The European Commission responded to the question for written answer titled “Double-shift schooling in Western Thrace” submitted by Members of the European Parliament (MEP) François Alfonsi (France, Greens /EFA), Loránt Vincze (Romania, EPP), Herbert Dorfmann (Italy, EPP) and Yana Toom (Estonia, Renew) on 14 November 2023.
In the response delivered on 7 February 2024 by Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Iliana Ivanova, on behalf of the European Commission, it was indicated that, in accordance with Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Member States are fully responsible for the content of teaching and organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity.
Ivanova stated that since there is no common legal framework at the EU level that grants the general right to provide education in the mother tongue in schools in the Member States, the choice of the language of instruction in a specific territory remains within the purview of the Member States, adding that the European Commission has no competence concerning the recognition of minorities or the use of minority languages, as these are the responsibility of each Member State and that it is thus for the Member States to ensure that the fundamental rights of minorities are respected in line with international agreements and their internal legislation.
Ivanova stressed that the European Commission encourages Member States to benefit from EU financial instruments in areas of early childhood education, reducing early school leaving and investing in education, skills, and lifelong learning, and reminded that EU Cohesion Policy funds can be mobilised towards this direction. Furthermore, it is noted that under the regional programme ‘Eastern Macedonia & Thrace 2021-2027’, an amount of € 29.75 million will be invested for the creation and upgrading of education infrastructure.
In the question for written answer submitted with the initiative of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) with the joint signature of four Members of the European Parliament, it was underlined that double-shift education has been in place for many years at the Xanthi Minority Secondary and High School due to the lack of sufficient and suitable classrooms, but that students and parents alike oppose double-shift schooling. Moreover, It was indicated that a protest demonstration was held between 18 and 28 September 2023, where the protesters demanded the end of double-shift schooling and a new school building, but have not yet received any response from the authorities.
In the question for written answer, Alfonsi, Vincze, Dorfmann and Toom asked what actions the Commission could take to protect the rights of EU citizens belonging to a national minority, ensure equal access to quality education in this region of Greece and safeguard linguistic and cultural diversity.
Furthermore, the four MEPs also asked what steps the European Commission could take to protect members of the autochthonous Turkish community, whose rights guaranteed by international treaties are not respected and whose existence and identity are under threat.
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