The European Commission recently formulated new communication guidelines in a special 30-page document. The advice on “inclusive language” bans the use of the word “Christmas” as well as traditional European Christian names. The new guidelines of the European Commission aim to “reinforce inclusion”.
The document is part of a plan championed by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as well as Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli to implement a “Union of Equality” and make sure that “everyone is valued and recognised in all our material regardless of their gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.”
It asked officials to “never address an audience as ‘ladies and gentlemen’ but use expressions such as ‘Dear colleagues.’” It also called on Commission staffers to refrain from using the terms “Miss or Mrs, unless it is the explicit preference of the person addressed.”
The most controversial part of the advice was to “avoid assuming that everyone is Christian.”
“Not everyone celebrates the Christian holidays, and not all Christians celebrate them on the same dates,” according to the document. It advises staff to avoid sentences such as “Christmas time can be stressful” and instead use “Holiday times can be stressful.”
It also says not to use the phrase “Christian names” and to use “first name” or “forename” instead as well as not using names “that are typically from one religion.” It gives the example of using “Malika and Julio” instead of “Maria and John” to describe an “international couple.”
As a result of the torrent of criticism provoked by the controversial document, its initiators were forced to backtrack. “Concern was raised with regards to some examples provided in the Guidelines on Inclusive Communication, which as is customary with such guidelines, is a work in progress,” commissioner Helena Dalli tweeted. “We are looking into these concerns with the view of addressing them in an updated version of the guidelines.”
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
Picture: Caroline Byczynski
