To the CEO of Apple: Enable the use of the Slovenian language!

On Thursday, 12 January 2023, MEP Irena Joveva sent an open letter to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, calling for the use of Slovenian on Apple devices, operating systems and extensions such as voice assistance and synchronisation. European citizens deserve the right to use content in their mother tongue, regardless of the prevalence of a particular language, she wrote.

In her letter, the MEP stated that the company’s products and services are accessible to different generations, none of whom should be disadvantaged or discriminated against. She stressed the importance of the Slovenian language,

“Our Slovenian language has been able to stand the test of time even though our country, nation, and population are not among the largest or most powerful in the world. However, our language is not limited in its ability to express ideas, process information or give meaning to things, nor in its richness”, the MEP reinforced her point.

MEP Joveva signing the letter to the CEO of Apple.

In her letter, Joveva referred to Slovenian legislation and its explanations, as well as to European Union legislation, expressing disappointment that – with the exception of streaming content – Apple’s services, content, devices and systems are not available in Slovenian.

She called on the company and its CEO to change their approach to the single (digital) European market and the EU’s official languages, including those with fewer speakers:

“I am sure you and your company want to refrain from contributing to the digital extinction of languages. Legal obligations or not, every single European deserves the dignity and respect they deserve – in their mother language.”

With this letter, the MEP continues her activities to protect the Slovenian language in the digital world. Last autumn, she sent an open letter to the CEOs of three companies that offer streaming content in Slovenia, but without Slovenian language support. She will continue her activities by extending the initiative with her fellow Members of the European Parliament and by raising awareness about discrimination of digital platforms against speakers of Slovenian.

You can read the open letter to Apple’s CEO in the original here.