WHEREAS the Article 6 of the Italian Constitution states: “The Republic shall protect linguistic minorities by means of appropriate laws.”;
HAVING REGARD TO Constitutional Law no. 1 of 31 January 1963 by which "Friuli-Venezia Giulia is constituted in autonomous Region, endowed with legal personality, within the unity of the Italian Republic, one and indivisible, on the basis of the principles of the Constitution, according to the present Statute.”;
HAVING REGARD TO Constitutional Law No. 4 of 26 February 1948 by which "Valle d'Aosta is constituted in autonomous Region, endowed with legal personality, within the political unity of the Italian Republic, one and indivisible, on the basis of the principles of the Constitution and according to the present Statute.”;
HAVING REGARD TO Law No. 482 of 1999 on “Rules for the protection of linguistic and historical minorities”, which states in Articles 1 and 2 that “The Republic, by enhancing the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Italian language, also promotes the valorisation of the languages and cultures protected by this law” ("language and culture of the Albanian, Catalan, Germanic, Greek, Slovene and Croatian populations and those speaking French, Franco-Provençal, Friulian, Ladin, Occitan and Sardinian.”);
HAVING REGARD TO Articles 2 and 3 of Title I of the Statute of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, which state, respectively, “Without prejudice to the provisions on the use of the national flag, the Region shall have its own gonfalon and coat of arms approved by decree of the President of the Republic” and “In the Region, equal rights and equal treatment shall be accorded to all citizens, whatever the linguistic group to which they belong, with the safeguarding of their respective ethnic and cultural characteristics.”;
HAVING REGARD TO Articles 38 and 40-bis of Title VI of the Special Statute of the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta, which state, respectively, “In Valle d'Aosta the French language is equal to the Italian language” and “The German-speaking populations of the municipalities of Valle del Lys identified by regional law have the right to safeguard their linguistic and cultural characteristics and traditions”;
RECALLED the Regional Law n.29 of 18 December 2007, “Norms for the protection, valorisation and promotion of the Friulian language”, which states in Article 1 of Chapter I: "the Region - protects, valorises and promotes, in implementation of Article 6 of the Constitution and Article 3 of the Constitutional Law of 31 January 1963, n. 1, the use of the Friulian language, in its various expressions, as the language of Friuli and part of the historical, cultural and human heritage of the regional community
- it promotes historical research and exercises an active policy of preservation and development of culture and traditions, as essential components of the identity of the Friulian community - It promotes and supports public and private initiatives aimed at maintaining and increasing the use of the Friulian language in the region.
- It aims to expand the use of the Friulian language in the territory of reference, respecting the free choice of each citizen.
- It also promotes and encourages, within the framework of its statutory powers, the knowledge and use of the Friulian language among the communities of co-regionals in Italy and in the world.
- implements, together with the provisions issued to protect the Slovenian and German-speaking linguistic minorities, policies in favour of linguistic and cultural diversity.”;
RECALLED Regional Law No. 66 of 20 August 1993, which states in Article 1: “The Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste promotes, in all spheres and activities within its competence, the maintenance and dissemination of the French language in Valle d'Aosta and the grouping together of those who wish to contribute to the development of knowledge and enjoyment of the French language and thought.”;
HAVING REGARD TO Article 21 of Regional Law 26 of 2014, which establishes the ACLiF (Assembly of Friulian Linguistic Communities), to which the Friulian-speaking municipalities of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, currently 150 out of 175, adhere, whose main objective, as
MOTIONS. Standard format
established by the establishing regional law, is to contribute to the enhancement and defence of the territorial, social and economic cohesion of the Friulian community;
HAVING REGARD TO the membership of Jeunesse Valdôtaine and Patto per l’Autonomia SG in EFAY (European Free Alliance Youth); and the participation in the general assembly "EFA - EFAY - COPPIETERS FOUNDATION GA IN NANTES;
HAVING ALSO REGARD TO the membership of Union Valdôtaine and Patto per l’Autonomia to EFA (European Free Alliance);
RECOGNISED the unique value of the cultural heritage of Friuli - Venezia Giulia and Valle D'Aosta deriving from the presence of the historical Friulian, Slovene, German, Franco-Provençal, French and Walser language communities - constituting an intangible cultural heritage of inestimable value, also recognised by the European Charter of Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe, ratified by Italy with law no. 302/1999;
AWARE that globalisation and increasing cultural homogenisation put the survival of these local languages and traditions at risk;
CONSIDERED that cultural and linguistic diversity is a fundamental resource for social cohesion, sustainable growth and the cultural and tourism development of territories;
CONSIDERED that interregional and inter-institutional cooperation is a strategic tool for implementing effective policies for cultural protection and promotion;
CONSIDERED that Jeunesse Valdôtaine and Patto per l’Autonomia SG share a common vision of enhancing diversity and building a Europe based on inclusion, mutual respect and the richness of local identities;
All of the above being stated, hereby commit EFAY (European Free Alliance Youth):
1. To enhance European and national policies for the protection and promotion of minority languages, through support for school teaching, teacher training, cultural production (publishing, theatre, cinema, music), and the presence of minority languages in the media;
To achieve this, it is proposed to establish a certification entity for minority languages to certify the level of knowledge of these languages, which could be used as a requirement for the recruitment of teachers;
This entity shall be composed of representatives of language communities, scholars, local authorities and cultural associations, with the annexed aim of making languages more accessible through the creation of curricula for education.
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2. To establish an “Interregional Council for Minority Languages and Cultures”, composed of representatives of language communities, scholars, local authorities and cultural associations, with advisory and propositional functions;
3. To support cultural cooperation projects between the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region and the Valle d'Aosta Region, favouring exchanges of best practices, common educational activities, artistic events and gatherings between linguistic communities;
4. To support the application of interregional projects to European funds, in particular those of the “Interreg”, “Next Generation EU” programmes, aimed at safeguarding intangible heritage and promoting cultural pluralism. Furthermore, rural development programmes of the PAC should also include the funding of minority languages and cultures, such as the EAFRD .
5. To jointly request from the Italian Government more resources and regulatory instruments for the active protection of minority and equal languages, thereby also promoting the full implementation of Law 482/1999;
6. To promote a positive and inclusive narrative in which the added value of linguistic and cultural diversity is recognised in the construction of a united Italy and a solidary, multicultural and open Europe;
REAFFIRMING that national and European identities are not achieved by nullifying differences, but by enhancing and networking them: Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Valle d'Aosta want to be virtuous examples of cohesion in diversity, of dialogue between cultures and of alliances between territories.