WRITTEN QUESTION P-2726/03 by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Russian minority's schools in Latvia.
Date: 2003-09-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Latvia, accession to the European Union, education policy, educational system, language policy, language teaching, linguistic group, national minority

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/435

The Commission will continue to closely follow developments in this area, working closely with other
major donors and international agencies such as the World Bank and UN Development Programme (DP).

(1) COM(2002) 700 final.

(2004/C 88 E/0440)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2723/03

by Francisca Sauquillo Pérez del Arco (PSE) to the Commission

(3 September 2003)

Subject: European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights and indigenous peoples

According to the Commission, one of the priorities under the European Initiative for Democracy and
Human Rights (EIDHR) must be the fight against racism, xenophobia and discrimination towards ethnic
minorities and indigenous peoples. The Council has also, on several occasions, confirmed its promise of
support for indigenous peoples (see Conclusions of the Council of June 2001 and November 2002). There
are, however, reports that indigenous peoples receive no mention in the EIDHR budget for 2004.

Can the Commission confirm that, in accordance with the guidelines of the Council, the Commission itself
and the European Parliament, the EIDHR programming document, which is currently being drawn up, will
take indigenous peoples into consideration, according them a particular mention and a specific budget
item?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 September 2003)

Following up on the commitments of the Union regarding support for the rights of indigenous peoples,
the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) contributes to achieve these objectives
by opening up access to funding for projects of organisations representing indigenous peoples or working
with them. The EIDHR Programming Document 2002-2004 identified the empowerment of indigenous
peoples to promote their rights and the enhancement of respect for the rights of indigenous peoples at the
international level for specific support. For the period from 2002 to 2004, the programming document
included an indicative allocation of EUR 15 million in support of corresponding projects. On the basis of
this multi-annual programming and within the framework of
the EIDHR
programming update for 2004 continues to provide opportunities for project funding in support of the
rights of indigenous peoples at global, regional and focus country level.

the identified objectives,

(2004/C 88 E/0441)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2726/03

by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(10 September 2003)

Subject: Russian minority’s schools in Latvia

Languages are part of the richness of Europe. Several international charters recognise the right of citizens
to maintain and develop their own languages.

In Latvia, the significant Russian-speaking community is struggling against the Government’s intention to
eliminate minority educational systems. In its resolution on Latvia’s progress in the accession process
(2002) the European Parliament called for a study into possibilities of retaining secondary education in
minority languages.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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8.4.2004

Does the Commission consider this attitude compatible with the European values of fundamental rights
and cultural and linguistic diversity? Has the Commission asked for any information from the Latvian
authorities on this issue?

Does the Commission consider that a People’s Europe should promote the protection and development of
all languages? Would the Commission consider supporting projects from organisations acting in support of
the Russian language and other minority languages in Latvia?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(25 September 2003)

Since the 1997 opinion on Latvia’s application for membership, the Commission has repeatedly confirmed
that Latvia continues to comply with the political criteria for membership, namely respect for democracy,
the rule of
law, human rights and the protection of minorities. This position has been shared by
international human rights organisations and was endorsed by Member States in the enlargement context.

The Commission attaches great importance to the integration of minorities into the Latvian society, in full
compliance with European standards of national minority rights,
including the planned transition to
bilingual education in minority schools and is closely following these developments. The Commission is
not aware of any Latvian intentions to eliminate minority education systems. On the contrary, Latvia, as a
multicultural country, supports education in eight minority languages, including in Russian. Moreover, the
education reform of 1998, introducing gradually bilingual education, is seen as an essential element of
developing an integrated society in Latvia.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) High Commissioner on National
Minorities, who is closely engaged in the issue of education reform of the minority schools, has confirmed
this and has made it clear that, while there is a lawful right to promote the state language, there is also the
right for minorities to preserve their native tongue and cultural identity.

The Commission believes that the ability of all young individuals of Latvia to speak both their national and
native language is to their long-term social and economic advantage and will further assist the integration
process.

Since its 2002 Regular Report (1), the Commission has taken every opportunity to stress that sufficient
flexibility should be provided in the transition phase in minority schools in order to ensure equal
educational opportunities for, as well as a close dialogue with, minority groups.

Supported by the OSCE, Latvia has taken a number of steps to ease the transition process in 2004
regarding the gradual shift in secondary schools from 10th grade onwards to a curriculum in which 60 %
of subjects are being taught in Latvian or bilingually, and 40 % in the minority language, and in amending
the respective legislation.

Special attention is being paid to maintaining a systematic dialogue with all stakeholders (minority schools,
teachers, students, parents, etc.), including specific support to them to improve the bilingual skills in order
to smooth the transition phase. The Latvian Minister for Society Integration, a former head of a human
rights organisation for minorities, who supervises the work of the Society Integration Foundation and its
assistance programmes, is closely involved in this process.

there are practical difficulties, reflected by concerns of

Understandably,
the people involved in the
demanding transition process of educational reform for ethnic minorities in Latvia. With this in mind, the
Latvian authorities have confirmed their intention to apply individual timetables for those schools facing
particular difficulties in the transition process.

8.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/437

The process of society integration continues to be closely followed and has been supported by the
Commission since 1996 through Phare funding,
including more recently through assistance to
organisations acting in favour notably of the Russian speaking minorities (since 2000).

Finally, the Commission has a general policy of promoting regional and minority languages and their use
in both current and future Member States. As a result it has recently published the Action Plan on
‘Promoting language learning and linguistic diversity’. Language diversity is one of the components of the
overall objective of cultural diversity (2), enshrined in the EC Treaty (Article 151).

(1) COM(2002) 700 final.
(2) COM(2003) 449 final.

(2004/C 88 E/0442)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2727/03

by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 September 2003)

Subject: Telekom Serbia

Piero Fassino, formerly Italian Under-secretary for Foreign Affairs and currently Secretary of the Democrats
of the Left party, has claimed that the European Union encouraged investment in Serbia during the
leadership of the dictator Milosevic.

Can the Commission confirm this claim?

Which Community institution encouraged European businesses to invest in Serbia, and how did it do so?

Which Community institution is authorised to give the ‘go-ahead’ to investments outside the frontiers of
the Union, in this case in the former Yugoslavia?

Is the Commission aware that the papers relating to the UN’s investigations into the hidden wealth of
Slobodan Milosevic, handed over to the court in The Hague, contain references to sums amounting to
around EUR 500 million being paid by Italy to off-shore companies based in Cyprus?

Does the Commission know that the UN investigators think that these sums were part of the payment for
the share in Telekom Serbia (29 %) purchased by Telecom Italia?

Is the Commission in possession of any data which might be of use to the investigations into the financial
sources of Milosevic’s secret wealth?

What steps will the Commission take to help to shed light on these matters?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(10 October 2003)

In the absence of economic and financial sanctions imposed by the European Community in line with a
common EU position on a third state, European businesses are free to invest in that country. It is worth
noting that in the period to which the Honourable Member seems to refer the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia was not subject to an investment ban under Community law. Generally, there is no specific ‘go-
ahead’ or ‘authorisation’ or ‘encouragement’ by Union institutions for investments made outside the Union.

Although liaising closely with the respective institutions, the Commission is not in a position to comment
on specific details of investigations undertaken by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) and other law enforcement bodies on this matter.