protect and promote the historical regional or minority languages of Europe by setting out a number of objectives and principles underpinning its approach, and then laying down specific measures to encourage the use of the languages in public life. This includes the administration of justice in the languages in criminal, civil and administrative proceedings(Article 9(1)and perhaps more significantly from our point of view, support for the valid ity of legal documents and provision for translation of key legal texts drawn up in the languages(Article 9(2),(3)). It is of interest to note that, at the date of writing, only Belgium, Greece, Ireland and Portugal of European Community Member States have neither signed nor ratified the Charter, while france Italy and Luxembourg have still to ratify. 66 The UK has acceded, however, and we have already touched upon the Charter's impact in the sheriff courts of the Western Isles of Scotland. My view would be, with the Preamble to the Charter, that the languages of Europe contribute profoundly to the maintenance and development of Europe's cultural wealth, traditions and common heritage, and that this includes law, in the past, the present and, perhaps above all, the future. Diversity is not the enemy of basic unity; recognition of this fact is the key to the success of the European ideal. The principles of the Charter, currently applicable only to those languages that are not official languages of the State(Article 1), may yet have a still wider role to playprotect and promote the historical regional or minority languages of Europe by setting out a number of objectives and principles underpinning its approach, and then laying down specific measures to encourage the use of the languages in public life. This includes the administration of justice in the languages in criminal, civil and administrative proceedings (Article 9(1)) and, perhaps more significantly from our point of view, support for the validity of legal documents and provision for translation of key legal texts drawn up in the languages (Article 9(2), (3)). It is of interest to note that, at the date of writing, only Belgium, Greece, Ireland and Portugal of European Community Member States have neither signed nor ratified the Charter, while France, Italy and Luxembourg have still to ratify.66 The UK has acceded, however, and we have already touched upon the Charter’s impact in the sheriff courts of the Western Isles of Scotland. My view would be, with the Preamble to the Charter, that the languages of Europe contribute profoundly to the maintenance and development of Europe’s cultural wealth, traditions and common heritage, and that this includes law, in the past, the present and, perhaps above all, the future. Diversity is not the enemy of basic unity; recognition of this fact is the key to the success of the European ideal. The principles of the Charter, currently applicable only to those languages that are not official languages of the State (Article 1), may yet have a still wider role to play. 66 <http://conventions.coe.int/>