This fifth Brussels Debate for the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 will focus on the role of multilingualism in Europe and on the influence of the multiplicity of languages on European integration. Is multilingualism a source of enrichment or a source of tension? According to the European Commission’s public consultation on multilingualism (14 September – 15 November 2007) "more than 96% of the respondents agree that the linguistic diversity of the EU calls for special attention from European politicians and that language skills are important both for their everyday and their professional life" (link: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/consult/report_en.pdf) The Debate will give an opportunity to the public to discuss the advantages and drawbacks of language diversity in the context of intercultural dialogue in Europe.
Leonard Orban, European Commissioner for Multilingualism, and Claude Moraes, Member of the European Parliament will have an exchange with the public, together with Abram De Swaan, Emeritus Research professor of Social Science at the University of Amsterdam, and Sandra Pralong, Romanian national ambassador of the Year and former UN executive.
The series of Brussels Debates are one of the core activities of the European Year that take place at European level. Four Debates have already been held this year, covering migration and immigration, the role of arts and culture in intercultural dialogue, inter-religious dialogue and active citizenship and intercultural dialogue in the workplace. Debates later this autumn will address education and the role of the media in intercultural dialogue.
The Debate will take place in the Polak Room at the Residence Palace, 155 Rue de la Loi at 18:30h. It will be moderated by Ms Shada Islam, Senior Programme Executive at the European Policy Centre (EPC) and journalist specialising in EU foreign and development policies, immigration and anti-discrimination issues. The debate will be followed by a reception.
It is possible to join the debate by sharing views with others from all over Europe on the Brussels Debate Forum in the official website of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue http://www.dialogue2008.eu
