MINELRES: Eurolang articles: 10 - 13 January 2005

[MINELRES moderator]

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


Dear Madam/ Sir,

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


MEPs SAY "YES" TO CONSTITUTION AMID HEATED DEBATE OVER LANGUAGE RIGHTS
AND "NATIONAL MINORITIES"
Brussels and Strasbourg 1/13/2005 by Davyth Hicks and Simone Klinge

Yesterday a large majority of MEPs voted in favour for the
Constitutional Treaty for Europe in Strasbourg, saying that it
"wholeheartedly supports its ratification". However, it did not pass
without strong criticisms and heated debate amongst MEPs over language
rights and the 'national minority' question. 


LANGUAGE ACTIVIST EOIN MCKIERNAN LEAVES $40,000 TO IRISH-MEDIUM
EDUCATION 
Belfast 1/13/2005 by Eoghan � N�ill

In his 89 years on earth Eoin Mc Kiernan was a passionate and innovative
advocate of all things Irish, particularly the Irish language. And now
seven months after his death the renowned Irish American has given a
boost to children in the hard pressed Irish-medium schools in the North
of Ireland.


HOLIDAY HOMES SHOULD SUBSIDISE AFFORDABLE HOMES, SAYS PLAID CYMRU
Abergele 1/12/2005 by Huw Morgan

Holiday home owners should pay thousands of pounds more in stamp duty
with this extra money being used to help those that cannot afford homes
in their localities. This is one of the recommendations in the Welsh
nationalist party Plaid Cymru's Right to a Home campaign. The party says
that there is an "affordable homes crisis in Wales" with prices more
than doubling in seven years, especially in rural Welsh-speaking areas. 


LATVIA: ELECTION COMMISSION DECIDES TO STOP DISSEMINATING INFORMATION IN
RUSSIAN
Bruxelles/ Brussel 1/11/2005 by Davyth Hicks
 
On 7th January 2005, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Latvia
announced that it has stopped the broadcasting of a Russian-language
information video on public TV. The video explained voting procedures
for the forthcoming municipal elections. 


GERMAN ELECTORAL PRACTICE FOR MINORITY PARTY TAKEN TO COURT 
Brussels/Bruxelles 1/10/2005 by Brigitte Alfter

Only six weeks before the elections in the German province of
Schleswig-Holstein, the party of the Danish and the Frisian minority in
the province, SSW, is confronted with another case to try the electoral
practice of the province. According to the electoral law, the SSW has to
achieve only two percent of the vote at the election to ensure
representation, rather than the usual five percent. 


POLISH PARLIAMENT AGREES ON THE LIMITED USE OF BILINGUAL PLACE NAMES
Bruxelles/ Brussel 1/10/2005 by Brigitte Alfter

The Polish parliament, the Sejm, decided last week that only communities
where more than 20 percent of the population belong to a language
minority will be able to have bilingual place-name signage.


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