Le lingue regionali della Spagna sono utilizzate per la prima volta nelle istituzioni dell'Unione europea
Comunicato stampa del Comitato delle regioni del 16 novembre 2005.
Il 16 novembre 2005, il presidente del Comitato delle regioni Peter Straub ha firmato un accordo con l'ambasciatore spagnolo presso l'UE, Carlos Sagües Bastarreche, con cui si approva per la prima volta l'uso delle lingue regionali della Spagna in un'istituzione europea.
Alla cerimonia erano presenti anche il presidente della Catalogna Pasqual Maragall i Mira, il commissario agli affari esteri del governo basco Jose Maria Muñoa Ganuza, nonché membri spagnoli dell'Ufficio di presidenza del Comitato delle regioni, capi dei gruppi politici e alti funzionari.
16/11/2005 - Spanish regional languages are used for the first time in EU institutions: “it's a historic day for Europe”, say Spanish regional Presidents
Committee of the Regions President Peter Straub signed an agreement today (16 November) with the Spanish Ambassador to the EU, Carlos Sagües Bastarreche, approving the use of Spanish regional languages in an EU institution for the first time.
The ceremony was also attended by Pasqual Maragall i Mira, President of Catalonia, and Jose Maria Muñoa Ganuza, Commissioner for External Relations for the President of the Basque Government, along with Spanish members of the CoR Bureau, political group leaders and senior officials.
Mr Maragall and Mr Muñoa later spoke at a Press Conference with Ana Isabel Leiva Diez, Spain's Secretary of State for Territorial Cooperation in the Ministry for Public Administration, Francisco Camps Ortiz, President of Valencia, Emilio Pérez Touriño, President of Galicia, and Manuel Jaén Palacios , Delegate of the Government of the Balearic Islands, before addressing the CoR's Plenary Session in their native tongue.
Mrs Leiva Diez said the agreement approving the use of Spanish regional languages in the CoR was “an important step in the history of Europe”.
“This agreement means the government has fulfilled its commitment to bring regional languages to the heart of Europe,” she added.
Mr Maragall, who was President of the CoR in 1996-98, said the decision would bring the EU closer to its citizens and increase a “sense of belonging to the European Union”.
It underlined that “Europe exists outside capital cities and outside Brussels”, he added.
Mr Touriño thanked the CoR and the Spanish government for making the use of regional languages possible. “Today is a special day and a historic day,” he said. “Today, Galicia feels more European than ever.”
“Galician is part of the daily life of 1.5 million people,” he told CoR members at the Plenary Session. “It's part of our DNA … it's a wonderful moment for me to be able to use my own language here.”
Mr Camps said the decision would “enrich the European project as a whole” and that, thanks to the CoR, Valencian could now be used as a “political language”.
“I am very proud that the language I learned from my parents and grandparents can now be heard in Brussels,” he added.
Mr Muñoa was also clearly moved by the historic decision: “I've been attending Plenary Sessions for almost 12 years and for the first time I can use the language I learned as a boy.
“This is a big day for the Committee of the Regions, which has always defended the diversity of Europe. Basque is the oldest language in Europe and languages are the maximum expression of that diversity.”
Mr Jaén said the CoR had “opened a door” and that he hoped it would other languages would be given the opportunity to follow on the same track.
“The use use of regional minority languages for the first time in the history of Europe will contribute to making Europe a reality for the public,” he told journalists.
The Spanish Ambassador signed the administrative agreement with the CoR on behalf of Mrs Leiva Diez, who also attended the Plenary Session.
The linguistic first was agreed by the Council of Ministers in June. It adopted a regulation permitting the use of regional languages whose status is recognised by the Constitution of a Member State on all or part of its territory or the use of which as a national language is authorised by law.
