MINELRES: Eurolang articles: 24-25 February 2005

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Simone Klinge <SimoneKlinge@gmx.net>


Dear Madam/ Sir,

we include a brief summary of the latest articles published on Eurolang.


EBLUL-FRANCE PROTESTS TO THE UN OVER EVERYDAY LINGUISTIC DISCRIMINATION
IN THE FRENCH STATE 
Bruxelles / Brussels 2/25/2005 by Davyth Hicks

The French committee of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages
(EBLUL) intervened in Geneva on Wednesday during the 66th session of the
Committee for the Elimination of all the forms of Racial Discrimination
(CERD), part of the UN, in order to protest about discrimination
suffered by the speakers of the various minoritised languages under the
French state.


LANGUAGE COMMUNITY IGNORED IN NEW ITALIAN FUNDAMENTAL LAW
Udin 2/25/2005 by Max Mauro

The Friuli-Venezia Giulia region approved a new Fundamental Law in early
February which does not give minority groups the attention they deserve
and even creates discrimination among language communities. This is
according to comments this week from the 482 Committee, which gathers
together the most important cultural associations of Fri�l (Friuli),
following the recent approval of the new Act by the Regional Council.


LANGUAGE INTERGROUP DEBATES STATUS OF RUSSIAN-SPEAKING MINORITIES IN
LATVIA 
Strassburg/ Strasbourg 2/24/2005 by Simone Klinge

The conclusion of the European Parliament Intergroup for Traditional
National Minorities, Constitutional Regions and Regional Languages
debate today was clear and unanimous. While the tragic history of the
Latvian people under Soviet rule cannot be forgotten, it is now crucial
to face the present and give citizenship and the right to Russian-medium
education to the Russian-speaking minority in Latvia. At the same time
all parties agreed that is crucial to have a very good command of
Latvian, the state language. 


HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER�S SUPPORT FOR AUTONOMY CONTINUES TO CAUSE
CONTROVERSY IN SLOVAKIA
Biel/ Bienne 2/24/2005 by Peter Josika

A remark by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcs�ny, in which he
expressed his support for the creation of autonomous regions in majority
Hungarian speaking areas outside of Hungary, was angrily rejected by
Slovak politicians in mid January. Eurolang�s Peter Josika asks whether
autonomy is divisive or does it strengthen diversity and neighbourly
relations. 


THE NETHERLANDS RATIFIES THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF
NATIONAL MINOIRTIES 
Strassburg/ Strasbourg 2/24/2005 by Simone Klinge

On February 16th, the Netherlands ratified the Framework Convention for
the Protection of National Minorities and declared it will apply to the
Frisians. 


COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS BACKS CULTURE 2007 PLAN, BUT CALLS FOR
LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY CLAUSE
Bruxelles/ Brussel 2/24/2005 by Davyth Hicks

At the Committee of the Regions plenary session in Brussels on Wednesday
the organisation supported Welsh Assembly member Rosemary Butler�s
(PES/UK) call for the European Parliament and the Council to support the
Commission�s Culture 2007 programme. However, Ms Butler insisted that
the text for Culture 2007, "should refer to the need to safeguard and
promote linguistic diversity, notably lesser-used and regional and
minority languages", which is not the case in the current draft. 



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