Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-04-Speech-4-013"
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"en.20030904.2.4-013"2
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"Mr President, I would like to congratulate Mr Ebner on this excellent report on regional and lesser-used languages. The variety of regional and lesser-used languages across the continent of Europe is an integral part of our unique cultural heritage. We are culturally richer due to the fact that so many of these languages have survived in this multimedia globalised age and are still used on a daily basis. Credit is certainly due to the Commission, which has consistently supported the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages.
I strongly support the rapporteur's idea of creating a European agency to assist the various aspects of language policy. We recognise that the area of culture and language policy is primarily a national preserve. Nevertheless, I am convinced that by pooling a certain amount of our resources and experience, we can bring about improvements which would have Europe-wide benefits.
In my own country, Ireland, and in the neighbouring United Kingdom, the predominant language is an ever more global English. If against this backdrop lesser-used national languages such as Gaeilge, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh, which we heard so eloquently spoken here this morning by Mr Wyn, can thrive, there is no reason why any of our minority languages have to die out. We often talk about Europe's cultural heritage. The preservation of language diversity far outweighs preservation of architectural or artistic heritage, important as they may be, because language is a living thing. It is part of our very identity."@en1
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