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EBLUL ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE IGC ON THE DRAFT TREATY OF THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION
April 2004 – The Board of Directors of the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages (EBLUL) adopted on 18 April a set of recommendations on the Constitutional Treaty for the Intergovernmental Conference, in the expectation that they will be taken into account in spite of the little time there is left. According to the calendar of the IGC, the negotiations on the draft Constitutional Treaty should be concluded no later than the next European Council meeting, to be held on 17-18 June. As stated in a press release, EBLUL gives support to the EU constitutional process and stresses the need to respect, promote and protect Europe’s so-called regional or minority languages in order to maintain and develop the continent’s cultural heritage and tradition. The recommendations are three: to support the Presidency proposal of the Naples Ministerial Conclave of 25 November 2003 on Article I-2 (see Mercator-News: December 2003), to adapt the anti-discrimination Articles III-3 and III-8 of the existing Treaty text by adding the possibility of discrimination based on language, and to maintain the qualified majority voting system (QMV) concerning Culture and Education matters as suggested by the Convention under Articles III-182 and III-183 of the Draft Constitution, as so far the qualified majority vote has only been applicable in the field of education.
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