English

1.    Linguistic diversity is an essential characteristic of European identity and cultural heritage. This diversity involves a crucial social dimension: it assures social participation and full citizenship to every citizen of each Member State. European linguistic diversity and the development of a plurilingual competence for the citizens of Europe need further and stronger support from both the national governments and the institutions of the European Union.

2.    Successful co-ordination and co-operation between the different national and Euro­pean policies can only be achieved if the various policy-making bodies and their ideas are linked, in order to make sure that policies sufficiently converge and that policy measures are effective. EFNIL therefore calls on the Governments of the Member States and the institutions of the European Union to establish a permanent Co-ordination Office and an Advisory Board of experts on language planning and language research, in line with the Resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 4 September 2003 [2003/2057 (INI). EFNIL points out that both the Office and Board can refer to the professional competence and expertise of existing language networks such as EBLUL, ELC and EFNIL itself. The work of such expert groups should be supported by the European Union. EFNIL calls on the European Commission to provide the necessary legal basis for this support.

3.    National and European policy measures should be goal-oriented and based on a sound knowledge of the linguistic facts. Empirical data relating to the language situation and linguistic attitudes of speakers should be collected regularly in order to provide an adequate and sufficient basis for the monitoring of national and European language-related policies. We propose that financial and institutional support be made available for (a) the harmonisation and development of national language-related databases and (b) the development of European Union-wide language surveys such as a European Language Monitor, similar (in the language field) to the scope and detail of the European Social Survey (ESS).

4.    It is EFNIL's view that in the Reform Treaty and other formal documents of the European Union respect for the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe should be interpreted in terms of active support for cultural and linguistic diversity.