WRITTEN QUESTION E-3444/03 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Teaching Portuguese language and culture in the Netherlands.
Date: 2003-11-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Netherlands, Portugal, culture, education policy, language teaching, multilingualism, official language

C 78 E/814

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(2004/C 78 E/0863)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3444/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(20 November 2003)

Subject: Teaching Portuguese language and culture in the Netherlands

Various Portuguese immigrants to the Netherlands have informed me that the Dutch Government wishes
to abolish the subsidy for teaching Portuguese language and culture from 1 August 2004,
thus
jeopardising the teaching of the children of Portuguese residents of that country.

Portuguese is an official language of the European Union, and has one of the largest numbers of speakers
in the world. What measures does the Commission intend to take in order to take due account of this
situation, and guarantee that Portuguese citizens and their children are not discriminated against, and can
continue to have free access to the teaching of Portuguese language and culture in the Netherlands?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(16 December 2003)

Article 149 of the EC Treaty stipulates that the Member States are responsible ‘for the content of teaching
and the organisation of education systems’. The Commission is therefore unable to take any action
regarding the situation referred to by the Honourable Member.

However, by virtue of the powers conferred on it, the Commission is committed to promoting linguistic
diversity and language learning. In July 2003, it adopted an action plan setting out the measures to be put
in place at Community level in the period from 2004 to 2006 (1).

(1) COM(2003) 449 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0864)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3452/03

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(20 November 2003)

Subject: Exclusion of environmental NGOs from environmental education

Under the terms of a decision (47587/G7/15.05.03) by the Greek Ministry of Education, NGOs are not
authorised to engage in any teaching or coordination activities and are thereby excluded from
environmental education, an area in which many of them have for many years been making an effective
contribution in Greece, as is the case in other Member States of the Union. The NGOs affected are the
the Greek Association for the Protection of the Environment and Cultural
Arktouros Organisation,
Heritage, the Wild Life Protection Association, the Leftist Ecological Library, Medasset, SOS Mediterranean,
the Association for the Study and Protection of
the Ecological Recycling
Association and WWF-Greece. Many of the educational programmes and initiatives launched by these
organisations are funded by the Community. Under the above ministerial decision these associations are
now directly answerable to the Ministry of Education, which is not the case in other Member States of the
Union. Does the Commission consider that the above decision complies with the letter and spirit of the
environment and environmental education programmes funded by it and in which NGOs are fully entitled
to participate?

the Mediterranean Seal,

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(19 December 2003)

Environmental education is very important and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
often play a significant part
In the ‘Community action programme promoting non-
governmental organisations primarily active in the field of environmental protection’ one of the priority
areas eligible for funding is environmental education.

in this field.