Spain has resumed its campaign to make Basque, Catalan and Galician official EU languages, despite a lukewarm response from other European countries fearing a domino effect.
Regional language issue back on the agenda
After a failed attempt to launch a campaign in 2023, Madrid brought the regional language campaign back to Brussels this week and managed to get it on the agenda of Tuesday’s meeting of European ministers.
According to an EU diplomat, no decision was taken and the issue was postponed to a later date due to a lack of consensus, but the awkwardness was palpable as ministers skirted around the issue when commenting to journalists.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s socialist government depends on the support of Catalan lawmakers to pass most of its bills through the Spanish parliament.
According to a second diplomat who wished to remain anonymous, Spain has created “a lot of pressure” around this issue.
However, concerns are also strong in the other 26 EU countries, which fear that a change in Spain’s position could open the door to requests for any number of minority languages across the bloc.
“We understand the importance of this issue for Spain,” said Marilena Raouna, Cyprus’s deputy minister of Foreign affairs. “It is important that this is done in a legally sound manner and does not set a precedent,” she added.
Minority and regional languages in the EU
There are currently 24 official languages in the EU, but there are around 60 minority and regional languages in the 27-country bloc.
All EU legal documents — treaties, laws and international agreements — must be translated into 24 languages, and interpretation must be provided at summits and ministerial meetings.
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont wrote his comment on the language issue on X:
“Sir @NunezFeijoo, laws must be obeyed, or does that only apply to Catalans? I say this because there is a valid organic law, the Statute, which obliges the governments of Catalonia and Spain to “take the necessary steps to recognise the official status of the Catalan language in the European Union.” Now I don’t know if the PP is promoting disobedience, rebellion… or treason (because collusion with third countries to go against the official interests of the Kingdom of Spain must be anything but loyalty). Nevertheless, they can now deduct as much as they want from the budget deficit, which will still owe us 20 billion euros annually.”
The addition of a new language requires the unanimous support of the member states, which in the case of Spain’s request has been far from achieved, although several countries have expressed sympathy for Madrid.
“I believe that linguistic diversity is important, and we are always constructive,” said Finnish Minister Joakim Strand before arguing for a postponement on the grounds that the issue was not yet “ripe” for a vote.
Russian language issue
Some warn against “turning a national issue into a European one,” as one diplomat put it. And some countries fear that as a side effect, they will be forced to grant official status to regional languages spoken on their territory.
For example, in the Baltic states, there are fears that Russian, which is spoken by a significant part of the population, could become an official language of the bloc, said Marko Stucin, Slovenia’s state secretary for European affairs.
According to one diplomat, the legal services of the European Council, which brings together member states, have warned that responding to Spain’s request would require changes to the bloc’s founding treaties.
“We must act in accordance with European treaties,” said French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad. “Let’s work together with the Spanish to find a solution.”
However, other countries have hinted at a possible compromise in the future: limiting any changes to long-standing regional languages that already have official status at the national level.
What the experts say
According to Stucin from Slovenia, only three languages would be acceptable in such a scenario: Basque, Catalan and Galician.
Madrid does indeed argue that the three languages, of which Catalan is the most widely spoken with over nine million speakers, should be considered in a separate category from other minority languages.
Another sensitive issue is the cost, as the bloc seeks to invest billions in strengthening its defence and prepares for a looming trade war with Washington.
According to Stucin, Spain has always insisted that it will pay for the additional translation costs. This remains to be seen, warns another EU diplomat.
“We really see and appreciate the efforts that the Spanish government is putting into this issue,” Croatian Minister Andreja Metelko-Zgombić summed up. “There are also some legal implications being considered, and I think we would do well to look at this very, very carefully,” she added.
