Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
38. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland will support the request from the Spanish government for Basque, Catalan and Galician to be recognised as official languages of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38108/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraEU Member States, including Ireland, were informed on 18 August of the decision of the Spanish Government to request the modification of Regulation No. 1 “determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community”, so as to include Catalan, Basque and Galician. The relevant provision of the Treaties is Article 342 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which provides that the ‘rules governing the languages of the institutions of the Union shall… be determined by the Council, acting unanimously by means of regulations.’
Spain has requested that this matter should be included on the agenda for presentation to Ministers at the General Affairs Council (GAC) on 19 September next. It is too early at this stage for Ireland to take a definitive position on the Spanish Government's proposal in the absence of detail and before a formal presentation. However, Ireland has always been a strong proponent of linguistic pluralism and encouraging the greatest possible access by all EU citizens to information about the Union and its Institutions and this context will inform Ireland’s position on the issue in discussions at Council.
