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EU ministers will today examine the official status of the Basque, Catalan and Galician languages

It will be the seventh time that EU countries have discussed the official nature of languages since the Spanish Government presented its proposal in August 2023.
Parlamento Europeo
The European Parliament. Stock Photo: EFE

The Ministers of the European Union will consider this Friday the proposal to recognise Catalan, Basque and Galician as the official languages of the European Union, following several attempts by the Members to adopt this measure, which must be unanimously supported.

This will be the seventh timethat EU countries have addressed language officiality since the Spanish Government presented its proposal   in August 2023. The last time was on 27 May at a meeting at which Madrid asked to vote on the measure, but the vote was postponed due to lack of agreement.  

This time, however, the issue has been presented as a matter of debate, which in practice allows EU Secretary of State Fernando Sampedro to call a voteat the last minute if he deems it so.

The 'main item' on the agenda of the meeting of European Affairs Ministers in Brussels will be the debate on thedraft European Union budget  presented by the European Commission for the period 2028-2034, diplomatic sources said.

The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, JoséManuel Albares , has remained in contact with the still reluctant countries and last week presented a new memorandum highlighting the political, economic and legal arguments with which the Spanish Government has defended its proposal.

In particular, Spain has pointed out that the three co-official languages have a historical origin; that they are recognised in the Constitution; that they can be used in Parliament; that there are administrative agreements with the European institutions for their use; that Community legislation, including the European treaties, is translated into each of the languages of the respective Autonomous Communities; and that the Spanish Government is prepared to bear the cost of the measure.

The President of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, and the President, Imanol Pradales , have joined these efforts through a joint letter sent to the EU countries asking them to give their approval to the official nature of the languages.

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