The French Parliament has today voted overwhelmingly in favour of an historic bill to protect and promote the country's 'regional' languages.
The bill has been dubbed the Molac Bill after the Liberties and Territories parliamentary group deputy Paul Molac.
The bill was passed by 247 votes in favour versus 76 against, with 19 abstentions.
Historic and Significant
The passing of the bill marks the first time that a bill on regional languages has been passed in the history of the Fifth Republic.
The bill ensures the protection and promotion of regional languages in a country with a poor track record when it comes to its autochthonous languages.
The Bill
The bill allows for the introduction of immersive education and for the creation of a school package for private schools that provide education in these languages.
Issues such as the financing of private language schools, immersive teaching, and the diacritics of regional languages were debated in the Assembly.
The bill's promoter the Breton Paul Molac, who represents Morbihan in Brittany, attended the debate wearing a Covid mask bearing the colours of the Breton flag 'Gwen-ha-Du'.
Presenting the bill, Molac said: “Regional languages are a wealth, a national treasure,
“But this wealth is classified in great danger of extinction by Unesco.”