Dutch fight for voice in Netherlands

Date: 20/02/1997

Politicians in the Netherlands are showing increasing signs of irritation at the way their language is being ignored, especially during the Dutch EU presidency.

The first signs came in Amsterdam last month at a joint press conference involving Dutch Prime Minister Wim

Kok and the British Labour leader Tony Blair.

Every single question, including those addressed to Kok, was put in English and there was no interpretation for non-English speakers.

When, at the very end, a Dutch journalist asked sarcastically if it would be acceptable to put his question in Dutch, as it was still supposed to be one of the EU's working languages, Blair replied with a smile: “Certainly - as long as you don't expect me to answer it.”

More recently, Intergovernmental Conference negotiator Michiel Patijn reacted tetchily to the news that only English, French and German interpretation was available at a post-IGC meeting briefing.

“There is no Dutch,” he fumed. “I can recommend Dutch as a working language for the European Union. It is a very good working language.”

You can't blame the Dutch, but Patijn's outburst was somewhat disingenuous: he knows perfectly well that meetings of IGC representatives, such as the one he had just chaired, only ever use French, German and English. Only ministerial IGC gatherings use all 11 languages.