Language, Identity and Power: What Future for Minority Languages in Europe?

Keynote Speakers and schedule

08:30 – Accreditation

09:00 – Opening remarks

• Csaba Sógor, Member of the European Parliament for the EPP Group
• Herbert Dorfmann, Member of the European Parliament for the EPP Group
• Jill Evans, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens-EFA Group

9:30 – Introductory speech: The legal landscape for minority language protection in Europe

• Vicent Climent-Ferrando, Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD)

9:40 – 1^st Panel: Language Identity and Power

• Language policy in constructing national narratives
  by Zoltán Kántor, Research Institute for Hungarian Communities Abroad

• The preservation of minority language and identity: the Turkish community in Greece.
  by Sebahattin Abdurrahman, Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF)

• Language and politics in Belgium: lessons to be learnt? By Rudi Janssens, Free University of Brussels – BRIO

10:10 – 2^nd Panel: Cherishing diversity: Ways Forward

• The Ladin Community in South Tyrol: language learning and social dialogue by Paul Videsott, Free University of Bolzano

• Revitalizing the lower Sorbian language-the Witaj project: experiences and advantages of the immersion method
  by Hannes Wilhelm-Kell, Lausatian Alliance

• What the EU can and should do for minority languages
  by Johan Häggman, multilingualism expert, formerly at DG Translation at European Commission

11:00 – Closure

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Practicalities:

When: Tuesday 24^th February 2015 from 9:00 to 11:00

Where: European Parliament (brussels) Room A5E-3

Address: Rue Wiertz 60 – 1047 Brussels, Flanders, European Union

Interpretation: English-German-French (to be confirmed)

Registration:

Seats are limited. Do you plan to attend? Please RSVP to t.nodari@unpo.org

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Press:

Media inquiries can be addressed to info@ideasforeurope.eu

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This seminar is an initiative of the UNPO in cooperation with the Centre Maurits Coppieters, the European Free alliance, The Greens-EFA group in the European Parliament and the EPP Group in the European Parliament.

This Conference is financially supported by the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not liable for the content of the conference nor the opinions of the speakers.