Mähren, Merhern, Morava, Morauia, Moravia,
Moravië, Moravska, Morawy, Morva; Maравїя, Моравия
مورافا ;מרבה
Tuesday, June 25, 2002 2:35 PM
EFA PRESS RELEASE: ENLARGEMENT OF IDENTITIES
Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales and
THE EUROPEAN FREE ALLIANCE
in the European Parliament
PRESS RELEASE
Brussels 25 June, 2002
Representation of national minorities in the 2001 Czech Census
Enlargement of identities
The European Free Alliance in the European
Parliament will this week call for an enlargement of identities within
countries applying for EU membership. During the EFA's annual general assembly,
held this year in Brno in Moravia (the Czech Republic) Members of the European Parliament will
call on applicant states to celebrate and encourage their minorities rather
than uniformity.
Following the recent dramatic reduction in
people identifying themselves as Moravians in the 2001 Census (from 1 362 313
in 1991 to 373 294 in 2001)
Eurig Wyn MEP (Plaid Cymru- The Party
of Wales) member of the EU's Joint Parliamentary delegation to the Czech
Republic calls on Czech authorities to do all it can to encourage its national
minorities before it enters the EU:
"I was disappointed that the 2001
Census show that over the past ten years the numbers of people in the Czech
Republic who consider themselves to be from a minority nationality has
decreased by some 70%."
"It seems that the state machine is
intent on crushing the Moravian national minority, as the government does not
even recognise it as such. The basic identification characteristic of a
nationality according to the Czech government is the existence of a culture
with its own language. I think many of us in the EU would find that definition
debatable, though possibly not the UK government."
"In Wales, we're currently
awaiting the results of last year's controversial census. It is estimated that
its conclusions could claim that there are 70,000 less Welsh speakers than
there actually are, as many refused to complete the form, as it didn't allow
people to register themselves as 'Welsh'. The government argued that being able
to register the ability to speak Welsh was good enough. What an insult to the
non Welsh speaking population of Wales!You can tick a box saying you're Welsh
on the census in the USA which is really quite
ironic.
"The UK government recently
acknowledged that it had underestimated the degree of feeling in Wales. Any
future census should have an input from our Assembly and should ensure that
people can accurately classify their nationality."
"The EU was founded on the basis of
tolerance, mutual respect with the unique aim of celebrating its diversity
through co-operation. It's high time that EU Member States as well as applicant
countries respect all if their population and start encourage people to
celebrate their own cultures, rather than seeking to manufacture
uniformity."
"Enlargement of the Union should be
an opportunity for enlargement of ideas and identities not a process towards
uniformity. It should also be an opportunity for the Union at large to
celebrate its cultural diversity."
The EFA calls on the Czech Parliament to approve
an amendment to the 2001 Act on the Rights of Members of National Minorities by
the Union of Morovians Party recognising Moravian and Selisian national
minorities.This is based on the Czech Constitution that states "any
person shall have the right to freely choose their nationality. Any form of
influencing such choice and any form of pressure aimed at the suppression of an
individual's national identity shall be prohibited."
The E.F.A. will be holding its
General Assembly in Brno, Moravia on Thursday (27 and Friday
28th of June 2002) at the Interhotel Voronez Krizkovskeho 47. A press conference
will be held at the end of the event.
Eluned Haf
Press Office
Green/
EFA group
in the European Parliament
ehaf@europarl.eu.int
Tel: Brussels: +32 2 284 1665 Strasbourg: +33 388 17 2936
Fax: Brussels: +32 2 284 4944 Strasbourg: +33 388 24 1196
GSM: 0497 480 255