92001E2519

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2519/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(18 September 2001)

Subject: The battle in Chroscicy to maintain the use of Sorbian in education and administration for the Sorbian population which has traditionally lived in Upper Lusatia, Saxony

1. Is the Commission aware that in the village of Chroscicy (Crostwitz), situated between the towns of Budyin (Bautzen), Kamjenc (Kamenz) and Wojerecy (Hoyerswerda), in the Dresden district of Saxony, 90 % of the population have always spoken Sorbian, a Slavonic language, but that, just as happened earlier in the northern part of the Sorbian language area around Chósebuz (Cottbus) in Brandenburg, the provision of secondary education in Sorbian is declining or even disappearing completely?

2. Is the Commission also aware that this state of affairs has, since 8 August 2001, led not only to daily demonstrations featuring the blue, white and red Sorbian flag, the singing of the Sorbian national anthem and the wearing of traditional costumes, but also to civil disobedience, with pupils being taken away from official schools so that they can be taught by retired Sorbian-speaking teachers?

3. What view does the Commission take of the fact that, instead of efforts being made to safeguard and maintain the rights of a traditional linguistic minority in the face of falling numbers of school-age children, pupils are being forced to continue their education at German-speaking schools, that school absenteeism is punished and that the government of Saxony takes no account of the demands made by Domovina, the Sorbian political and cultural umbrella organisation?

4. In the case of the 60 000 Sorbians, what can the Commission do to help avoid polarisation in their relations with the German-speaking population group, which dominates the fields of education and administration, and what can it do to eliminate sources of ethnic conflicts within EU Member States generally?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-2519/01 and E-2520/01given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(6 December 2001)

In relation to the case mentioned by the Honourable Member, the Commission has no information to indicate a failure to implement Community law or a serious and persistent breach within the meaning of Article 7 (ex Article F.1) of the Treaty on European Union. The Commission refers the Honourable Member to Article 149 (ex Article 126) of the EC Treaty, according to which each Member State is responsible for the organisation of its education system and for linguistic diversity. The Commission would also point to the efforts made to promote linguistic diversity, especially through the European Year of Languages, and the Community's contribution to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while respecting their national and regional diversity, in accordance with Article 151 (ex Article 128) of the EC Treaty.

For further details, the Honourable Member is referred to the Commission's answer to Written Question E-2538/01 from Mr Modrow(1) on the same subject.

(1) See page 27.