Speech by Marco Pannella

On the occasion of the presentation of a resolution in favour of Catalan during the December session of the European Parliament, Marco Pannella stressed the need to adopt a vehicular language. Here below the text of his speech.

"Mr. President, assuming Catiline is not among us, I might say: "Textus optimus lingua pessima". (MP. Gollnisch, French member of the National Front, member of the Group of the European parties of the Right, had delivered a speech in Latin language a few moments before, editor's note). But let us carry on!

Mr. President, honourable colleagues, for almost all of my life I have been indifferent to and/or against the philosophy and the practice of Esperanto. My increasingly firm conviction that for scientific, social, cultural and political reasons, the defence of linguistic pluralism in the world cannot be subjected to the laws of the jungle, that is, to the constant risk that some languages will prevail over others, on the basis of imperative and imperialist conditions due to one reality or the other, is the fruit of an in-depth analysis of these last year's events and of the current situation of the world.

I therefore believe, Mr. President, that the problem of adopting a vehicular language enabling both the detainees and the users of this so-to-say imperial language and the speakers of all the other languages to have a common reference idiom is becoming urgent for mankind and for Europe, leaving each language its latitude and its possibility of a dialogue. It is to underline this point, Mr. President, that, while extremely grateful to the proposer for his work, I will abstain, being it my conviction that to continue in this direction is but a labour of Sisyphus".