European democracy
#TheFutureIsYours Strengthening European democracy
Learning English requires a great deal of time. Speakers of Romance and Slavic languages are at a great disadvantage here, as are Hungarians; they need about twice as much time for English as Dutch people, Scandinavians or Germans.
The difference in learning effort is also reflected in language skills: About 86-90% of Dutch, Danes and Swedes are proficient in English. For Germans it is 56%, French 39%, Italians and Poles about 33%, Romanians and Bulgarians 25-31% and Spaniards and Hungarians about 20%; Eurobarometer 296, 2012, p. 21, https://t1p.de/LangBar .
Lower language skills mean less opportunity to participate in European democratic processes, which in very many cases take place in English. English as the de facto working language of the EU means the exclusion of many people in the south and east of the EU. Nothing indicates that this limitation to democratic participation will diminish in the future. The north-west of the EU tends to ignore this democracy problem.
The culture language Esperanto can be learned in a quarter of the time needed for English. This makes participation in Europe-wide discussion much easier, especially for people from the south and east, and is more just.
We plead for a scientific and unprejudiced study of Esperanto and for a role for it in the EU. People should be allowed to choose for themselves.
Let's strengthen EU democracy!
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