Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

[**Avis juridique important**](../../../editorial/legal_notice.htm)

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# 92000E1890

**WRITTEN QUESTION E-1890/00 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Use of languages by the Commission in the Brussels Capital Region.** 
  
*Official Journal 072 E , 06/03/2001 P. 0144 - 0144*

  

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1890/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(16 June 2000)

Subject: Use of languages by the Commission in the Brussels Capital Region

In the new contracts of the European Commission Research Directorates General Shared Cost RTD CPF Forms Electra A6 for shared-cost R&D projects under the Fifth Framework Programme (1999-2000), the Commission uses only the address Rue de la Loi Bruxelles. This gives the misleading impression that the 19 Brussels communes are French-speaking. According to the Constitution of the Belgian Federation, these communes form part of the bilingual Brussels Capital Region.

1. Will the Commission and its departments in future use both the Dutch and French addresses for their correspondence, in view of the bilingual status of the 19 communes in the Brussels Capital Region? If not, why do the Commission and its departments refuse to acknowledge the bilingual character of the communes concerned by using both the Dutch and French-language addresses in their correspondence?

2. Will the Commission and its departments in future use both the Dutch and French addresses for their correspondence in order to avoid displaying any preference for the Dutch-speaking or the French-speaking community in the Brussels Capital Region? If not, why do the Commission and its departments demonstrate their preference for the French-speaking community by using only French-language addresses in their correspondence?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

The Commission acknowledges the bilingual status of the boroughs within the metropolitan Brussels region. The Commission's headed notepaper in Brussels gives the address in both French and Dutch where the heading is in a language other than those two. The rules applies not only to mail but also to any other printed matter or publication.

Those rules were covered by an instruction sent out to the (Commission's) departments on 6 March 1995 and have also been incorporated into the Manual of Procedures (cf. Item 17.5.2.).

The example quoted by the Honourable Member was due to an error. The Commission has taken action to remind the departments concerned of the abovementioned rules and to ensure that this error is corrected in the next publication.

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