Spain fails: Catalan, Basque and Galician as EU languages?

Spain fails: Catalan, Basque and Galician as EU languages?

Spanien - The Spanish government has suffered a setback in the endeavor to establish Catalan, Basque and Galicically as official languages ​​of the European Union (EU). Despite an application to include the regional language in Ordinance No. 1/1958, a meeting of the member countries in Brussels did not produce the desired approval. Spain has been struggling for the recognition of these languages ​​for two years, which is not only important for national identity, but also in domestic politics to strengthen the support of Catalans, which is intended to strive for independence Zeitung] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/service/newsticker/aussenpolitik/19737695/katalanian-baskisch-und-galicisch-keine-eu-eu-eu-eu-eu-eu-eu-eu-eu-eu

The Austrian European Minister Claudia Plakolm expressed a positive statement about the EU's linguistic diversity, but expressed legal and financial concerns. Sweden and other countries asked questions about how this could affect EU legislation, whereby the Swedish European Minister Jessica Roscrantz showed understanding for Spain's concern, but pointed out the need for more detailed information.

resistance and financial concerns

total of seven EU countries made a cancellation to the Spanish application. Countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Croatia and the Czech Republic expressed considerable concerns, including constitutional nature. A consensus was necessary and the Polish council proposed a toilet. Once again, this has led to a rejection, as reported on the first attempt in 2023, as FAZ. A spokeswoman for the Spanish government emphasized that one would continue to advocate the recognition of the languages ​​in order to promote the multilingual identity of Spain.

The EU Commissioner Michael McGrath estimated the costs for the inclusion of the three languages ​​to around 132 million euros per year. Spain is ready to take over these additional funds. Nevertheless, some member states do not tolerate any further financial burdens. In addition, the Baltic states expressed concerns about a possible future recognition of Russian as an EU office language.

The linguistic landscape of the EU

The EU currently has 24 official languages, including German, French, Spanish and English. EU citizens have the right to communicate with the EU institutions in one of these languages. The principle of multilingualism is a fundamental element of the EU that aims to maintain linguistic diversity and communication with the citizens in their own language. European Union emphasizes that EU law texts and their summaries are available in all 24 official languages. Conference of the European Council and the Council of the European Union are translated into each of these languages, and members of the European Parliament can speak in every official language.