EPP group om refferendum den 18.02.2012, pa engelska
Ugis Berzins
Latvia: why Latvian must remain the only official language in Latvia: EPP Group Hearing. Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, Inese Vaidere MEP and Jerzy Buzek MEP
Latvia
is to hold a referendum, initiated by a group of non-citizens, on 18
February 2012 in which Latvians have to decide if Russian should become a
second official language in Latvia.
An EPP Group Hearing was organised by Inese Vaidere MEP, with a
keynote speech by Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, and
counted the participation of Jerzy Buzek MEP, former President of the
European Parliament.
Inese Vaidere, who opened the event, stated: "Preservation and
development of a national identity, particularly in the era of
globalisation, are essential for European nations. Language is one of
the key elements of this identity. If Russian was given the privilege of
the status of an official language in Latvia, where - after half a
century of Soviet occupation and intensive Russification policy - its
native Latvians count only 60% of the population, and it is still very
difficult to get a job without knowledge of the Russian language - it
would effectively mean the splitting of people of different ethnicity
and at the same time the beginning of an elimination of the Latvian
language and culture. It is only possible to create a united society of
Latvia on the basis of the Latvian language."
EPP Group Chairman Joseph Daul highlighted the political and social
reality of today's Latvia. "A State is not just about rights. It is also
about duties. Citizens living within the same national community have
the duty to learn the language of their country. Latvia is the only
place in the world where the Latvian language and culture can survive
and develop. The language of Latvia is Latvian. As for the referendum,
it is not about discrimination. On the contrary, it is an invitation to
form an identity. Nobody is asking the Russian minority to turn its back
on its cultural identity. Just as the Alsacians contributed to the
history of their country, France, Russians in Latvia have participated
and will keep participating to the history of their country, Latvia."
"Latvia fulfills the European rules in regard to its
Russian-speaking minorities. In this respect, Latvia can be regarded as a
good example for other countries. On the other hand, the
Russian-speaking minority does not comply with the criteria and the
definition of an official regional or minority language laid out in the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The presence of
Russian immigrants in Latvia is a direct consequence of political and
economic motives as well as of migration flows over the last decades",
concluded Jerzy Buzek MEP, former President of the European Parliament.
For further information:
Joseph DAUL MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, Tel: +33-3-88175525
Antoine Ripoll, Chairman's Spokesman, Tel: +32-475-856290
Delia Vlase, Chairman's Deputy Spokeswoman, Tel: +32-476-331038
Ģirts Salmgriezis, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, Tel: +32-477-800343
Agata Byczewska, EPP Group Press and Communications Service Tel. +32-473-841093
Notes to Editors:
The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 271 Members.