The PNV MEP, Oihane Agirregoitia, has emphasized in Brussels that "languages are an investment in democracy, in social cohesion and a powerful tool for bringing Europe closer to citizens". In her opinion, "guaranteeing linguistic diversity is fundamental to building the Europe we want".
According to the Basque Nationalist Party, Agirregoitia spoke this Tuesday at a seminar dedicated to Basque and Frisian, held in the European Parliament and organized together with the Dutch D66 MEP, Raquel García Hermida-Van der Walle. At the event, both highlighted the importance of minority languages and their weight in democracy and cohesion within the European Union.
The jeltzale representative insisted that "languages are an investment in democracy, in social cohesion and a powerful tool for bringing Europe closer to citizens" and stressed that they should not be considered "as a mere cost".
Agirregoitia explained that Basque and Frisian face "very different" situations, although they share "very similar challenges: transmission, use, protection by authorities and recognition in the European Union", an objective on which the PNV will "continue to work". In this regard, she reiterated that "guaranteeing and recognizing linguistic diversity is fundamental to building the Europe we want".
The first panel of the seminar, co-chaired by Agirregoitia and García Hermida-van der Walle, was attended by the Vice-Minister of Linguistic Policy of the Basque Government, Aitor Aldasoro. He stressed that the defense of minority languages not only strengthens the language itself, but also helps to shape "a more cohesive, participatory and diverse society".
Representatives from the German-speaking community of Belgium and the Executive of the Dutch province of Friesland also spoke at the event, sharing their experiences in linguistic protection.
The PNV highlighted that the meeting, attended by more than fifty people and accompanied by music from the Frisian rapper Pieter Zijlstra, made it clear that regional and minority languages are a key element of European heritage and play "a fundamental role in communities, education, culture and regional development".
The session has closed with a second panel in which participated the head of the European Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD), Vicens Fenoller, the general secretary of the European Language Equality Network (ELEN), Davyth Hicks, the representative of the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, Anna Solé Mena, and Andrej Lavtar, political advisor of the Renew Europe group in the Committee of the Regions.