(2004/C 70 E/280)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3355/03

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 November 2003)

Subject:   Minority language groups in Greece and official statistics

Commissioner Reding carries out her duties impeccably and her contribution towards upgrading the status of the Directorate-General for Education and Culture is clear. It appears, however, that certain members of staff within that Directorate-General do not provide her with sufficient information and the inadequacy of the answers which they draw up create a poor impression of the Commission which is totally unfounded.

In my question No E-2777/03 (1), I noted that the 1996 Euromosaic study reported (page 41 of the English version) that the number of speakers of Aromanian, Albanian and Slavo-Macedonian in Greece ranged between 50 000 and 80 000 and I asked who had compiled these statistics and whether they were official and reliable. The distinguished Commissioner, Mrs Reding, replied that the three drafters of the report collaborated with an expert committee comprising ten members from the Union, the USA and Canada.

What official information has the Commission received from the Greek authorities concerning speakers of Aromanian, Albanian and Slavo-Macedonian? Is it ethical not to use the official statistics of a Member State to estimate the size of certain language groups? Does the Commission believe that it is not sufficient for European experts to draw up reports on language groups in the Union? What is its view of the involvement in purely European affairs (which are also extremely sensitive) of experts from countries outside the EU who express opinions on the existence or non-existence of linguistic minorities in Europe? What specific measures has the Commission taken in the last ten years on behalf of the (internationally recognised and numerous) Greek minority in northern Epirus, which the Albanian regime persistently tried for almost 50 years to deprive of their language and religion, and what are the tangible results of any measures it may have taken?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(16 December 2003)

As the Commission informed the Honourable Member in its answer to Written Question E-2777/03, the Euromosaic study was funded following an invitation to tender, in accordance with the usual rules and in full transparency. Moreover, the information included in studies funded by the Commission does not necessarily reflect the Commission's opinions.

The summary of the report on this study, published by the Publications Office of the European Communities (2), includes all necessary information on the theoretical approach used, the collection of data, the comparative analysis of the data and the language groups identified.

The data and information sources used by the team of ten scientists from seven different Member States — and two researchers from Canada and the United States — are also described in detail in the publication above, pages 16 to 21. The questionnaires sent out to the Member States' national authorities are mentioned as one of the five main data and information sources.

In reply to the Honourable Member's final question, Albania is not a Member state. However, since the beginning of its transition in 1991, Albania has been receiving funding, first from the PHARE programme (until 2000) and then from the CARDS programme (as of 2001). One of the aims of these programmes is to strengthen the rule of law and to promote the socio-economic development of the country as a whole, including, of course, the Greek minority in Albania.

(1)  OJ C 65 E, 13.3.2004, p. 215.

(2)  ISBN 92-827-5513-4.