An Historic Day

I’ve had a lot of messages expressing pleasure and thanks following the granting of EU co-official status to the Welsh language earlier this week. In the official announcement First Minister Rhodri Morgan referred to “an historic development for the Welsh language (which) shows recognition in the EU for cultural and linguistic diversity.”

Not surprisingly, the sharp contrast between that statement and the comments made recently by Labour MEP Eluned Morgan on this subject has not gone unnoticed. I wonder if she will realise now that things are moving on - ‘an historic development’ in fact!

The agreement was formalised on Tuesday in Brussels when the UK Government reached agreement with the EU Council of Ministers. I worked with the One Wales Government for the move, and negotiations were then taken forward by the member state government.

At the moment the agreement applies only to the Council but is expected to be extended to other EU institutions so that people and organisations in Wales will be able to correspond and communicate with the EU institutions in either of our two official languages.

While some people misinterpret the agreement for their own reasons, I’m just pleased that this stage has been reached, and I’ve no doubt this view is shared by many, many people and organisations throughout Wales, judging by the correspondence I’ve had on the subject.

People in Wales have the right to choose Welsh to deal with the EU institutions if they so wish.

Welsh gains co-official status in the European Union

Read about it here.

Yet more Labour party hypocrisy

I was disappointed but not surprised by Labour’s hypocrisy following the attack by Labour MEP Eluned Morgan on plans to boost the status of the Welsh language in Europe.

The Welsh public would surely find it hard to understand how Ms Morgan could square her role as chair of Cymdeithas Cledwyn, set up to counter Labour’s unpopularity in certain Welsh speaking parts of Wales, with opposing co-official status for Welsh in the EU.

I’ve been campaigning to improve the status of Welsh in the EU and have won the support of the Welsh Assembly and UK Governments. Preparations are underway that will allow Welsh speakers and organisations in Wales to use Welsh in correspondence with the EU institutions. There will also be limited arrangements for Welsh interpretation at EU official meetings.

I have been fighting hard to get official status for the Welsh language in Europe and I was disappointed that a Welsh speaking Labour MEP opposed Welsh getting the same rights as other languages such as Basque or Catalan. Her opposition is all the more surprising since we have the backing of the One Wales and UK Governments.

So much of our daily lives is influenced by the European Union and I think it’s vital that people in Wales should be able to communicate with the EU institutions in Welsh as well as English.

This new status would also lead to more jobs in the translating sector, particularly in rural Wales, as so much translation work can now be done remotely through the internet and e-mail.

It’s all very well for Labour to publish a report with a vague list of pledges, but what we need is action. If Ms Morgan really is interested in helping the Welsh language then I hope she will support co-official status for Welsh in the European Union. After all, it is only right that people in Wales have opportunities to use the Welsh language when communicating with the European institutions.

Some in the Labour party might like to claim they’re supporters of the Welsh language, but when it comes to real commitment and action, it’s another story.

Cymraeg yn Ewrop!

‘Rwyf wedi bod yn ymgyrchu i gael hawliau i’r Gymraeg yn Ewrop ers bron i ddeng mlynedd bellach. O’r diwedd, mae pethau yn edrych yn obeithiol. Rwy’n falch iawn bod llywodraeth ‘Cymru’n Un’ wedi ymrwymo i’r ymgyrch. Mae gan bobl yng Ngwlad y Basg, Catalunya a Galisia yr hawl i gyfathrebu a sefydliadau Ewropeaidd yn eu mamiaith. Pam felly nad oes gennym ni fel Cymry yr un hawl? Mae llywodraeth Cymru yn cynnal trafodaethau ar hyn o bryd gyda’r sefydliadau Ewropeaidd i gael cytundeb a fuasai’n caniatau hyn. Nid mater o egwyddor yn unig ydyw, ond byddai’n creu swyddi ac yn hyrwyddo’r economi gan y byddai’r diwydiant cyfieithu yn cael ei leoli yng Ngymru.

Er nad yw rhoi statws ‘cyd-swyddogol’ i’r iaith Gymraeg yn y sefydliadau Ewropeaidd yn rhoi cydraddoldeb i ni gyda ieithoedd eraill, mae yn rhoi peth darpariaeth i siaradwyr Cymraeg - yn bennaf yr hawl i gyfathrebu gyda’r sefydliadau yn Gymraeg. Fel ASE, wrth gwrs, fe hoffwn i hefyd yr hawl i ddefnyddio’r iaith Gymraeg o fewn y Senedd, fel y bydd sefydliadau eraill yn caniatau.

Rydw i wedi ysgrifennau at sefydliadau, mudiadau, ysgolion a cholegau i ofyn iddynt ysgrifennu at Lywydd Senedd Ewrop, Hans Gert Poettering, i ddatgan eu cefnogaeth i gael statws cyd-swyddogol i’r Gymraeg, gan ddweud y buasent yn cyfathrebu â’r Senedd yn y Gymraeg pe bai hynny’n bosib. Buasai hyn o fudd mawr i’r ymgyrch ac i broffil Cymru yn Ewrop. Os hoffech ymuno â’r ymgyrch, ewch at fy wefan www.jillevans.net, byddaf yn cynhoeddi mwy o wybodaeth ar sut y gallwch chi helpu cyn hir.

Welsh in Europe!

I’ve been campaigning to obtain rights for the Welsh language in Europe for almost ten years. At last, things are looking up. I’m very pleased that the ‘One Wales’ government has committed to this too. People in the Basque Country, Catalunya and Galicia already have the right to communicate with the European institutions in their mother tongue. Why then don’t we as Welsh people have the same right? The Welsh Assembly Government is currently holding talks with the European institutions to ensure an agreement that would allow this. This isn’t just a matter of principle, it would also create jobs and boost the Welsh economy as the translation industry would be based in Wales.

Despite the fact that “co-official” status wouldn’t put Welsh on a par with other European languages, it would act as a facility through which Welsh speakers could communicate with the institutions in Welsh. As an MEP, I would of course like to have the ability to use the Welsh language in Parliament, as other institutions would allow.

I have written to organisations, institutions, schools and colleges to ask them to write to the President of the European Parliament, Hans Gert Poettering, to state their support for “co-official” status for the Welsh language, saying that they would take advantage of the provision if it were adopted in Parliament. This would be a great help not only to the campaign, but also to Wales’ profile within Europe. If you would like to take part in the campaign, please go to www.jillevans.net, where I’ll be publishing how you can take part soon.

Dewch i ymweld â Sefydliadau Ewrop!

Dydd Sadwrn (7fed o Fehefin) mae Gwyl Ewrop yn digwydd ym Mrwsel. Bydd yn gyfle gwych i ddinasyddion ymweld a dysgu am y sefydliadau sydd yn rheoli Ewrop.

Fel y gallwch ymweld â’r Senedd yng Nghaerdydd unrhyw ddydd Sadwrn, bydd y diwrnod hwn yn eich galluogi i ymweld a’r Cyngor, y Comisiwn, y Senedd, Pwyllgor y Rhanbarthau a Phwyllgor Economaidd a Chymdeithasol Ewrop, bydd yna hefyd stondinau gwybodaeth ac amineiddiadau o’r 27 aelod wladwriaeth.

Thema yr wyl eleni yw “blwyddyn o ddeialog rhwng y diwylliannau”. O ganlyniad, bydd nifer o gymdeithasau, o amineiddiadau ac o sioeau ar lwyfannau ac ar y strydoedd ym Mrwsel. ‘Rwy’n credu fod hyn yn gyfle gwych nid yn unig i ddysgu am y system wleidyddol yn Ewrop, ond hefyd am hanes, etifeddiaeth a diwylliant eang ei rhanbarthau.

Visit the European Institutions!

This Saturday (June 7th) Brussels is putting on its Festival of Europe. It is a marvellous opportunity for European Citizens to visit and learn about the institutions at the heart of Europe.

Just as you can visit the Senedd in Cardiff on any Saturday, this Saturday will enable everyone to access the Council, the Commission, the Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee, there will be stands providing information and animations from the 27 member states.

This year, the theme of the festival is “the European year of intercultural dialogue”. As a result, there will be a number of associations, animations and shows both on stages and in the streets. I feel that this is a great opportunity not only to learn about how the European Union works, but also about the diverse history, heritage and culture of its regions.

Wythnos Werdd y Comisiwn

Yr wythnos hyn, mae Ewrop yn dathlu Wythnos Werdd y Comisiwn am yr wythfed tro. Gyda 4000 o gyfranwyr, 158 o siaradwyr a 49 digwyddiad, mae’r wythnos yn mynd o nerth i nerth. Cychwynodd y syniad fel arbrawf cyfathrebu i drafod syniadau amgylcheddol yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, ond erbyn hyn mae’r wythnos yn hanfodol i system bolisïau’r Undeb.

Slogan yr Wythnos Werdd eleni yw “Un Blaned - Peidiwch a’i Gwastrafffu”. Yn ogystal a’r holl broblemau sy’n gysylltiedig â newid hinsawdd, rydym yn gwynebu sialens yr un mor ofidus gyda gwastraff. Rydym yn cynhyrchu gwastraff yn llawer mwy cyflym nag yr ydym yn ei ailgylchu neu ail-ddefnyddio; ond nid yw’r rhan helaeth o’r boblogaeth yn sylwi ar ddifrifoldeb y sefyllfa. ‘Gan i mi fod yn ymgyrchu am dargedau uchelgeisiol mewn lefelau ailgylchu yn ddiweddar, ‘rwyf yn hynod o falch bod Wythnos Werdd 2008 wedi dewis canolbwyntio ar reolaeth gwastraff a threuliad cynaladwy.

Yn ogystal â thynnu sylw at wastraff, bydd yr Wythnos Werdd yn trafod materion fel bioamrywiaeth, cynhesu byd-eang, a’r sialens holl-bwysig o gynnal tyfiant economaidd tra’n anog y meddylfryd gwyrdd.

Annual Green Week

This week sees Europe celebrating the Commission’s annual Green Week for the eighth year running. Comprising 4000 participants, 158 speakers and 49 events, the week is going from strength to strength. It started off as a communications experiment with a view to discuss the EU’s environment agenda but by now it has become an integral part of the Union’s policy making process.

This year sees the Commission focusing on waste and sustainable production with the slogan, “Only one earth-don’t waste it”. Besides the continuing issues related to climate change, we are facing an equally worrying waste crisis. Even though we are producing waste at a much faster rate than we are recycling or re-using, there is a lack of awareness regarding the problem. As I have been campaigning recently for ambitious targets on waste reduction and recycling, I am glad that the organisers of Green Week 2008 have chosen to focus on this timely subject.

Green Week 2008 will also discuss biodiversity, climate change and the all-important challenge of reconciling economic growth with ‘going green’.

Carbon Capture: Don’t get carried away

Following months of heated debate on the controversial new European waste laws, I am now speaking for The Greens / European Free Alliance (EFA) Group in the debate on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). In January the European Commission published what they called the “Climate Change Package” - a set of directives looking at various aspects of combatting and adapting to climate change. I will be speaking for The Green / EFA group on the CCS issue.

Of course, for someone born and brought up in the Rhondda, coal has always been close to my heart. When I was growing up we waited for the school buses alongside the miners waiting for the NCB buses. It was still the major employer and a massive part of Rhondda life.

I was active in the support groups across the coalfields in the 1984/85 miners’ strike. In fact, I believe I was the only woman ever to go underground in Maerdy pit before it was closed. I still have the lump of coal I brought home.

But things have changed. It was never a secret that coal was a massive polluter. Miners’ lungs,old coal tips, felled forests and dirty rivers bear testimony to that. But no now we also realkize there’s a climate change crisis to which coal is contributing to in a big way. In Wales, Aberthaw power station is a major polluter, despite efforts to reduce emissions. The UK government seems intent on building new coal fired power stations, despite the damage they do.

Now a new technology is being hailed as the saviour of coal - CCS. It literally means extracting the CO2 from power station emissions and storing it at high pressure deep underground. This is not reducing our pollution, it’s moving it to another place. If the storage facilities are not available near the power station, the CO2 will have to be taken by pipeline (and we all know about the ongoing controversy over the LNG pipeline) to where it can be stored. It will have to be kept there for ever.

Of course, this may be a way of reducing the CO2 we pump out into our atmosphere and that would be a good thing - if it works. At the moment we don’t know if it will work. Yes, there is a lot of research going on. We also know that it is massively expensive, which is why so many trial projects have been abandoned already.

One of my concerns is the leaking of CO2 from underground storage sites. In a meeting with the European Commission I proposed that one of the criteria for approving a storage site should be that there would be NO risk of leaking instead of the no “significant” risk of leaking they had suggested. They will look at the draft again to see if it can be changed. If we are going to pursue this new technology we have to have all the safeguards possible to protect against anything going wrong.

We are still at the early stages of this fascinating debate and development. But one thing is clear to me: CCS is not the answer to the problem of climate change. We need to make very fundamental changes. We need to conserve energy and we need renewable energy. Wales is extremely rich in that resource. CCS is not the green light for going back to coal - even if that was possible or we wanted to. The monster that is Ffos-y-Fran opencast site in Merthyr Tydfil should teach us that.

We have to wait and see whether CCS will work and where it will be used. There has been talk of using old coal mines for storage - which sets alarm bells ringing for me - but for now it’s just talk. If we could use our past legacy in the coalfields of Wales to help ensure a cleaner future I would be the first to welcome it. But we’re nowhere near that yet. Let’s not get carried away.