Right time to press case for Irish language
Throughout this period, the Irish Government will continue to press Irish interests in all negotiations with fellow member states and the European Commission in respect of fisheries, agriculture, the environment, a common foreign and defence policy, and many other issues. If it were not to do so, the Government would be seriously at fault, our presidency notwithstanding.
What would be inappropriate would be to use the presidency for our own ends so as to damage the rights or interests of other actual or prospective members. The Irish language's inclusion among official working languages would in no way take from the preponderant position of major languages, including Danish, Dutch and Greek to name a few.
It would enhance the status of Latvian or Maltese, for instance, by demonstrating a common European respect for the first official language of a member state. It would pave the way for the similar recognition of their language, if the Luxembourg authorities should ever wish to make a similar request.
For Ireland to request this enhanced status for Irish during the Irish presidency would evidence Ireland's commitment to the principle of Europe's cultural diversity.
Now is the time to act because the Oireachtas has asked the Government to take this step. Turkey invoked a vote of its parliament as the reason for refusing passage to American troops proposing to invade Iraq. Our vote is a positive not a negative one. Ireland is no less a democracy than is Turkey.
Giscard d'Estaing, responsible for the draft European Constitution, once said that the French electorate have a memory of not longer than three months. Delay by Mr Ó Cuív is likely to damage him by giving rise to a suspicion, however ill-founded it may be, that he is hoping that by the end of our presidency, Irish voters will have forgotten about the place of Irish in the EU. The Spanish proverbially term such delaying tactic as one of "obeying but not fulfilling". The British have a simpler way of referring to the syndrome. They allude to it as a case of "Yes, Minister".
Gearóid Ó Cléirigh
4 Charlton Lawn
Goatstown
Dublin 14
