On the occasion of the European Day of Languages, today in the European Parliament MEP Dubravka Šuica welcomed the president and members of the Croatian Association for Culture, Arts and Tourism of Hearing Impaired ˝Svijet tišine˝ (English: ˝World of Silence˝).

Representatives of the association, whose journey was sponsored by the Office of MEP Šuica, attended the conference ˝Multilingualism and Equal Rights in the EU: the role of sign language˝ which was specifically meant for the deaf population.

This was also a historic moment for the European Parliament because for the first time 24 official languages ​​and 31 sign language of the European Union were represented. Around 750 participants as well as representatives of national media attended the event in which prominent members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and civil society organizations took part. The conference aims to show how linguistic heritage plays an important role in achieving equal rights for all.
 

President of the Association ˝Svijet tišine˝, Vanda Šagovac, thanked MEP Šuica and stressed that it was her first participation with respect to sign language, which is very important given that such events keep sign language an important part of communication. ˝I support such events, not only in Europe but also in the world, as stock for future generations.˝

MEP Šuica commented: ˝It is necessary to constantly strive to integrate the hearing impaired into society and to facilitate everyday life. I am honoured to have been able to contribute to the work and efforts of the Association 'Svijet tišine' and its members.˝