European Commissioner John Dalli yesterday sought to diffuse harsh criticism directed at his office over the publication of a school diary that omits reference to Christian celebrations such as Christmas and Easter while including those of Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and other faiths.
Mr Dalli apologised unconditionally for what his spokesman called a “blunder” and promised it would not be repeated in future editions of the diary.
“I very much regret this incoherence and am taking immediate action,” Mr Dalli, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said in a statement on his personal website.
The consumer affairs section of the Commission’s website carried a note saying that “immediate remedial action is being taken to rectify the omission of certain Christian religious holidays from the Europa Diary 2010/2011”.
A correction will be sent to all teachers who ordered the edition of the diary.
“There was never an intention to discriminate against the Christian religion in this publication,” the note says.
Mr Dalli also sent a letter to the French Minister for Europe, Laurent Wauqueiz, who, at a press briefing earlier this week, asked: “Are we ashamed of our Christian identity? Are we ashamed that the Europe of church towers was the base of our European identity?”
Mr Dalli acknowledged the mistake and expressed his regret that it could have offended French citizens.
The Commission’s Health and Consumer Affairs Directorate publishes the diary every year. It is intended to inform students about European affairs including consumer rights and is distributed free to teachers who ask for it.
Mr Dalli, who was appointed commissioner last year, was not personally involved in its production, which is finalised by his department but produced in collaboration with many other Commission departments.
The diary project this year cost €5 million and a total of three million copies were produced and distributed to 21,000 schools across the EU. In Malta and Gozo, nearly 50 schools received about 10,000 copies.
Asked to explain how it was possible for such a mistake to be made, Mr Dalli’s spokesman said those responsible for the publication, both in the member states and the Commission, had overlooked its contents. “This was a slip-up on our part and we are making sure it will not be repeated,” he said. Europe’s Christian dimension is a very sensitive issue in EU debate and always stirs controversy. A few years ago, member states, including Malta, had insisted, unsuccessfully, that a reference to the EU’s Christian roots be inserted in the EU’s Constitution.
Ironically, France was among those member states which opposed the idea at the time.