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Events

2019/03/11
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2018/09/11
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2018/09/11
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 592, votes to 45, with 4 abstentions, a resolution on language equality in the digital age.

Parliament noted multilingualism presents one of the greatest assets of cultural diversity in Europe and, at the same time, one of the most significant challenges for the creation of a truly integrated EU, with 24 official languages and more than 60 regional and minority languages in addition to migrant languages and sign languages.

Current obstacles to achieving language equality in the digital age in Europe : Members regretted the fact that, owing to a lack of adequate policies in Europe, there is currently a widening technology gap between well-resourced languages and less-resourced languages. More than 20 European languages are in danger of digital language extinction. Parliament pointed to the increasing digitalisation of European society, which is leading to disparities in access to information , particularly for the low-skilled, the elderly, people on low incomes and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It remarked that language technologies currently do not play a role in the European political agenda, despite the fact that respect for linguistic diversity is enshrined in the Treaties.

Members also noted that:

European lesser-used languages are at a significant disadvantage on account of an acute lack of tools, resources and research funding; Europe remains far behind on language technologies , on account of market fragmentation, inadequate investment in knowledge and culture, poorly coordinated research, insufficient funding and legal barriers, with the market currently dominated by non-European actors, which are not addressing the specific needs of a multilingual Europe; the Digital Single Market remains fragmented by a number of barriers, including language barriers.

Improving the institutional framework for language technology policies at EU level : Parliament called on the Council to draft a recommendation on the protection and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity in the Union, including in the sphere of language technologies. In addition, Members recommended that the Commission should allocate the area of ‘multilingualism and language technology’ to the portfolio of a Commissioner , who should be tasked with promoting linguistic diversity and equality at EU level.

Parliament called on the Commission to:

consider the creation of a centre for linguistic diversity that will strengthen awareness of the importance of lesser-used, regional and minority languages, including in the sphere of language technologies; develop strategies to facilitate multilingualism in the digital market, and define the minimum language resources that all European languages should possess, such as data sets, lexicons, speech records, translation memories, and encyclopaedic content; review its Framework Strategy for Multilingualism and propose a clear action plan on how to promote linguistic diversity and overcome language barriers in the digital area.

Recommendations for EU research policies : Parliament recommended establishing or extending projects such as the Digital Language Diversity Project , among others, that carry out research into the digital needs of all European languages, including those with both very small and very large numbers of speakers, so as to address the digital divide issue.

Members asked the Commission to establish a large-scale, long-term coordinated funding programme for research, development and innovation in the field of language technologies, at European, national and regional levels, tailored specifically to Europe’s needs and demands. This should be done with the participation of research centres, academia, and enterprises (particularly SMEs and start-ups).

Furthermore, the Commission was asked to set up an HLT financing platform , drawing on the implementation of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

Education policies to improve the future of language technologies in Europe : Parliament noted that the development of language technologies covers many research areas and disciplines, including computational linguistics, artificial intelligence, computer science and linguistics. It recommended the provision of guidelines for the implementation of cohesive joint action at European level, raising awareness among students of the career opportunities in the language technology industry. It also pointed to the need to:

promote the use of language technologies within cultural and educational exchanges between European citizens such as Erasmus+, for example Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support; develop digital literacy programmes in Europe’s minority and regional languages and introduce language technology training and tools in the curricula of their schools, universities and vocational colleges.

Language technologies: b enefits for both private companies and public bodies : Parliament recalled that just 16 % of European citizens having purchased online from other EU countries in 2015. Language technologies can contribute to future European cross-border and cross-language communication, boost economic growth and social stability. Members highlighted the importance of investment instruments and accelerator programmes that aim to increase the use of language technologies in the cultural and creative sector. They also wanted European SMEs to be able to easily access and use language technologies in order to grow their businesses online by accessing new markets.

Lastly, Parliament called on administrations at all levels to improve access to online services and information in different languages, especially for services in cross-border regions and culture-related issues.

Documents
2018/09/11
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2018/09/10
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2018/06/27
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Culture and Education adopted the own-initiative report by Jill EVANS on language equality in the digital age. The report noted that multilingualism presents one of the greatest assets of cultural diversity in Europe and, at the same time, one of the most significant challenges for the creation of a truly integrated EU, with 24 official languages and more than 60 regional and minority languages in addition to migrant languages and sign languages.

Current obstacles to achieving language equality in the digital age in Europe : noting that the EU has a duty to uphold linguistic diversity in Europe, Members regretted the fact that, owing to a lack of adequate policies in Europe, there is currently a widening technology gap between well-resourced languages and less-resourced languages, and that more than 20 European languages are in danger of digital language extinction. They pointed to the increasing digitalisation of European society, which is leading to disparities in access to information, particularly for the low-skilled, the elderly, people on low incomes and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The committee also noted that:

European lesser-used languages are at a significant disadvantage on account of an acute lack of tools, resources and research funding; Europe remains far behind on language technologies , on account of market fragmentation, inadequate investment in knowledge and culture, poorly coordinated research, insufficient funding and legal barriers, with the market currently dominated by non-European actors, which are not addressing the specific needs of a multilingual Europe; the Digital Single Market remains fragmented by a number of barriers, including language barriers.

Improving the institutional framework for language technology policies at EU level : the report called on the Council to draft a recommendation on the protection and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity in the Union, including in the sphere of language technologies. In addition, Members recommended that the Commission should allocate the area of ‘multilingualism and language technology’ to the portfolio of a Commissioner , who should be tasked with promoting linguistic diversity and equality at EU level.

The Commission was called upon to:

consider the creation of a centre for linguistic diversity that will strengthen awareness of the importance of lesser-used, regional and minority languages, including in the sphere of language technologies; develop strategies to facilitate multilingualism in the digital market, and define the minimum language resources that all European languages should possess, such as data sets, lexicons, speech records, translation memories, and encyclopaedic content; review its Framework Strategy for Multilingualism and propose a clear action plan on how to promote linguistic diversity and overcome language barriers in the digital area;

Recommendations for EU research policies : Members asked the Commission to establish a large-scale, long-term coordinated funding programme for research, development and innovation in the field of language technologies. This should be done with the participation of research centres, academia, and enterprises (particularly SMEs and start-ups).

Furthermore, the Commission was asked to set up an HLT financing platform , drawing on the implementation of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

Education policies to improve the future of language technologies in Europe : stressing that European education policies should be aimed at retaining talent in Europe, Members recommended the provision of guidelines for the implementation of cohesive joint action at European level, raising awareness among students of the career opportunities in the language technology industry, including the language-centric artificial intelligence industry. They also pointed to the need to:

promote the use of language technologies within cultural and educational exchanges between European citizens such as Erasmus+, for example Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support; develop digital literacy programmes in Europe’s minority and regional languages and introduce language technology training and tools in the curricula of their schools, universities and vocational colleges.

Benefits for both private companies and public bodies : Members highlighted the importance of investment instruments and accelerator programmes that aim to increase the use of language technologies in the cultural and creative sector . They also wanted European SMEs to be able to easily access and use language technologies in order to grow their businesses online by accessing new markets.

Lastly, they called on administrations at all levels to improve access to online services and information in different languages, especially for services in cross-border regions and culture-related issues.

Documents
2018/06/19
   EP - Vote in committee
2018/04/26
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2018/04/11
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2018/03/15
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2018/03/15
   EP - Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
2018/02/26
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2017/07/11
   EP - EVANS Jill (Verts/ALE) appointed as rapporteur in CULT

Documents

Votes

A8-0228/2018 - Jill Evans - Résolution 11/09/2018 13:02:49.000 #

2018/09/11 Outcome: +: 592, -: 45, 0: 44
DE IT ES FR PL RO GB BE HU CZ AT PT NL BG SE SK FI HR EL LT IE SI LV MT LU DK CY EE ??
Total
88
63
49
64
50
29
66
21
20
19
18
17
25
15
18
12
11
10
19
8
8
7
7
6
5
11
6
5
2
icon: PPE PPE
204

United Kingdom PPE

2

Finland PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
169

Netherlands S&D

For (2)

2
3

Croatia S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

1

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Malta S&D

3

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
61

Germany ALDE

3

Romania ALDE

3

United Kingdom ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Sweden ALDE

2

Croatia ALDE

2
2

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Denmark ALDE

2

Estonia ALDE

Abstain (1)

3
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
45

Italy Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

2

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Hungary Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
45

Italy GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

3

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2
icon: ECR ECR
70

Italy ECR

2

Romania ECR

2

Czechia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

2

Sweden ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

3

Finland ECR

2

Croatia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Greece ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Cyprus ECR

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ENF ENF
30

Germany ENF

Against (1)

1

Poland ENF

2

Belgium ENF

For (1)

1

Netherlands ENF

4
icon: NI NI
18

Germany NI

2

France NI

Abstain (1)

1

Poland NI

Against (1)

2

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

4

NI

For (1)

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
37

Germany EFDD

Against (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1

EFDD

Abstain (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
203 2018/2028(INI)
2018/03/26 ITRE 69 amendments...
source: 619.327
2018/04/11 CULT 134 amendments...
source: 620.789

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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  • date: 2018-04-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE620.789 title: PE620.789 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2018-04-26T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE618.316&secondRef=02 title: PE618.316 committee: ITRE type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2019-03-11T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=31350&j=0&l=en title: SP(2018)829 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2018-03-15T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2018-03-15T00:00:00 type: Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament body: EP
  • date: 2018-06-19T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2018-06-27T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2018-0228&language=EN title: A8-0228/2018 summary: The Committee on Culture and Education adopted the own-initiative report by Jill EVANS on language equality in the digital age. The report noted that multilingualism presents one of the greatest assets of cultural diversity in Europe and, at the same time, one of the most significant challenges for the creation of a truly integrated EU, with 24 official languages and more than 60 regional and minority languages in addition to migrant languages and sign languages. Current obstacles to achieving language equality in the digital age in Europe : noting that the EU has a duty to uphold linguistic diversity in Europe, Members regretted the fact that, owing to a lack of adequate policies in Europe, there is currently a widening technology gap between well-resourced languages and less-resourced languages, and that more than 20 European languages are in danger of digital language extinction. They pointed to the increasing digitalisation of European society, which is leading to disparities in access to information, particularly for the low-skilled, the elderly, people on low incomes and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The committee also noted that: European lesser-used languages are at a significant disadvantage on account of an acute lack of tools, resources and research funding; Europe remains far behind on language technologies , on account of market fragmentation, inadequate investment in knowledge and culture, poorly coordinated research, insufficient funding and legal barriers, with the market currently dominated by non-European actors, which are not addressing the specific needs of a multilingual Europe; the Digital Single Market remains fragmented by a number of barriers, including language barriers. Improving the institutional framework for language technology policies at EU level : the report called on the Council to draft a recommendation on the protection and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity in the Union, including in the sphere of language technologies. In addition, Members recommended that the Commission should allocate the area of ‘multilingualism and language technology’ to the portfolio of a Commissioner , who should be tasked with promoting linguistic diversity and equality at EU level. The Commission was called upon to: consider the creation of a centre for linguistic diversity that will strengthen awareness of the importance of lesser-used, regional and minority languages, including in the sphere of language technologies; develop strategies to facilitate multilingualism in the digital market, and define the minimum language resources that all European languages should possess, such as data sets, lexicons, speech records, translation memories, and encyclopaedic content; review its Framework Strategy for Multilingualism and propose a clear action plan on how to promote linguistic diversity and overcome language barriers in the digital area; Recommendations for EU research policies : Members asked the Commission to establish a large-scale, long-term coordinated funding programme for research, development and innovation in the field of language technologies. This should be done with the participation of research centres, academia, and enterprises (particularly SMEs and start-ups). Furthermore, the Commission was asked to set up an HLT financing platform , drawing on the implementation of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Education policies to improve the future of language technologies in Europe : stressing that European education policies should be aimed at retaining talent in Europe, Members recommended the provision of guidelines for the implementation of cohesive joint action at European level, raising awareness among students of the career opportunities in the language technology industry, including the language-centric artificial intelligence industry. They also pointed to the need to: promote the use of language technologies within cultural and educational exchanges between European citizens such as Erasmus+, for example Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support; develop digital literacy programmes in Europe’s minority and regional languages and introduce language technology training and tools in the curricula of their schools, universities and vocational colleges. Benefits for both private companies and public bodies : Members highlighted the importance of investment instruments and accelerator programmes that aim to increase the use of language technologies in the cultural and creative sector . They also wanted European SMEs to be able to easily access and use language technologies in order to grow their businesses online by accessing new markets. Lastly, they called on administrations at all levels to improve access to online services and information in different languages, especially for services in cross-border regions and culture-related issues.
  • date: 2018-09-10T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20180910&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2018-09-11T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=31350&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2018-09-11T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2018-0332 title: T8-0332/2018 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 592, votes to 45, with 4 abstentions, a resolution on language equality in the digital age. Parliament noted multilingualism presents one of the greatest assets of cultural diversity in Europe and, at the same time, one of the most significant challenges for the creation of a truly integrated EU, with 24 official languages and more than 60 regional and minority languages in addition to migrant languages and sign languages. Current obstacles to achieving language equality in the digital age in Europe : Members regretted the fact that, owing to a lack of adequate policies in Europe, there is currently a widening technology gap between well-resourced languages and less-resourced languages. More than 20 European languages are in danger of digital language extinction. Parliament pointed to the increasing digitalisation of European society, which is leading to disparities in access to information , particularly for the low-skilled, the elderly, people on low incomes and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. It remarked that language technologies currently do not play a role in the European political agenda, despite the fact that respect for linguistic diversity is enshrined in the Treaties. Members also noted that: European lesser-used languages are at a significant disadvantage on account of an acute lack of tools, resources and research funding; Europe remains far behind on language technologies , on account of market fragmentation, inadequate investment in knowledge and culture, poorly coordinated research, insufficient funding and legal barriers, with the market currently dominated by non-European actors, which are not addressing the specific needs of a multilingual Europe; the Digital Single Market remains fragmented by a number of barriers, including language barriers. Improving the institutional framework for language technology policies at EU level : Parliament called on the Council to draft a recommendation on the protection and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity in the Union, including in the sphere of language technologies. In addition, Members recommended that the Commission should allocate the area of ‘multilingualism and language technology’ to the portfolio of a Commissioner , who should be tasked with promoting linguistic diversity and equality at EU level. Parliament called on the Commission to: consider the creation of a centre for linguistic diversity that will strengthen awareness of the importance of lesser-used, regional and minority languages, including in the sphere of language technologies; develop strategies to facilitate multilingualism in the digital market, and define the minimum language resources that all European languages should possess, such as data sets, lexicons, speech records, translation memories, and encyclopaedic content; review its Framework Strategy for Multilingualism and propose a clear action plan on how to promote linguistic diversity and overcome language barriers in the digital area. Recommendations for EU research policies : Parliament recommended establishing or extending projects such as the Digital Language Diversity Project , among others, that carry out research into the digital needs of all European languages, including those with both very small and very large numbers of speakers, so as to address the digital divide issue. Members asked the Commission to establish a large-scale, long-term coordinated funding programme for research, development and innovation in the field of language technologies, at European, national and regional levels, tailored specifically to Europe’s needs and demands. This should be done with the participation of research centres, academia, and enterprises (particularly SMEs and start-ups). Furthermore, the Commission was asked to set up an HLT financing platform , drawing on the implementation of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Education policies to improve the future of language technologies in Europe : Parliament noted that the development of language technologies covers many research areas and disciplines, including computational linguistics, artificial intelligence, computer science and linguistics. It recommended the provision of guidelines for the implementation of cohesive joint action at European level, raising awareness among students of the career opportunities in the language technology industry. It also pointed to the need to: promote the use of language technologies within cultural and educational exchanges between European citizens such as Erasmus+, for example Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support; develop digital literacy programmes in Europe’s minority and regional languages and introduce language technology training and tools in the curricula of their schools, universities and vocational colleges. Language technologies: b enefits for both private companies and public bodies : Parliament recalled that just 16 % of European citizens having purchased online from other EU countries in 2015. Language technologies can contribute to future European cross-border and cross-language communication, boost economic growth and social stability. Members highlighted the importance of investment instruments and accelerator programmes that aim to increase the use of language technologies in the cultural and creative sector. They also wanted European SMEs to be able to easily access and use language technologies in order to grow their businesses online by accessing new markets. Lastly, Parliament called on administrations at all levels to improve access to online services and information in different languages, especially for services in cross-border regions and culture-related issues.
  • date: 2018-09-11T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
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  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/dg-connect title: Communications Networks, Content and Technology commissioner: GABRIEL Mariya
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  • CULT/8/12306
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Rules of Procedure EP 54
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  • 3.30.06 Information and communication technologies, digital technologies
  • 4.40.08 Language learning, regional and local languages
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3.30.06
Information and communication technologies, digital technologies
4.40.08
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  • body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: SAUDARGAS Algirdas group: S&D name: NEKOV Momchil group: ECR name: SERNAGIOTTO Remo group: ALDE name: TOOM Yana group: GUE/NGL name: NÍ RIADA Liadh group: EFD name: ADINOLFI Isabella group: ENF name: BILDE Dominique responsible: True committee: CULT date: 2017-07-11T00:00:00 committee_full: Culture and Education (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: Verts/ALE name: EVANS Jill
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ITRE date: 2017-11-27T00:00:00 committee_full: Industry, Research and Energy (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: GUE/NGL name: MATIAS Marisa
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3.30.06 Information and communication technologies
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3.30.06 Information and communication technologies, digital technologies
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  • date: 2018-05-16T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote scheduled in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2018-06-11T00:00:00 body: EP type: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
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  • body: EP shadows: group: EPP name: SAUDARGAS Algirdas group: S&D name: NEKOV Momchil group: ECR name: DZHAMBAZKI Angel group: ALDE name: TOOM Yana group: GUE/NGL name: NÍ RIADA Liadh group: EFD name: ADINOLFI Isabella group: ENF name: BILDE Dominique responsible: True committee: CULT date: 2017-07-11T00:00:00 committee_full: Culture and Education (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: Verts/ALE name: EVANS Jill
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ITRE date: 2017-11-27T00:00:00 committee_full: Industry, Research and Energy (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: GUE/NGL name: MATIAS Marisa
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/dg-connect title: Communications Networks, Content and Technology commissioner: GABRIEL Mariya
procedure
reference
2018/2028(INI)
title
Language equality in the digital age
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Rules of Procedure EP 052
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Preparatory phase in Parliament
subtype
Initiative
type
INI - Own-initiative procedure
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