Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg have supported calls by Joan Bernat MEP by writing to all Wales’ MEP’s, asking them to also show their support and to vote for Joan Bernat’s recommendations.

These recommendations appear in a report on multilingualism in the European Union presented to the Education and Culture Committee, and many of them reflect what Cymdeithas has been calling for in a new Welsh Language Act, - calls that are receiving increasing national, cross-party support.As the National Assembly’s Labour Government, who continue to reject these calls for a new Welsh Language Act, have stated that they will revise the need for new legislation, Cymdeithas believes that Joan Bernat’s recommendations could be far-reaching and significant.The recommendations include, an EU Languages Act to streamline EU language policy and legislation, an EU Language Ombudsman, similar to Canada, to ensure language rights, establishing a European Agency for Multilingualism, all European languages to be given official status in the EU, an EU List of endangered European languages, to prioritise help, and ensuring that all EU citizens to have the right to communicate with EU institutions in their own languages.Catrin Dafydd, chair of the campaign for a New Welsh Language Act said,"Cymdeithas believes that the people of Wales have the right to use Welsh in every aspect of their lives, including the level of European government, and we believe that every one of the 46 million people in the EU that speak a language other than the official language of a member state should have the same right.""We are very pleased to see these recommendations presented to the European Parliament, especially so because so many of them reflect what we are calling for in terms of linguistic rights and legislation, which are the basis of our campaign for a New Welsh Language Act.""For example, the sections regarding giving all European languages official status, ensuring rights for all citizens to communicate with the EU in their own language, and the need for a language Ombudsman, are certainly things that are included in some shape or form in our policy document.""The fact that recommendations such as these are being discussed on an European level should be open the eyes of the Labour Government of the Welsh Assembly as they revise the need for new legislation. It is essential therefore, that all Welsh MEP’s vote in favour of Joan Bernat’s recommentations in the Autumn."