Plenary Session of October 17, 2003

Request of the Regional Council of

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur concerning the Provençale Niçoise regional languages of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Given that the territory of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur happens to be included in the linguistic area of the Provençal and Niçois languages;

Given the fact that the Provençal and Niçois languages are necessarily connected to their respective linguistic area, and that consequently they should not be relegated to any particular human grouping which would subordinate them to some higher or exclusive superordinate category (such as ‘Provençalophones’ or ‘Niçardophones’);

The Regional Council Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

solemnly affirms :

- that the Provençal and Niçois languages are the regional languages of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region;

- the Provençal and Niçois languages are the expression of the cultural richness of their respective geographic area, the common patrimony of all the inhabitants without distinction of origin according to Article 1 of the French Constitution ;

declares :

- that all the varieties of the Provençal and Niçois languages are of equal value;

- that each of their varieties is the expression of the Provençal language and the Niçois language in their own geographic areas;

- that the full dignity thus given to each variety of the Provençal and Niçois languages attests to the fact that there is no hierarchy among these varieties;

engages itself :

- to develop a support system for the preservation of these varieties and for the promotion of the Provençal and Niçois languages; and to contribute, in cooperation with the State, to the generalization of course offerings for the Provençal and the Niçois languages in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

requests :

- the French Prime Minister to intervene on behalf of other ministers, departments, and state bodies concerned with assuring that the Provençal and the Niçois languages will be included as such in the list of regional languages of France;

- that the President of the European Union Commission intervene with the concerned delegations, in particular, the Office of Education and Formation, and of the European Bureau of Lesser Used Languages, so that they act to include the Provençal and Niçois languages in the list of lesser-used languages of the European Union.

Report of the Debates :

This request has been presented by the socialist group and its affiliates (to which the President of the Regional Council belongs) and the communist group and its associates, that is to say, the parties of the left.

The UMP and UDF groups, (of the right) have asked that this request be presented in the name of the Regional Council, to be voted on. The Socialist group refused, so the UMP and UDF groups decided to abstain.

The motion, when submitted to a vote, was adopted with the following results: the groups of the left voted yes, the UMP and UDF groups abstained, and the Front National group (extreme-right) voted against.