
tributed towards the growth or decline of languages, including
the activity of public administration in this field. This initiative
will conduct research, set targets and objectives, formulate
policies and monitor the progress of initiatives and institutional
involvement in the field of language promotion;

2.3.
calls upon the European Commission to respect
Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights by including
specific provisions for linguistic diversity, with particular
emphasis on provisions to encourage the inclusion of minority

in this way, an evaluation of the results of the European
2.9.
Year of Languages should be done, which specifies the effects
on minority (lesser used) and regional languages;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

14.12.2001

2.10.
highlights that the framework programme that finally
emerges from the agreements reached should be applied
according to the subsidiarity principle, by which the European
Union, the Member States, regional and local authorities, social
partners and society in general have an active role to play
through varying forms of collaboration and co-ordination;

2.11.
recommends that the Commission establishes an
interinstitutional task force with the CoR as a fully fledged
member on the safety and promotion of minority (lesser used)
and regional languages;

2.12.
calls upon the local, regional and national authorities
to promote the use of minority (lesser used) and regional
languages in the cultural production, audiovisual media, press
and editorial production, which are the most appropriate
means of disseminating rich and plural language models, as is
the provision of the full range of educational materials and
lifelong learning;

2.13.
recommends that the issue of minority (lesser used)
and regional languages be placed on the agenda of the Inter-
Governmental Conference in 2004 as soon as possible with a
view to giving these languages due recognition in the treaties
of the European Union.

Brussels, 13 June 2001.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos CHABERT

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Memorandum on Lifelong Learning’

(2001/C 357/10)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Commission Staff working paper: A Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (SEC(2000)
1832);

having regard to the European Commission’s decision of 9 January 2001 under the first paragraph of
Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community to consult the Committee of the Regions
on the subject;

having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 13 June 2000 to draw up an Opinion on this matter
and to instruct Commission 7 — Education, Vocational Training, Culture, Youth, Sport and Citizens’
Rights to undertake the preparatory work;

having regard to the Draft Opinion (CdR 19/2001 rev. 2) adopted by Commission 7 on 23 April 2001
(rapporteur: Mrs Christina Tallberg, S/PSE);

having regard to the conclusions of the Presidency of the Lisbon European Council of 23-24 March 2000,
the Feira European Council of 19-20 June 2000 and the Stockholm European Council of 23-24 March
2001;

having regard to the Commission’s 1995 White Paper on Education and Training — Teaching and
Learning — Towards the Learning Society (COM(95) 590 final) and the Communication from the
Commission — Towards a Europe of Knowledge (COM(97) 563 final);