The Principle of Language Equality in European Union Institutions and in Community Law: Myth or Reality?

• Published in: Revista de llengua i dret Vol. 38; no. Dec; pp. 47 - 94
• Main Author: Milian i Massana, Antoni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: 01-12-2002
• ISSN: 0212-5056

The origin & consolidation of the language regime currently in effect in the European Union are outlined, & criteria for the selection of the 11 official & working languages of the European Union are examined. It is argued that if the sole official language of a member state is also one language of an officially bi- or multilingual member state, the other official language(s) of the latter state are not considered for official status in the European Union. A de jure principle of equality among the 11 official languages is violated (1) de facto by the predominance of English, followed by French, as a working language, (2) de jure by internal regulations of the Central European Bank recognizing English as the sole working language, & (3) also de jure by express prioritization of five of the official languages in the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market. Reconsideration of the European Union language regime is especially needed in the context of the 2004 expansion & the European Convention, as population figures for the official, nonofficial, & future official languages of the European Union reveal serious abuses, among them lack of recognition of Catalan despite having more than 6 million speakers. 2 Tables. Adapted from the source document