Plaid MEP, Jill Evans heralds Historic day for Welsh language in the European Parliament (From Western Telegraph)

Plaid MEP, Jill Evans heralds Historic day for Welsh language in the European Parliament

10:30am Thursday 4th March 2010 in

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The Welsh language takes another step to becoming an official language of the EU today (Thursday) with Welsh translation being used for the first time at the European Parliament.

Plaid MEP, Jill Evans will be speaking in Welsh, with translation, in a seminar on language policy.

The event, called Language diversity: A Challenge for Europe, is organised by the European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament, of which Jill Evans MEP is President.

Mrs Evans believes that this historic step for the Welsh language could be a springboard for Welsh to be recognised as an official EU language.

She said: "I am delighted to be the first MEP to speak the Welsh language with interpretation in the European Parliament.

This is a historic day. We have campaigned long and hard for recognition of our languages in the parliament and this is another step forward.

"Currently Welsh enjoys a semi-official status after a long hard campaign. It is now my goal to use this historic day to push for Welsh to be a fully recognised EU language."

Mrs Evans added that the EU could develop a better relationship with its citizens by using the languages people actually speak.

"The discrimination against some languages has to end so that there is equality for all people in the EU," she said.

"Our event will set this issue firmly on the agenda of Parliament."