Strasburg, May 13th, 1997. The question of linguistic communication was brought up with great strength by the Parliamentarians of the radical group in a series of amendments to the final document of the Green Book: The obstacles to transnational mobility (presented by the rapporteur Luisa Todini of the Education-Formation-Research Commission (COM(96)0462-C4-0580/96). The amendments, which reveal the absence of the question of linguistic communication on a global scale in the document, emphasize that

"the European Union cannot confront the question of the circulation of its citizens and equal opportunity with any validity in terms of education, work, and leisure time until it confronts the question of linguistic communication."

..."Such equality in terms of opportunity cannot be valid or permanently guaranteed unless the member states of the Union do not decide to introduce, at different levels of the education system, of a "primary

second language of communication that is neutral and common."..." Esperanto not only satisfies the criteria of neutrality..., guaranteeing equality of opportunity by consequence for all European citizens, it also equally guarantees the preservation of every language spoken in the European Union, as well as facilitating the learning of other languages.".."We invite the Commission to rapidly approve a study of the

feasibility of the introduction of a primary second language of communication that is neutral and common at every level of education among the member states of the Union."

(Published by TRANSNATIONAL #12, May 27th, 1997

BULLETIN OF INFORMATION AND ACTION ON THE CAMPAIGNS OF THE TRANSNATIONAL RADICAL PARTY)