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Slovenian or the RMLs. In this respect, EU action could be seen as acting on behalf of thecitizen, to counterbalance the often overwhelming forces of globalisation.4.5 Sub-group feedbackTo summarise the feedback, there was unanimous support for direct funding and/or specificbudget lines for endangered languages. There was also a big response to the topic onEnglish as a lingua franca with some variance in opinion. One NGO opined that Englishshould be encouraged as a lingua franca while others pointed to the problems that thisraises. Another NGO proposed an objective cost-benefit analysis, comparing English,Esperanto and any other putative EU lingua franca. Some of the contributions are in theappendix. The Group was in agreement that multilingualism should mean the promotion of allEU languages and not just the larger dominant languages.5 RecommendationsPromoting equality and using RMLs and smaller state languagesEU Agency for Linguistic DiversityEU Linguistic ObservatoryDirect support for endangered languagesLanguage OmbudsmanEU Directive on language rights and the abolition of linguistic discrimination5.1 A language plan promoting equality and the use of Europe’s languagesThe European Union has set out to be a space for living together in which respect for ethnic,cultural and linguistic diversity prevails, and which guarantees that citizen can exercise theirEuropean citizenship on equal terms, without feeling excluded in any way, either asindividuals or as a collective. The Union space should strive to include all the Europeandiversities that were rejected or discriminated against for much of European history. It wouldnot be beneficial if, in the framework of Union citizenship, some of the languages andcultures that have characterised the different communities and peoples of Europe were to bemarginalised or even threatened with extinction.The EU has evolved an ad-hoc language policy based on the official status of Member Statelanguages. It is time to consider an EU language plan and policy. The plan should set targetsand timelines and would act to implement the rights and obligations set out in the CFR, andtogether work towards making a reality of the statement that ‘all European languages areequal’.The best promotion and protection of the majority of Europe’s languages that the EuropeanUnion can undertake is to use them to some extent, as appropriate. That would be beneficial,both for the vitality of the languages, for the EU’s communication policy and for its desire tobring Europe closer to the citizen. The use of many languages can only bring benefits to theUnion and will do more for the EU’s good reputation than many publicity campaigns. Thechallenges are those of cost and management, but the Platform is confident that the EU willmeet those challenges decisively and with imagination.This Platform agreed on the need for an EU language plan and policy. Not only to promotelinguistic diversity and multilingualism but also to embed a more systematic approach tolanguage planning. To re-iterate the CILT contribution, an EU language plan should be:a) Comprehensive and inclusive. It should take account of the true extent of multilingualismand language-learning in Europe and recognise that the benefits of a multilingual societycan only be realised by having plurilingual individuals within it.Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism: 26Policy Recommendations for the Promotion of Multilingualism in the European Union 06/06/10 – FULL VERSION