It is not possible for Irish to become an official EU language, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has insisted in the Dáil.
A language "must be in total administrative use within a country", Mr Ahern told Fine Gael leader Mr Enda Kenny who called for Irish to have EU recognition "as a matter of pride for the country and for the next generation".
Mr Ahern said that "we will see if there is a middle road on this", but it was not possible "to go the whole way" on language recognition.
The issue has been raised a number of times because of Ireland's EU presidency and this was "a unique opportunity" to put the matter right, Mr Kenny said.
Comparison has been made with Malta, with a population of 380,000 which is fewer than the number of Irish speakers. However, the Taoiseach said that "99 per cent of business administration is conducted in Maltese. The work of the judiciary is in Maltese and so is parliament. That is not the situation with the Irish language and that is why it was not classified as an official language from the start."
A committee established by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, to "look at the possibilities and see if there is some middle ground", will report in a month to six weeks. Mr Ahern accepted the case being made that translation should not be sought for everything but a more limited "modus operandi through the use of Irish in correspondence would provide opportunities for Irish-speaking people to obtain employment in the Commission".
"I have been lobbied on this and have examined it and I know it is not possible to do what you wish," Mr Ahern told the Fine Gael leader. "We cannot say we are in the same position as Malta. Those criteria do not hold up," he added. Mr Kenny said "it would not be possible for people to read every document in Irish such as agricultural or economic directives, which are difficult enough to read in English". It was "not my intention to have a situation whereby every single document would have to be translated into Irish. However, our young people if they wish to become translators and interpreters, should be able to avail of that opportunity in Europe also."
He said this would be the last Irish presidency, and all Governments since 1973, when Ireland joined the EU, "have been guilty of not addressing the problem".
Mr Ahern said the most recent constitutional papers were immediately translated into Irish. Opportunities did not exist within the Commission for translation services or for Irish-speaking people who wanted to do their business in Irish.
