Press Release, EPP Group in the European Parliament, September 7, 2009
Michael Gahler MEP
Slovakia’s new state language law, which was approved just recently by the Slovak Parliament, does not correspond to European standards, but leads to a discrimination of minority languages. This was pointed out today by Michael Gahler MEP, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. With this law, the use of minority languages would actually be criminalised in certain areas. It would not only be completely disproportionate, but would also lead to absurd situations, in a cultural event, for example, where only minority speakers are present, the Slovak language would have to be used first. “Slovakia is thereby violating commonly respected standards in the EU and is disregarding respective recommendations of the Council of Europe, which foresee the extended use of minority languages”, the German MEP criticised.
The socialist-nationalistic government in Bratislava has thus proved again that it is not interested in the real co-existence of ethnic groups in the country and apparently does not consider itself bound to European values: “The swaggering about ‘threats from the other side of the Danube’ – a justification which was used by Prime Minister Fico defending the law last Sunday on Slovak State television – is without precedent. Mr Fico and his coalition partners have yet neither mentally nor politically arrived in Europe whereas the previous Christian-Democrat government had already proved that problem-free relations between ethnic groups in Slovakia are possible”.
It goes without saying that national languages are to be respected in the European Union. This must be equally applied in all EU Member States with regional languages or minorities. It would be extremely odd if a state tried to forbid or force citizens to use specific languages at specific occasions. “Slovakia risks discrediting itself as an EU member and becoming a totalitarian state again if the new provisions are consistently applied. A modern and open Slovakia communicating and cooperating closely with its neighbours in the centre of Europe would be the better alternative for this country and its citizens. However, this can hardly be expected from the present Slovak government coalition”, Gahler concluded.
(Translation from the original German)
For further information:
Michael Gahler MEP, Tel: +32-2-2847977
Knut Goelz, EPP Group Press Service, Tel: +32-479-972144
