Official EU language status for Catalan, Basque, and Galician delayed once more

European Union countries have once again postponed the decision to grant official EU language status to Catalan, Basque, and Galician, citing a lack of unanimity among member states.

It has been two years since Madrid formally submitted a proposal, needing the unanimous support of all 27 member states, to integrate Spain’s three most widely spoken minority languages into the EU’s linguistic framework. The EU’s European affairs ministers convened in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the proposal.

However, immediately following the meeting, Spanish government spokesperson Pilar Alegría stated at a press conference in Madrid that some countries had requested “more time and information.” Alegría added that Spain would “undoubtedly accept this request.”

Three major member states conveyed to Euractiv their reservations regarding the “cost and legal viability” of incorporating these three additional languages into the EU’s operational framework.

Currently, the use of Catalan, Basque, and Galician within EU institutions is regulated by administrative agreements between Spain and specific EU bodies. These languages may be used in institutional settings, including meetings or debates, provided that prior notification is given and approval is secured.

The European Commission estimates the annual cost for translating all EU legislation and employing interpreters and translators for the three languages to be approximately 132 million euros. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares had previously indicated Spain’s willingness to cover these expenses entirely.

EU ministers had previously deferred a decision on this proposal following their meeting in September 2023.

Achieving official status for Catalan was a primary condition set by the Catalan right-wing separatist party Junts in exchange for the seven votes that secured Pedro Sánchez’s second term as prime minister.

This demand also garnered support from the leftist separatist party ERC in Catalonia, as well as Basque and Galician nationalist parties.

The Basque nationalist parties PNV and EH Bildu are seeking official EU status for Basque, and BNG in Galicia has a similar demand.

The use of co-official languages within Spain’s national institutions was approved in 2023 to permit “the use of languages that have official status in certain autonomous communities.”

Sánchez had assured Catalan separatists that the next move would be to guarantee Catalan’s official status as the EU’s 25th official language, yet he and his government have met with resistance from other European capitals.

Albares asserted on Tuesday that the official status of the three languages is a “matter of Spanish national identity,” and consequently, the EU “must protect the national identity of all member states.”