“In varietate
concordia” is the motto of the European Union. It means “united in diversity”.
I don’t know what you think, but the
member states do not appear to be acting in a united manner for the common interest at the moment; is the diversity of the EU member states in
fact their weakness?
Should we not work
towards uniting Europe with a strong
centralized federal government, with one
set of laws for all the EU countries? Should the education, health, tax, and
judicial systems be the same
everywhere? Surely, a similar way of life over the whole continent, with a common
language, would make things easier?
Well, I believe that this is wrong; I
believe in the motto. If we respected diversity within the EU,
and if the EU institutions respected
more the diversity of people, of nations and regions, there would in fact be greater unity. And, if we want social justice, surely this means that, whatever your origins might be, your
contribution is as important as everyone else’s?
There are 24
official languages in the EU, but does the EU take sufficiently into account
the fact that there are 60 regional
languages spoken within its Member States as well? Forty million European
citizens speak regional languages!
Did you know that
there are about 105 million indigenous people in Europe, that’s 14% of the 770
million Europeans? That’s not nothing!
And did you know
that the EU institutions themselves are not at all inclusive and diverse? For
example, fewer than 2% of those employed in high-level positions are from
ethnic minorities. Of the 751 Members in the European Parliament, fewer than
twenty are people of color, and most come from the UK and from France. How many
people from the indigenous populations of Europe are represented? Who knows;
there are no statistics. It’s as if we do not exist…
The status of
minorities in the EU matters to me personally. I feel part of the Provencal
minority as most of my relatives are from Provence. I have lived all my life in
areas with regional languages: “Provençale”, “Arpitan” (spoken around Lyon),
and “Auvergnat”. These languages are tragically being lost, along with the
cultures they belong to.
I am passionate about
history and local history, about the conservation of regional customs and
heritage sites. I love the fact that the regions of France are so different
from each other; it makes for a nation which is culturally diverse and
interesting. We should be proud of being from a particular region, which does
not mean that we cannot also be proud of being French or, indeed, of being
European.
Europe should be
seen as a puzzle, with each piece of the puzzle being a region. The danger is
that some would like to see each piece of the puzzle as having the same shape.
No, we are all different, it’s a fact and it’s a good thing. To be “united in
diversity”, we have to be united, but we also have to be diverse! For the EU to
work, each piece of the puzzle has to fit with the other pieces of the puzzle;
what I mean is that each region has to be stable economically, socially and
politically, but also self-assured culturally. People from a particular region
need to feel they belong to that region. And, they also need to feel that they
are respected by those outside the region. The EU can be stronger than the sum
of its parts, than the sum of its regions; this implies that all of its regions
need to be equally strong as well!
A lot of people do
not believe in the project of a united Europe because they do not believe in
themselves. They do not believe in themselves because they do not feel they are
part of a community at the local level. These people will be tempted by some
raucous inward-looking regionalist movement or even by some ultra-nationalistic
foreigner-hating nasty party. The results of the forthcoming European
Parliament elections will show us how much they are tempted…
There have been
various attempts at unifying Europe through conquest, with one country wanting
to dominate the others. Now, thanks to the EU, the countries of the continent
can voluntarily unite in the name of peace and shared prosperity! I believe in
this project of a federal Europe, which is why I am so disappointed by the
apparent indifference of the EU institutions towards cultural minorities. The
EU fights quite efficiently for human rights, but it does little for the rights
of the indigenous peoples of Europe, like the Basque, the Sami, the people of
Provence or indeed of the Auvergne.
According to
minorityrigth.org, the main concerns of European minorities are:
- Language rights
- Cultural preservation
- Political representation
- Access to justice
- Land rights
France is one of
the worst countries as regards the defense of minorities. Provencal and Breton
are considered as languages in danger of disappearing by UNESCO; what is the
French state doing about it? And what is the EU doing about it? Not enough in
my opinion. If we believe in the EU motto, protecting our minorities should be
a priority!
Here’s what we
should do:
- Encourage the learning and use of minority languages.
- Revive minority languages by modernizing their vocabulary.
- Pass a law that recognizes the equal importance of all languages.
- Regional media should (also) use regional languages.
- School pupils should have more opportunities to learn about regional culture and heritage, that way they will gain a sense of pride in their origins.
- Use minority languages in sign posts and for place names, etc.
- Promote polyglotism (and make people aware of glottophobia).
- Promote local traditions.
- Get ordinary people involved in the restoration of regional heritage sites.
- Encourage people to become more curious about the other incredible cultures of Europe (to reject xenophobia).
These actions would
improve the lives of many people, don’t you think? We need to understand that
cultures are of equal value; that a sense of equality, of equal worth, of
social justice, will enforce the stability, the prosperity, the security and,
in the end, the unity of the European Union.
Let’s respect each
other, and hope that the EU institutions respect us all, whatever our
differences may be.
Does the EU respect regional differences?
RépondreSupprimerIn this speech text, we are first told that the diversity of Europe is perhaps its weakness. Subsequently, we are told that it is with European unity that we can accept diversity. We finally learn that with the 24 official languages spoken in the EU, there are also 60 regional languages (for example, in France, "Provençal" and "Auvergnat").
What I find very interesting is that, depending on the region in which we find ourselves, we are all different with our particularities but we understand each other; it is what allows us to be "united in diversity".
We find this idea when Europe is compared to a puzzle where all the pieces are different but come together anyway.
Today, people can unite in peace and prosperity.
All this shows us that we must not forget the minorities, because they are numerous and very present and that to live better together, we must know how to accept all our differences.
Mattéo Mourrat writes: We learn through this speech that Europe completely abandons regional traditions in favor of national languages. Their motto is united in diversity, but in my humble opinion, nothing shows this famous diversity. In fact, only about twenty percent of the European Union are people of color ; is this diversity? The problem is that the EU is fighting for human rights, but not enough for that of regional cultures and traditions and that is what saddens me a lot. As stated in the speech, we need to put in place resolutions to restore the importance of these regional languages and not let them die because it is a part of our heritage and we must perpetuate it.
RépondreSupprimerA united Europe is important and heritage sites must be preserved.
RépondreSupprimerFrom my point of view, regional languages aren’t very important; indeed, don’t you think they create an additional barrier between people? Regional customs represent a part of our history of course, but, in our globalised world, regional languages don’t bring something special to a region. I admire people who try to perpetuate regional languages, but the EU can’t be unified with over 90 different languages!
The excessive pride some inhabitants feel for their region can bring division between people (if you are not from “here”, you are rejected); we all belong to the same country, and that is the most important thing.
The heritage sites, customs, traditional costumes, specific dishes, etc. of a region must be conserved because they can be shared with foreigners and tourists. A particular language can’t be shared easily and on the contrary can be perceived negatively by a foreigner because he can’t understand what people say in front of him.
So, for me, a unified Europe should not have more than 24 official national languages.
Elise writes: There are 24 official languages in the EU, but, Killian argues, most people are probably not aware that there are 60-odd regional languages too. He thinks more should be done (by the EU) to promote them. Perhaps each region should do more to have its regional language, culture and history taught in its schools?
RépondreSupprimerYann writes: Even if Kilian's speech is long, it is still very interesting. The purpose of this speech was to talk about the EU's role in defending European cultural/indigenous minorities who must not disappear because of their very high importance on the EU's diversity. I find on Kilian's comparison with a complex puzzle is perfect. He wants to explain that each puzzle corresponds to a representation of a region with its own history and culture. Kilian expressed his sadness at the lack of support from the EU for these regions with a strong identity. He listed a number of ideas to help endangered languages and cultures, such as improving education on local customs and history, and more information on local culture made available to visitors. He ends his speech with a request for mutual respect regardless of our differences. I find Killian's ideas interesting and the examples well thought out. It is important to protect your culture and respect the culture of others. However, I do not agree that cultures would disappear if Europe were to become one country; countries are always important and they themselves are composed of myriads of regions, each with its own cultural practices. In France, for example, there are thousands of associations that promote the art, customs and products of certain cities, regions, etc. But to return to the metaphor of the puzzle, the assembly of these puzzles forms a picture that is the EU. Puzzles do not have only one shape because they change all the time. The only thing that does not change is the constituent of the puzzle, its name and image and the picture that even if it changes remains what it is, the EU.
RépondreSupprimerThomas writes: In the first two paragraphs, the subject is immediately set by multiples rhetorical questions. We already know by the use of the “I” and “we” that Killian care about the subject (which is always better). The few statistics given to us are enough to make us understand the problem : regional minorities aren’t represented enough in the EU. I like how he shows the importance of the minorities by first, attacking the EU on what they don’t do, and secondly giving his own advices about what we should do. Finally, I also love the way this speech end, by a message of hope given to us AND the EU about respect, the first step to me to a global peace.
RépondreSupprimerNoellia writes: This speech deals with regional traditions and how they are considered by the EU. As stated in the speech we can see that the EU privileges international languages and not regional languages. With great respect for the EU, I find it is a shame to privilege international languages and neglect the regional languages, because they are anchored in our heritage and culture. I think it is important to safeguard them and perpetuate them to future generations.
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