Protecting the Sardinian language minority
26.9.2017
Question for written answer E-005984-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Renato Soru (S&D)
The Sardinian language minority numbers over one million people and is deemed worthy of protection under national and regional legislation. In 2006, Sardinia adopted common standards for the written version of the language (Limba Sarda Comuna).
Despite this, the Sardinian language is discriminated against in national legislation compared with other minority language groups in Italy.
Although Member States have competence for the status of language minorities within their borders, the Commission has a commitment to protect regional languages.
In the light of the above, can the Commission state:
- 1.What steps it will take with Italy to bring the protection of the Sardinian language minority to the attention of the authorities and to promote Sardinian, including through the service contract between the government and the RAI;
- 2.What action it has taken, as part of the strategy on multilingualism, to ensure that the Italian Government adopts the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, which was signed in 1992 and came into force on 1 March 1998, but has not yet been ratified by the Italian Parliament;
- 3.What steps it will take to bring to the attention of the national authorities the need to standardise the rules on election to the European Parliament with those applicable to the other language minorities for which, in Italy, representation is guaranteed?