View source for Languages of the European Union

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{{more citations needed|date=August 2024}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Languages of
| country = the European Union
| image = EU Parliament - Brussels 2016 02.jpg
| image size =
| caption = Multilingual sign in the [[European Parliament]]
| official = {{ubl
| [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]
| [[Croatian language|Croatian]]
| [[Czech language|Czech]]
| [[Danish language|Danish]]
| [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| [[English language|English]]
| [[Estonian language|Estonian]]
| [[Finnish language|Finnish]]
| [[French language|French]]
| [[German language|German]]
| [[Greek language|Greek]]
| [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]
| [[Irish language|Irish]]
| [[Italian language|Italian]]
| [[Latvian language|Latvian]]
| [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]
| [[Maltese language|Maltese]]
| [[Polish language|Polish]]
| [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
| [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
| [[Slovak language|Slovak]]
| [[Slovene language|Slovene]]
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
}}
| regional = [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Lombard language|Lombard]], [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Sami languages]], [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Ligurian language|Ligurian]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Breton language|Breton]], [[Romani language|Romani]], [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Emilian language|Emilian]], [[Romagnol language|Romagnol]], [[Friulian language|Friulian]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Ladin language|Ladin]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Neapolitan language|Neapolitan]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]], [[Arpitan language|Arpitan]], [[Corsican language|Corsican]], [[Asturleonese language|Asturleonese]], [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]]
| immigrant = [[Arabic]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Sinitic languages|Chinese]], [[Berber languages]], [[Kurdish languages]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]
| keyboard = [[QWERTY]], [[QWERTZ]], [[AZERTY]], [[Keyboard layout#Bulgarian|Bulgarian]], [[Keyboard layout#Greek|Greek]]
| sign = Many sign languages, in the [[French Sign Language family]], [[German Sign Language family]] and [[Swedish Sign Language family]]; also the [[Maltese Sign Language]]

}}

{{Politics of the European Union}}

The [[European Union]] (EU) has 24 [[official language]]s, of which the three most natively spoken ones are [[German language|German]], [[French language|French]] and [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Europeans and their languages - Report - en|pages=10 and 19|series=[[Eurobarometer]]|website=[[europa.eu]]|url=https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528002002/https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979|archive-date=2024-05-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davekeating/2020/02/06/despite-brexit-english-remains-the-eus-most-spoken-language-by-far/|title=Despite Brexit, English Remains The EU's Most Spoken Language By Far|last=Keating|first=Dave|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-date=7 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607135739/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davekeating/2020/02/06/despite-brexit-english-remains-the-eus-most-spoken-language-by-far/|url-status=live}}</ref> Previously, [[English language|English]], French and German were considered "procedural" languages, but this notion was abandoned by the [[European Commission]], whereas the [[European Parliament]] accepts all official languages as [[working language]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Frequently asked questions on languages in Europe |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-825_en.htm |access-date=11 March 2017 |website=europa.eu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://europarlamentti.info/en/European-parliament/working-languages/|title=EU|website=europarlamentti.info}}</ref> Today, English and French are used in the day-to-day workings of the [[institutions of the EU]]. Institutions have the right to define the linguistic regime of their working, but the Commission and a number of other institutions have not done so, as indicated by several judicial rulings.<ref>{{cite web | title=Regulation No 1 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community | url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:01958R0001-20130701 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=CURIA - Documents | url=https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?docid=242402&doclang=EN }}</ref>

The EU asserts that it is in favour of linguistic diversity. This principle is enshrined in Article 22 of the [[Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union|Charter of Fundamental Rights]] (art. 22) and in the [[Treaty on European Union]] (art. 3(3) TEU). In the EU, [[language policy]] is the responsibility of member states, and the EU does not have a common language policy; EU institutions play a supporting role in this field, based on the principle of "[[subsidiarity]]"; they promote a European dimension in the member states' language policies. The EU encourages all its citizens to be [[multilingualism|multilingual]]; specifically, it encourages them to be able to speak two languages in addition to their [[First language|native language]].<ref>{{CELEX|52003DC0449|text=COM(2003)449: Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: an Action Plan 2004 - 2006}}</ref> Though the EU has very limited influence in this area, as the content of educational systems is the responsibility of individual member states, a number of EU funding programmes actively promote [[language learning]] and [[linguistic diversity]].<ref>{{cite web |title=EUROPA – Education and Training – Action Plan Promoting language learning and linguistic diversity |publisher=European Commission |url=http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/archive/policy/index_en.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418200434/http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/archive/policy/index_en.html |archive-date=18 April 2010}}</ref>

All 24 official languages of the EU are accepted as [[#Working languages|working languages]], but in practice only three{{snd}}English, French, and German{{snd}}are in wide general use in its institutions, and of these, English is the most commonly used.<ref name="parliamentlanguage">[https://www.theguardian.com/education/datablog/2014/may/21/european-parliament-english-language-official-debates-data European parliament has 24 official languages, but MEPs prefer English], theguardian 21 May 2014</ref><ref name="irishtimesremainworking">[https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/english-will-remain-the-working-language-of-the-eu-after-brexit-1.2725840 English will remain the working language of the EU after Brexit], The Irish Times 18 July 2016</ref><ref name="Hübner">[https://www.politico.eu/article/english-will-not-be-an-official-eu-language-after-brexit-senior-mep/ English will not be an official EU language after Brexit, says senior MEP], Politico Europe 27 June 2016</ref><ref name="economistanglo">[https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21721861-despite-jean-claude-junckers-joke-anglophones-should-rest-easy-britain-leaving-eu-its Britain is leaving the EU, but its language will stay], The Economist 13 May 2017</ref> The most widely understood language in the EU is English, which is understood by 44% of all adults, while German is the most widely used mother tongue, spoken by 18%. [[French language|French]] is an [[official language]] in all three of the cities that are [[Location of European Union institutions|political centres]] of the EU: [[Brussels]], [[Strasbourg]], and [[Luxembourg City]]. Since the [[Brexit|exit of the United Kingdom from the EU]] in 2020, the [[government of France]] has encouraged greater use of French as a working language.<ref name=FrancésUE>{{Cite web|last=Forrest|first=Adam |date=June 10, 2021|title=El francés sustituirá al inglés como el "idioma de trabajo" de la Unión Europea |url=https://www.independentespanol.com/noticias/mundo/ingles-frances-france-brexit-european-union-b1863296.html|work=[[The Independent]] in Spanish|language=es|accessdate=October 10, 2021}}</ref>

[[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]], which have official status in [[Luxembourg]] and [[Cyprus]], respectively, are the only two official languages of EU member states that are not official languages of the EU. In 2023, the Spanish government requested that its co-official languages [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Basque language|Basque]], and [[Galician language|Galician]] be added to the official languages of the EU.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hernández-Morales|first1= Aitor |last2=Moens|first2= Barbara |date=2023-09-08 |title=Doubts over Catalan as EU language create a headache for Spain's Sánchez |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/catalonia-eu-language-pedro-sanchez-spain-socialist-party/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Politico}}</ref>

==Official EU languages==
{{As of|2023|7|30}}, the [[official language]]s of the [[European Union]], as stipulated in the latest amendment of ''Regulation No 1 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community'' of 1958, are:<ref>{{CELEX|01958R0001-20130701|text=Regulation No 1 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community}}</ref><ref name="Official EU languages">{{cite web|title=Languages of Europe – Official EU languages|url=http://ec.europa.eu/languages/policy/linguistic-diversity/official-languages-eu_en.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926004848/http://ec.europa.eu/languages/policy/linguistic-diversity/official-languages-eu_en.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 September 2014|publisher=[[European Commission]]|access-date=27 June 2016}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!rowspan=2| Language
! colspan="2" | Official in (''de jure'' or ''de facto'')
!rowspan=2| Since
|-
! At national level
! At subnational level
|-
| [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]
| Bulgaria
| 
| 2007
|-
| [[Croatian language|Croatian]]
| Croatia
| Austria{{refn|name=Burgenland|group=nb|Co-official status in certain municipalities in the State of [[Burgenland]]<ref name="Annex 3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/BNR/BNR_00383/fname_225158.pdf|title=Federal law on the legal status of Austrian minorities}}</ref><ref name="Annex 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/BNR/BNR_00383/imfname_225161.pdf|title=Annex 2|year= 2011|language=de}}</ref>}}<br />Hungary{{refn|group=nb|Region of [[Transdanubia]].}}<br />Italy{{refn|group=nb|Region of [[Molise]].}}
| 2013
|-
| [[Czech language|Czech]]
| Czechia
| Slovakia{{refn|name=20pct|group=nb|Co-official status in the municipalities in which the size of the minority population meets the legal threshold of 20%.}}
| 2004
|-
| [[Danish language|Danish]]
| Denmark
| Germany{{refn|group=nb|State of [[Schleswig-Holstein]]}}
| 1973
|-
| [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| Belgium <br /> Netherlands
| 
| 1958
|-
| [[English language|English]]
| Ireland <br /> Malta <br /> United Kingdom (until 31 January 2020)
| 
| 1973
|-
| [[Estonian language|Estonian]]
| Estonia
| 
| 2004
|-
| [[Finnish language|Finnish]]
| Finland <br/> Sweden{{refn|group=nb|Recognized minority language.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.government.se/49b72e/contentassets/bb53f1cff8504c5db61fb96168e728be/national-minorities-and-minority-languages|format=PDF|title=National minorities andminority languages|year= 2007|language=en}}</ref>}}
| 
| 1995
|-
| [[French language|French]]
| Belgium <br /> France <br /> Luxembourg
| Italy{{refn|group=nb|Region of [[Aosta Valley]]}}
| 1958
|-
| [[German language|German]]
| Austria <br /> Belgium <br /> Germany <br /> Luxembourg
| Denmark{{refn|group=nb|Region of [[Southern Jutland]]}}<br /> Italy{{refn|group=nb|Province of [[South Tyrol]]}} <br /> Poland{{refn|group=nb|22 gminas in [[Opole Voivodeship]]}}
| 1958
|-
| [[Greek language|Greek]]
| Cyprus <br /> Greece
| 
| 1981
|-
| [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]
| Hungary
| Austria{{refn|name=Burgenland|group=nb}} <br /> Romania{{refn|name=20pct|group=nb}} <br /> Slovakia{{refn|name=20pct|group=nb}}<br /> Slovenia{{refn|group=nb|Co-official in certain municipalities in the region of [[Prekmurje]]}} <br /> Croatia{{refn|group=nb|Region of [[Osijek-Baranja County]].}}
| 2004
|-
| [[Irish language|Irish]]
| Ireland
| 
| 2007
|-
| [[Italian language|Italian]]
| Italy
| Croatia{{refn|group=nb|in [[Istria County]]}}<br />Slovenia{{refn|group=nb|Co-official in certain municipalities in the region of [[Slovenian Istria]]}}
| 1958
|-
| [[Latvian language|Latvian]]
| Latvia
| 
| 2004
|-
| [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]
| Lithuania
| Poland{{refn|group=nb|Gmina [[Gmina Puńsk|Puńsk]] in [[Podlaskie Voivodeship]]}}
| 2004
|-
| [[Maltese language|Maltese]]
| Malta
| 
| 2004
|-
| [[Polish language|Polish]]
| Poland
| 
| 2004
|-
| [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
| Portugal
| 
| 1986
|-
| [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
| Romania
| 
| 2007
|-
| [[Slovak language|Slovak]]
| Slovakia<br />Czechia{{refn|group=nb|Co-official status in the Czech Republic under certain circumstances, which is defined by several laws.}}<br />Hungary{{refn|group=nb|Recognized minority language.}}
|
| 2004
|-
| [[Slovene language|Slovene]]
| Slovenia
| Austria{{refn|group=nb| Co-official status in certain municipalities in the State of [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]]<ref name="Annex 2"/>}} <br /> Hungary{{refn|group=nb|County of [[Vas County|Vas]]}} <br /> Italy{{refn|group=nb|Region of [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]]}}
| 2004
|-
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| Spain
| 
| 1986
|-
| [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
| Finland <br /> Sweden
| 
| 1995
|}
{{reflist|group=nb}}

The number of member states (27) exceeds the number of official languages (24), as three member states (Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg) did not have a distinct national official language when they joined the [[European Economic Community|EEC]], but rather shared their closest neighbours': Austria's was (and still is) German; Belgium's were (and still are) Dutch, French and German; and Luxembourg's were French and German. [[Luxembourgish]] became a [[Languages of Luxembourg|national official language of Luxembourg]] in 1984 (decades after the country joined the [[European Communities]] as a founding member). Despite this, Luxembourg has not since requested its designation as an EU official language. Cyprus has two official languages, Greek and Turkish, but only Greek is an official language of the EU, shared by Greece. Conversely, the United Kingdom withdrew from the EU in 2020, but the English language remains as it is official in Ireland (besides Irish) and in Malta (besides Maltese). Therefore, 23 of the 27 EU states have 24 official languages, and the remaining 4 do not contribute any additional official languages.

Several national languages are shared by two or more countries in the EU. [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Greek language|Greek]], and [[Swedish language|Swedish]] are all official languages at the national level in multiple countries (see table above). In addition, [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Slovak language|Slovak]], and [[Slovene language|Slovene]] are official languages in multiple EU countries at the regional level.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Furthermore, not all national languages have been accorded the status of official EU languages. These include [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]], an official language of Luxembourg since 1984, and [[Turkish language|Turkish]], an official language of [[Cyprus]].{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

All languages of the EU are also [[working language]]s.<ref name="Official EU languages" /> Documents which a member state or a person subject to the jurisdiction of a member state sends to institutions of the Community may be drafted in any one of the official languages selected by the sender. The reply is drafted in the same language. Regulations and other documents of general application are drafted in the twenty-four official languages. The ''[[Official Journal of the European Union]]'' is published in the twenty-four official languages.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Documents of major public importance or interest are produced in all official languages, but that accounts for a minority of the institutions′ work. Other documents—e.g.,&nbsp;communications with the national authorities, decisions addressed to particular individuals or entities and correspondence—are translated only into the languages needed. For internal purposes the EU institutions are allowed by law to choose their own language arrangements. The [[European Commission]], for example, conducts its internal business in three languages, [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]], and [[German language|German]] (sometimes called "procedural languages"), and goes fully multilingual only for public information and communication purposes. The [[European Parliament]], on the other hand, has members who need working documents in their own languages, so its document flow is fully multilingual from the outset.<ref>[http://europa.eu/languages/en/document/59#5 Europa:Languages and Europe. FAQ: Is every document generated by the EU translated into all the official languages?], ''Europa'' portal. Retrieved 6 February 2007.</ref> [[Institutions of the European Union|Non-institutional EU bodies]] are not legally obliged to make language arrangement for all the 24 languages <ref>(''Kik v. [[Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market]]'', [http://curia.europa.eu/jurisp/cgi-bin/gettext.pl?lang=en&num=79969090C19010361&doc=T&ouvert=T&seance=ARRET Case C-361/01] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929010631/http://curia.europa.eu/jurisp/cgi-bin/gettext.pl?lang=en&num=79969090C19010361&doc=T&ouvert=T&seance=ARRET |date=29 September 2011 }}, 2003 [[European Court of Justice|ECJ]] I-8283).</ref>

The translations are expensive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0222_050222_translation.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050225033635/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0222_050222_translation.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 February 2005 |title=With 20 Official Languages, Is EU Lost in Translation? |publisher=News.nationalgeographic.com |date=28 October 2010 |access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> According to the EU's English-language website,<ref>[http://europa.eu/languages/en/document/59#8 Europa:Languages and Europe. FAQ: What does the EU's policy of multilingualism cost?], ''Europa'' portal. Retrieved 6 February 2007.</ref> the cost of maintaining the institutions’ policy of multilingualism—i.e.,&nbsp;the cost of translation and interpretation—was €1,123 million in 2005, which is 1% of the annual general budget of the EU, or €2.28 per person per year. The EU Parliament has made clear that its member states have autonomy for language education, which by treaty the Union must respect.<ref name="esperanto">{{cite web|author=cs – čeština |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+WQ+E-2006-3653+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN |title=Written question – Public policy on foreign-language teaching: the Grin Report – E-3653/2006 |publisher=Europarl.europa.eu |date=30 December 2006 |access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref>

===Language families===
{{wide image|Eu-official-languages-tree.svg|1080px|Language family tree of EU official languages}}
The vast majority of the 24 official EU languages belong to the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] [[language family|family]]: the three dominant subfamilies are the [[Germanic languages|Germanic]], [[Romance languages|Romance]], and [[Slavic languages|Slavic]]. Germanic languages are primarily spoken in central and northern Europe and include Danish, Dutch, English, German, and Swedish. Romance languages are mostly spoken in western and southern European regions; they include French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish. The Slavic languages are predominantly found in [[central Europe]] and the [[Balkans]] in southeastern Europe; they include Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene. The [[Baltic languages]], Latvian and Lithuanian; the [[Celtic languages]], including Irish; and [[Greek language|Greek]] are also Indo-European.{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=These statements may all be true, but how relevant are they? It's a linguistic fun fact, but to institutions of the European Union, language families and where they are predominantly spoken are irrelevant.}}

Outside the Indo-European family, Estonian, Finnish, and Hungarian are [[Uralic languages]], while Maltese is the only [[Afroasiatic languages|Afroasiatic language]] with official status in the EU.{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=These statements may all be true, but how relevant are they? It's a linguistic fun fact, but to institutions of the European Union, language families and where they are predominantly spoken are irrelevant.}}

===Writing systems===
[[File:EUR 10 obverse (2014 issue).png|thumb|[[10 euro note]] from the [[Europa series]] written in [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] and [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] alphabets (EURO and ΕΥΡΩ, respectively), and also in the [[Bulgarian alphabet|Cyrillic]] alphabet (ЕВРО), as a result of [[Bulgaria]] joining the European Union in 2007]]
Most official EU languages are written in the [[Latin script]]. The two exceptions are [[Greek language|Greek]], which is written in the [[Greek script]], and [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], which is written in [[Cyrillic script]]. With the [[accession of Bulgaria to the European Union]] on 1 January 2007, Cyrillic became the third official script of the [[European Union]], following the Latin and Greek scripts.<ref>{{cite press release|author1=Leonard Orban|title=Cyrillic, the third official alphabet of the EU, was created by a truly multilingual European|url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-07-330_en.pdf|website=Europe.eu|access-date=3 August 2014|date=24 May 2007}}</ref> The original design of [[euro banknotes]] had the word ''euro'' written in both Latin (Euro) and Greek (Ευρώ) letters; the Cyrillic spelling (Eвро) was added to the new Europa series of banknotes starting in 2013 (see [[Linguistic issues concerning the euro]]).{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Language-specific regulations===
====Maltese====
Although [[Maltese language|Maltese]] is an official language, the Council set a transitional period of three years from 1 May 2004, during which the institutions were not obliged to draft all acts in Maltese.<ref>{{CELEX|02004R0930-20061126|text=Council Regulation (EC) No 930/2004 of 1 May 2004 on temporary derogation measures relating to the drafting in Maltese of the acts of the institutions of the European Union}}</ref> It was agreed that the council could extend this transitional period by an additional year, but decided not to.<ref>{{CELEX|32006R1738|text=Council Regulation (EC) No 1738/2006 of 23 November 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 930/2004 on temporary derogation measures relating to the drafting in Maltese of the acts of the institutions of the European Union}}</ref> All new acts of the institutions were required to be adopted and published in Maltese from 30 April 2007.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

====Irish====
{{Broader|Status of the Irish language}}
[[Irish language|Irish]] previously had the status of "treaty language" before being upgraded to an official and working language in 2007. However, a temporary derogation was enforced until 1 January 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e3150-the-irish-language-gains-full-official-and-working-status-in-the-european-union/|title=The Irish language gains full official and working status in the European Union|date=31 December 2021|website=www.gov.ie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commission.europa.eu/news/irish-now-same-level-other-official-eu-languages-2022-01-03_en|title=Irish is now at the same level as the other official EU languages - European Commission|website=commission.europa.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/irish-gains-full-official-and-working-status-in-the-eu-1.4767303|title=Irish gains full official and working status in the EU|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> The designation of Irish as a "treaty language" meant that only the [[treaties of the European Union]] were translated into Irish, whereas [[Legal Acts of the European Union]] adopted under the treaties (like [[Directive (European Union)|Directives]] and [[Regulation (European Union)|Regulations]]) did not have to be.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

When Ireland joined the [[European Communities]] (now the [[European Union|EU]]) in 1973, [[Irish language|Irish]] was accorded ''"Treaty Language"'' status. This meant that the founding [[Treaty of Rome|EU Treaty]] was restated in Irish. Irish was also listed in that treaty and all subsequent EU treaties as one of the authentic languages of the treaties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/index.asp?locID=404&docID=3111 |title=Taoiseach Website Press Release dated 1 January 2007 |publisher=Taoiseach.gov.ie }}</ref> As a Treaty Language, Irish was an official procedural language of the [[Court of Justice of the European Union]].<ref>Deirdre Fottrell, Bill Bowring – 1999 Minority and Group Rights in the New Millennium.</ref> It was also possible to correspond in written Irish with the EU Institutions.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

However, despite being the first official language of Ireland and having been accorded minority-language status in the [[Northern Ireland]] region of the United Kingdom, then an EU member state, Irish was not made an official working language of the EU until 1 January 2007. On that date an EU Council Regulation making Irish an official working language of the EU came into effect.<ref name="CELEX:32005R0920">{{CELEX|02005R0920-20170101|text=Council Regulation (EC) No 920/2005 of 13 June 2005 amending Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the language to be used by the European Economic Community and Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the language to be used by the European Atomic Energy Community and introducing temporary derogation measures from those Regulations}}</ref> This followed a unanimous decision on 13 June 2005 by EU foreign ministers that Irish would be made the 21st official language of the EU.<ref name="2667th Council Meeting">{{cite press release |url=http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/gena/85437.pdf|title=General Affairs |page=14 |work=2667th Council Meeting |publisher=Council of the European Union |location=Luxembourg |date=13 June 2005 |access-date=19 July 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051016091800/http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/gena/85437.pdf}}</ref> However, a [[derogation]] previously stipulated that not all documents have to be translated into Irish as is the case with the other official languages.<ref name="CELEX:32005R0920"/><ref>{{cite web|author=cs – čeština |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?language=EN&type=IM-PRESS&reference=20050928IPR00827 |title=Stádas na Gaeilge san Aontas Eorpach – Status of Irish in the EU |publisher=European Parliament}}</ref>

The regulation meant that legislation adopted by both the [[European Parliament]] and the [[Council of the European Union|Council of Ministers]] is translated into Irish, and interpretation from Irish was available at [[European Parliament]] plenary sessions and some Council meetings. The cost of translation, interpretation, publication, and legal services involved in making Irish an official EU language was estimated at just under €3.5 million a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10002211.shtml |title=EU to hire 30 Irish translators at cost of €3.5 million |publisher=Finfacts.com }}</ref> On 3 December 2015, a new regulation passed by the council had set a definitive schedule on the gradual reduction of the derogation of the Irish language. This regulation outlined a schedule of gradual reduction spread across five years starting from 2016. The derogation was ultimately revoked on 1 January 2022, making Irish a fully recognised EU language for the first time in the state's history.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Boland|first=Lauren|title=Irish to be fully recognised as an official EU language from New Year's Day|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/irish-gaeilge-eu-language-5643611-Dec2021/|access-date=1 January 2022|website=TheJournal.ie|date=31 December 2022|language=en}}</ref>

Irish is the only official language of the EU that is not the most widely spoken language in any member state.{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=This is an odd claim: German and French are recognised by the EU as official languages of Belgium, but Dutch (also official) is most widely spoken language of Belgium. There are probably other counter-examples.}} According to the 2006 Irish census figures, there are 1.66&nbsp;million people in Ireland with some ability to speak Irish, out of a population of 4.6&nbsp;million, though only 538,500 use Irish on a daily basis (counting those who use it mainly in the education system) and just over 72,000 use Irish as a daily language outside the education system.<ref>{{cite press release|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|url=http://www.cso.ie/census/census2006results/volume_9/volume_9_press_release.pdf|title=2006 Census of Population – Volume 9 – Irish Language|agency=Central Statistics Office|date=4 October 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120095349/http://www.cso.ie/census/census2006results/volume_9/volume_9_press_release.pdf|archive-date=20 November 2007}}</ref>{{original research inline|date=August 2024|reason=Seems [[WP:SYNTH]].}}

====South-Slavic language status====
At the time of [[2013 enlargement of the European Union|Croatia's accession to the EU]], some diplomats and officials suggested that, rather than accepting the [[Croatian language|Croatian]] written standard as an official EU language, the EU should instead adopt a single unified literary form that would encompass several [[Dialects of Serbo-Croatian|nearly-identical written standards]] of the same language, historically known as ''[[Serbo-Croatian]]'', the official language of [[Yugoslavia]] until its [[disintegration of Yugoslavia|disintegration]] and the division of the language among ethnic lines. In addition to Croatian, this would include the [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]], and [[Montenegrin language|Montenegrin]] written standards, all of them based in the same [[Eastern Herzegovinian dialect|spoken dialect of Eastern Herzegovina]], with the goal of reducing potential translation and interpretation costs if the other [[Balkans#Western Balkans|Western Balkan]] states eventually joined the EU as well.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Palokaj|first=Augustin|date=24 November 2010|url=http://euobserver.com/news/31340|title=Croatian to Become 24th EU Language|website=EUobserver}}</ref> The [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] was cited as an example of an international body that had conducted business in such a unified standard.<ref name=":0"/> In negotiations with [[Croatia]], however, it was agreed that the Croatian standard would become a separate official EU language, as none of the other states at issue had yet been admitted to the EU.<ref name=":0"/>

==Regional, minority and other languages==
Some [[regional language|regional]] or [[minority language]]s spoken within the EU do not have official recognition at EU level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/languages-of-europe/doc145_en.htm|title=Oooops... We didn't find the page you are looking for...|date=12 March 2012|work=europa.eu}}</ref> Some of them may have some official status within the member state and count many more speakers than some of the lesser-used official languages. The official languages of EU are in '''bold'''.{{clarification needed|date=August 2024|reason=In bold? What do you mean? Is this a remnant intro of a list that has been removed?}}

In the list,{{clarification needed|date=August 2024|reason=Which list? Is this a remnant intro of a list that has been removed?}} language varieties classified as [[dialect]]s of an official language by member countries are not included. However, many of these varieties may be viewed as separate languages: for instance, [[Scots language|Scots]] (the [[Germanic language]] descended from [[Old English]], not the [[Celtic language]] known as [[Scottish Gaelic]]) and several [[Romance languages]] spoken in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, such as [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]], [[Asturian language|Asturian]], [[Mirandese language|Mirandese]], [[Lombard language|Lombard]], [[Ligurian language|Ligurian]], [[Piedmontese language|Piedmontese]], [[Venetian language|Venetian]], [[Corsican language|Corsican]], [[Neapolitan language|Neapolitan]] and [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]].{{citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=Lots of things "may be viewed as" A, B and C. What does that have to do with the EU?}}

===Languages of France===
{{Main|Languages of France}}
The [[French constitution]] stipulates French as the sole language of France. Since the [[French constitutional law of 23 July 2008|2008 modifications]], article 75-1 of the Constitution adds that "regional languages form part of the French heritage".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006071194#LEGIARTI000019241104|title=Article 75-1, Constitution du 4 octobre 1958|publisher=Légifrance}}</ref>

Nevertheless, there exist a number of languages spoken by sizable minorities, such as [[Breton language|Breton]] (a Celtic language), [[Basque language|Basque]], and several Romance languages such as [[Occitan language|Occitan]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Corsican language|Corsican]] and the various [[langues d'oïl]] (other than French), as well as Germanic languages spoken in Alsace-Lorraine (Central Franconian, High Franconian, Luxembourgish, and Alemannic) and French Flanders (Dutch).{{clarification needed|date=August 2024|reason=What does that have to do with the EU?}}

These languages enjoy no official status under the French state, and regions are not permitted to bestow any such status themselves.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}{{clarification needed|date=August 2024|reason=What does that have to do with the EU?}}

===Languages of Greece===
{{Main|Languages of Greece}}
The official language of Greece is Greek, and recognized minority languages are Armenian, Ladino and Turkish. Nevertheless, there are several other languages in Greece, which lack any recognition. These are Albanian, [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]], [[Megleno-Romanian language|Megleno-Romanian]] (these last two usually being collectively known as "Vlach"), Romani and [[Slavic dialects of Greece|the Slavic varieties spoken in the country]]. Greek scholar and [[National and Kapodistrian University of Athens]] ''[[Emeritus|emerita]]'' professor Bessie Dendrinos described Greece as the only European Union member state sticking to a "linguistic assimilationist ideology".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/ENL132/Session%2001%3A%20Language%20policy%20in%20Greece/Language%20policy%20in%20Greece.pdf|title=Language issues and language policies in Greece|author=Bessie Dendrinos|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808175229/https://eclass.uoa.gr/modules/document/file.php/ENL132/Session%2001%3A%20Language%20policy%20in%20Greece/Language%20policy%20in%20Greece.pdf|archive-date=8 August 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Languages of Italy===
{{Main|Languages of Italy}}
[[Languages of Italy#Legal status of Italian|Italy's official language]] is Italian, although twelve additional languages (namely [[Arberesh language|Albanian]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[German language|German]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Slovene language|Slovene]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[French language|French]], [[Franco-Provençal language|Franco-Provençal]], [[Friulian language|Friulian]], [[Ladin language|Ladin]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]] and [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]]) have been recognized as [[minority language]]s by the 1999 national Framework Law on the Country's [[Languages of Italy#Historical linguistic minorities|historical linguistic minorities]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parlamento.it/parlam/leggi/99482l.htm|title=Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche|year=1999 |publisher=Italian Parliament}}</ref> in accordance with the Article 6 of the [[Italian Constitution]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senato.it/documenti/repository/istituzione/costituzione_inglese.pdf|title=Constitution of the Italian Republic|publisher=Senato della Repubblica}}</ref> However, many languages other than Italian and the above-mentioned twelve are spoken across the country,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/IT|title=Italy|publisher=Ethnologue}}</ref> most of them being either [[Gallo-Italic languages|Gallo-Italic]] or [[Italo-Dalmatian languages|Italo-Dalmatian]], which lack any sort of official recognition and protection.

===Languages of Spain===
{{Main|Languages of Spain}}
The Spanish governments have sought to give some official status in the EU for the languages of the [[autonomous communities of Spain]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]]/[[Valencian language|Valencian]], [[Galician language|Galician]] and [[Basque language|Basque]]. The 667th Council Meeting of the [[Council of the European Union]] in Luxembourg on 13 June 2005, decided to authorise limited use at EU level of languages recognised by member states other than the official working languages. The Council granted recognition to "languages other than the languages referred to in Council Regulation No 1/1958 whose status is recognised by the Constitution of a Member State on all or part of its territory or the use of which as a national language is authorised by law." The official use of such languages will be authorised on the basis of an administrative arrangement concluded between the council and the requesting member state.<ref name="2667th Council Meeting"/>

Although Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician are not nationwide official languages in Spain, as co-official languages in the respective regions—pursuant to Spanish constitution, among other documents—they are eligible to benefit from official use in EU institutions under the terms of 13 June 2005 resolution of the Council of the European Union. The Spanish government has assented to the provisions in respect of these languages.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The status of Catalan, spoken by over 9 million EU citizens (just over 1.8% of the total), has been the subject of particular debate. On 11 December 1990, the use of Catalan was the subject of a [[European Parliament]] Resolution (resolution A3-169/90 on languages in the [European] Community and the situation of Catalan).<ref>[[Official Journal of the European Union|OJ]] C19, 28 January 1991</ref>

On 16 November 2005, the President [[Peter Straub (politician)|Peter Straub]] of the [[Committee of the Regions]] signed an agreement with the Spanish Ambassador to the EU, [[Carlos Bastarreche]], approving the use of Spanish regional languages in an EU institution for the first time in a meeting on that day, with interpretation provided by European Commission interpreters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/scic/|title=DG Interpretation (DG SCIC) at the European Commission - Interpreting and Conference Service - Service d'intérpretation et conférence de la commission européenne|work=europa.eu|date=19 June 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/languages/en/document/81/6 |title=EUROPA-Languages-News-Spanish regional languages used for the first time |publisher=Europa (web portal) }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=Spanish regional languages are used for the first time in EU institutions: "it's a historic day for Europe", say Spanish regional Presidents|url=http://www.cor.europa.eu/en/press/press_05_11125.html|agency=European Union Committee of the Regions|date=16 November 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718034359/http://www.cor.europa.eu/en/press/press_05_11125.html|archive-date=18 July 2006}}</ref>

On 3 July 2006, the European Parliament's Bureau approved a proposal by the Spanish State to allow citizens to address the European Parliament in Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician, two months after its initial rejection.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/notidetail.cfm?IDA=897&lg=gb |title=Mercator :: News |publisher=Ciemen.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003800/http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/notidetail.cfm?IDA=897&lg=gb |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php/news/comments/catalan_government_welcomes_european_parliament_language_move/ |title=Catalan government welcomes European Parliament language move |publisher=Barcelonareporter.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060709175546/http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php/news/comments/catalan_government_welcomes_european_parliament_language_move/ |archive-date=9 July 2006 }}</ref>

On 30 November 2006, the [[European Ombudsman]], [[Nikiforos Diamandouros]], and the Spanish ambassador in the EU, Carlos Bastarreche, signed an agreement in Brussels to allow Spanish citizens to address complaints to the European Ombudsman in Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician, all three co-official languages in Spain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/release/en/2006-11-30a.htm |title=European Ombudsman Press Release No. 19/2006 30.11.2006 |publisher=Europa (web portal) }}</ref> According to the agreement, a translation body, which will be set up and financed by the Spanish government, will be responsible for translating complaints submitted in these languages. In turn, it will translate the Ombudsman's decisions from Spanish into the language of the complainant. Until such a body is established the agreement will not become effective.

Following the [[2023 Spanish general election]], the [[PSOE]]-led Spanish government sent a letter to the rotating [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union]], asking for Catalan, Basque, and Galician to be added to the current 24 official languages of the EU. This was done in exchange for the support of the Catalan pro independence party [[Junts]] for [[Francina Armengol]]'s candidacy for [[President of the Congress of Deputies]]. Without such support the PSOE would likely have been unable to form a new government and a second election would have been held in the same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.eu/article/spain-pm-pedro-sanchez-basque-catalan-galician-eu-official-languages/ | title=Sánchez's polyglot promise: Bringing Spain's other languages to Brussels | date=18 August 2023 }}</ref>

Galician in particular, not being itself a European Parliament official language, can be used and is in fact used by some European Parliament constituents as a spoken dialect of Portuguese due to its similarity with this language.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.agal-gz.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1349 |title=O Galego já é oficial na UE [GL/PT] |publisher=Associaçom Galega da Lingua |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041030142629/http://www.agal-gz.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1349 |archive-date=30 October 2004 }}</ref>

===Luxembourgish and Turkish===
[[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]] ([[Luxembourg]]) and [[Turkish language|Turkish]] ([[Cyprus]]) are the only two national languages that are not official languages of the EU. Neither Luxembourg nor Cyprus have yet used the provision of 13 June 2005 resolution to benefit from use in official EU institutions. On 26 February 2016 it was made public that Cyprus has asked to make Turkish an official EU language, in a “gesture” that could help reunification and improve [[Turkey and the European Union|EU–Turkey]] relations.<ref>EU Observer, 26 February 2016, https://euobserver.com/institutional/132476</ref> Already in 2004, it was planned that Turkish would become an official language if Cyprus reunited.<ref>See article 8 in {{CELEX|52004PC0189|text=Proposal for an Act of Adaptation of the terms of Accession of the United Cyprus Republic to the European Union}}</ref> Turkish is also a recognized minority language in two EU member countries ([[Greece]] and [[Romania]]).{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In September 2010, Luxembourg's foreign minister [[Jean Asselborn]] declined a request of the [[Alternative Democratic Reform Party]] (ADR) to make [[Luxembourgish]] an official language of the European Union citing financial reasons and also that [[German language|German]] and [[French language|French]] being already official languages would be sufficient for the needs of Luxembourg.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://europaforum.public.lu/fr/actualites/2010/09/qp-kartheiser-langue/index.html|title = De l'usage de la langue luxembourgeoise dans le contexte européen : Une question parlementaire de Fernand Kartheiser - Europaforum Luxembourg - Septembre 2010}}</ref>

===Romani===
The [[Romani people]], numbering over two million in the EU,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=rom |title=Ethnologue |publisher=Ethnologue }}</ref> speak the [[Romani language]] (actually numerous different languages), which is not official in any EU member state or polity, except for being an official minority language of [[languages of Sweden|Sweden]] and [[Languages of Finland|Finland]]. Moreover, [[Romani language|Romani]] mass media and educational institution presences are near-negligible.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Russian===
Though not an official language of the European Union, [[Russian language|Russian]] is spoken{{clarification needed|date=August 2024|reason=So what? English is also "spoken" in all formee Soviet countries. It just depends on context and frequency. Not everything is relevant to be mentioned here.}} in all member states [[former Soviet Union|that were part of the Soviet Union]] (and before that the [[Russian Empire]]). Russian is the native language of about 1.6 million [[Baltic Russians]] residing in [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], and [[Lithuania]], as well as a sizeable community of about [[Russians in Germany|3.5 million in Germany]] and as a major [[#Immigrant languages|immigrant language elsewhere in the EU]], e.g. in and around Paris. Russian is also understood by a majority of ethnic Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians born before c. 1980, since, as official language of the [[Soviet Union]], it was a compulsory school subject in [[Baltic states under Soviet rule (1944–1991)|those countries that were part of the Soviet Union]]. To a lesser extent, this legacy also holds true among the older generation in parts of the EU that were formerly part of the [[Eastern bloc]], such as the [[GDR]].{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In March 2010 fact-sheets in Russian produced by the EU executive's offices in Latvia were withdrawn, provoking criticism from [[Plaid Cymru]] MEP and [[European Free Alliance]] group President [[Jill Evans]] who called [[European Commission]] to continue to provide information in non-official EU languages and commented that "it's disappointing to hear that the EU is bowing to pressure to exclude Russian speakers in the Baltic in this way".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euractiv.com/culture/russian-speakers-excluded-eu-bro-news-348045|title=Russian speakers 'excluded' from EU brochures in Latvia|work=EurActiv.com|access-date=23 April 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924003625/http://www.euractiv.com/culture/russian-speakers-excluded-eu-bro-news-348045|archive-date=24 September 2015|date=17 March 2010}}</ref>

===Sami languages===
In Finland, the [[Sami languages]] [[Northern Sami]] (ca. 2,000 speakers), [[Skolt Sami language|Skolt Sami]] (400) and [[Inari Sámi language|Inari Sami]] (300) have limited local recognition in certain municipalities of [[Lapland (Finland)|Finnish Lapland]]. Furthermore, legislation specifically concerning the Sami must be translated to these languages. Bilingualism with Finnish is universal, though.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

At least five different Sami languages are spoken in Sweden, but "Sami language" (undifferentiated) is recognised as an official [[minority languages of Sweden|minority language in Sweden]], and is co-official with Swedish in four municipalities in [[Norrbotten County]] (Swedish Lapland). Most of Sami speakers speak [[Northern Sami]] (5,000–6,000 speakers), although there are ca. 1,000–2,000 [[Lule Sami language|Lule Sami]] speakers and 600 [[Southern Sami language|Southern Sami]] speakers. Also [[Ume Sámi]] and [[Pite Sámi]] are spoken in Sweden.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Latin===
For millennia, [[Latin]] served as a ''[[lingua franca]]'' for administrative, scholarly, religious, political, and other purposes in parts of the present-day European Union. After Athens and other Greek city-states of the 6th to 4th centuries BC, the first documented political entity historically verifiable in Europe was the [[Roman Republic]], traditionally founded in 509 BC, the successor-state to [[Etruria|the Etruscan city-state confederacies]].<ref>
Compare:
{{cite book
| last1 = Turfa
| first1 = Jean MacIntosh
|author-link1= Jean MacIntosh Turfa
| chapter = 7: The Society of the ''Brontoscopic Calendar'': 'The women and the slaves will carry out assassinations'
| title = Divining the Etruscan World: The ''Brontoscopic Calendar'' and Religious Practice
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0-7IKXex46QC
| location = New York
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| date = 2012
| page = 220
| isbn = 9781107009073
| access-date = 30 August 2017
| quote = As Livy's tale of the would-be king of Veii at the ''fanum Voltumnae'' shows, most Etruscan statesmen by the fifth century regarded the installation of a king as a giant step backwards in civic affairs. [...] The implication is that most Etruscan states had evolved more open governments [...].
}}
</ref>
Latin as a ''lingua franca'' of Europe was rivalled only by Greek. It is serving as honourable and ceremonial language in some of the oldest European universities in the 21st century, and has operated as the official language of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] until today. Latin, along with Greek, was at the core of education in Europe from the schools of rhetoric of the Roman Republic in all of its provinces and territories, through the medieval ''[[trivium]]'' and ''[[quadrivium]]'', through the humanists and the Renaissance, all the way to Newton's ''[[Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica]]'' (just to name one example of thousands of scientific works written in this language), to the public schools of all European countries, where Latin (along with Greek) was at the core of their curricula. Latin served as the undisputed European ''lingua franca'' until the 19th century, when the cultures of [[vernacular]] languages and the "national languages" started to gain ground and claim status. Today, several institutions of the European Union use Latin in their logos and [[domain name]]s instead of listing their names in all the official languages. For example, the [[Court of Justice of the European Union]] has its website at "curia.europa.eu".<ref>{{cite web|url= http://curia.europa.eu/|title= CURIA|work= europa.eu}}</ref> The Court of Auditors uses ''Curia Rationum'' in its logo. The Council of the European Union has its website at "consilium.europa.eu" and its logo showing ''Consilium''. The European Union itself has a Latin [[motto of the European Union|motto]]: "''In varietate concordia''". Under the [[European Company Regulation]], companies can be incorporated as ''Societas Europaea'' (Latin for "European Company", often shortened to "SE" after the company's own proper name). Latin is one of the languages of [[IATE]] (the inter-institutional [[terminology database]] of the European Union).{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Immigrant languages===
A wide variety of languages from other parts of the world are spoken by [[immigrant]] communities in EU countries. [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (which is also an official language of the EU member Cyprus) is spoken as a first language by an estimated 1% of the population in [[Belgium]] and the western part of [[Germany]], and by 1% in the [[Netherlands]]. Other widely used migrant languages include [[Berber languages]] which are spoken by about 1% of the population of both the Netherlands and Belgium and by many [[Berbers|Berber]] migrants in France, Spain, Italy and Germany. [[Arabic language|Arabic]] is spoken in many EU countries mainly in its [[Maghrebi Arabic|Maghrebi]] and [[Levantine Arabic|Levantine]] varieties. Maghrebi Arabic is spoken by migrants in France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Levantine Arabic is spoken by migrants in Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Greece. Languages from [[former Yugoslavia]] ([[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]], [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]], [[Albanian language|Albanian]], etc.) are spoken in many parts of the EU by migrants and [[refugee]]s who have left the region as a result of the [[Yugoslav wars]] and unrest there.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

There are large [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] communities in [[Chinese diaspora in France|France]], [[Chinese people in Spain|Spain]], [[Chinese people in Italy|Italy]], and other countries. Old and recent Chinese migrants speak a number of [[varieties of Chinese|Chinese varieties]], in particular [[Cantonese]] and other southern Chinese varieties. However, [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]] is becoming increasingly more prevalent due to the opening{{clarify|date=June 2020}} of the [[People's Republic of China]].{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

There are many [[Russian diaspora|Russian-speaking immigrants]] in [[Germany]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greece.mid.ru/rcnk_e_04.html |title=Russian MFA Spokesman Mikhail Kamynin Interview with RIA Novosti Regarding Upcoming Conference on Status of Russian Language Abroad (Moscow, May 28, 2007) |publisher=Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Greek Republic, Russian Centre of Science and Culture |access-date=20 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227021306/http://www.greece.mid.ru/rcnk_e_04.html}}</ref> and [[France]].{{citation needed|date=March 2011}} [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] is one of the 14 recognized minority languages in the [[Czech Republic]].{{efn|Citizens belonging to minorities, which traditionally and on long-term basis live within the territory of the Czech Republic, enjoy the right to use their language in communication with authorities and in front of the courts of law<ref>For the list of recognized minorities see [http://www.vlada.cz/en/pracovni-a-poradni-organy-vlady/rnm/historie-a-soucasnost-rady-en-16666/ National Minorities Policy of the Government of the Czech Republic], Belarusian and Vietnamese since 4 July 2013, see [http://zpravy.idnes.cz/vietnamci-oficialni-narodnostni-mensinou-fiq-/domaci.aspx?c=A130703_133019_domaci_jj Česko má nové oficiální národnostní menšiny. Vietnamce a Bělorusy].</ref> The article 25 of the Czech [[Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms]] ensures right of the national and ethnic minorities for education and communication with authorities in their own language. Act No. 500/2004 Coll. (''The Administrative Rule'') in its paragraph 16 (4) (''Procedural Language'') ensures, that a citizen of the Czech Republic, who belongs to a national or an ethnic minority, which traditionally and on long-term basis lives within the territory of the Czech Republic, have right to address an administrative agency and proceed before it in the language of the minority. In the case that the administrative agency doesn't have an employee with knowledge of the language, the agency is bound to obtain a translator at the agency's own expense. According to Act No. 273/2001 (''About The Rights of Members of Minorities'') paragraph 9 (''The right to use language of a national minority in dealing with authorities and in front of the courts of law'') the same applies for the members of national minorities also in front of the courts of law.}}

Many immigrant communities in the EU have been in place for several generations now, and their members are [[bilingual]], at ease both in the local language and in that of their community.<ref>{{cite book |title=Many tongues, one family: languages in the European Union |date=2004 |publisher=Office for Official Publications of the European Communities |location=Luxembourg |isbn=92-894-7759-8 |page=9 |url=https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/40fe66da-d886-403b-94b7-e0facfa03161 |access-date=10 August 2019}}</ref>

===Sign languages===
A [[List of sign languages#Europe|wide variety]] of [[sign language]]s are used in the EU, with around 500,000 people using a sign language as their first language.<ref name="commission sign">{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/languages/policy/linguistic-diversity/sign-languages_en.htm |title=Sign languages |date=31 July 2023 |publisher=European Commission}}</ref> None of these languages are recognised as an official language of an EU member state, with the exception of Ireland passing the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 that granted it official status alongside Irish and English, and only three states (Austria,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Erv/ERV_1930_1/ERV_1930_1.html|title=RIS Dokument: Federal Constitutional Law, Article 8(3}}</ref> Finland and Portugal) refer to sign languages in their constitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coe.int/t/e/social_cohesion/soc-sp/5720-0-ID2283-Langue%20signe_GB%20assemble.pdf |title=The status of sign languages in Europe |publisher=Council of Europe Publishing |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215843/http://www.coe.int/t/e/social_cohesion/soc-sp/5720-0-ID2283-Langue%20signe_GB%20assemble.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}</ref>

Several [[NGO]]s exist which support signers, such as the [[European Union of the Deaf]] and the [[European Sign Language Centre]]. The European Commission has also supported some initiatives to produce digital technologies that can better support signers, such as Dicta-Sign and SignSpeak.<ref name="commission sign" />

The sign languages in use in the EU are more difficult to [[Sign language#Classification|classify]] into [[language family|language families]] than the spoken languages, because of [[language contact]] and [[Creole language|creolization]]. Important families include the [[Swedish Sign Language family|Swedish]], [[French Sign Language family|French]], and [[German Sign Language family|German]] sign language families.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Esperanto===
[[Esperanto]] is a constructed language that is part of the educational system in several member states. In Hungary it is officially recognised by the Ministry of Education as a foreign language;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eszperanto.hu/viva-kep4.htm|title=Tájékoztatom, hogy a Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Nyelvtudományi intézete 2004, január 6-ai ülésén döntést hozott arról, hogy az eszperantó elő idegen nyelvnek minősül. Erről a döntésről tájékoztattam az Eszperantó Szövetség elnökét, valamint a felsőoktatási intézmények vezetőit|website=eszperanto.hu|access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref> and examinations in Esperanto may be used to meet the requirements of knowledge of foreign languages needed to complete university or high school. Every year, since 2001, between 1000 and 3000 people have passed examinations in Esperanto, making up for a sum of more than 35,000 up to 2016; it is recognised by the Hungarian state.<ref>See [http://www.eszperanto.hu/hu-lernejo.htm Esperanto teaching in Hungary], [[:eo:Statistiko de Esperantujo#Hungario|Esperanto statistics]]; revuo Esperanto, 12/2010, p. 246</ref> The Hungarian census 2001 found 4575 Esperanto speakers in Hungary (4407 of them learned the language, for 168 of them it is a family or native language); in 2011 it found 8397 Esperanto speakers.<ref>The number should be higher, if one considers the number of about 35,000 Esperanto exams between 2001 and 2015.</ref> In 1990 there were only 2083 Esperanto speakers in Hungary following the census.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ksh.hu/nepszamlalas/docs/tables/regional/00/00_1_1_4_2_en.xls|title=Hungarian Central Statistical Office – Census 2011, languages|website=ksh.hu|access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref>

Esperanto is not mentioned by the EU Commission as an EU language; the Commission mentions only official, indigenous regional and minority languages as well as languages of immigrants.<ref>See for instance "[http://ec.europa.eu/languages/languages-of-europe/index_en.htm EU Languages and Language policy]" or "[http://ec.europa.eu/languages/orphans/european-day-of-languages_en.htm European Day of Languages]"</ref> Following estimates there are approximately 100,000 Europeans sometimes using Esperanto (and several millions having learned Esperanto); the language has several thousand native speakers, some of them of the second or third generation.<ref>Harald Haarmann (2002, Kleines Lexikon der Sprachen. Von Albanisch bis Zulu. 2nd ed. Beck. {{ISBN|978-3-406-49423-9}}. p. 115/117) speaks about several thousand people speaking Esperanto as native language, see [http://www.fischer-zim.ch/esperanto/lingvaj-temoj/haarmann--leksikono-eo.htm Haarmann (Lexikon)]. Also [http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/esperanto-encyc.htm The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics], ed. R.E. Asher, Oxford: Pergamon, 1994 (vol. 3, pages 1143–1145).</ref>

The European party [[Europe – Democracy – Esperanto]] seeks to establish the [[constructed language|planned language]] as an official [[second language]] in the EU in order to make international communication more efficient and fair in economical and philosophical terms. They are based on the conclusions of the Grin Report,<ref name="grin">{{cite web |last=Grin |first=François |date=October 2005 |title=L'enseignement des langues étrangères comme politique publique |url=https://www.vie-publique.fr/rapport/27650-lenseignement-des-langues-etrangeres-comme-politique-publique |access-date=28 August 2023 |page=7 |language=fr}}</ref> which concluded that it would hypothetically allow savings to the EU of €25 billion a year (€54 for every citizen) and have other benefits. However, the EU Parliament has stated clearly that language education is the responsibility of member states.<ref name="esperanto"/>

The European Esperanto Union also promotes Esperanto as the [[international auxiliary language]] of Europe.<ref>{{cite web |date=Dec 15, 2009 |title=AP News - Europe marks 150th birthday of Esperanto creator |url=http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/12/15/europe_marks_150th_birthday_of_esperanto_creator |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071220/http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/12/15/europe_marks_150th_birthday_of_esperanto_creator |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=1 May 2015 |publisher=[[AP News]] |via=townhall.com}}</ref>

==Knowledge==
The main official sources of information on the EU citizens' levels of [[language proficiency]] are the [[Eurobarometer|Special Eurobarometers]] no. 243 (February 2006; field work late 2005), no. 386 (2012), and no. 540 (2023).

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Languages, by speakers as percentage of EU population as of October 2023<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication |title=Special Eurobarometer survey "Europeans and their languages" |date=2024 |publisher=Publications Office |url=https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979 |access-date=23 July 2024 |doi=10.2766/28257 |isbn=978-92-68-12045-3}}</ref>
|-
! Official<br>languages
! [[First language|First <br>language]]
! [[Second language|Additional<br>language]]
! Total
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[English language|English]]
| 2% || '''47%'''|| 50%
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[German language|German]]
| '''19%'''|| 10% || 29%
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[French language|French]]
| 15% || 11% || 25%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| 9% || 7% || 17%
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Italian language|Italian]]
| 13% || 3% || 16%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Polish language|Polish]]
| 9% || 0% || 9%
|- 
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| 5% || 1% || 6%
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Romanian language|Romanian]]
| 4% || 1% || 5%
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Greek language|Greek]]
| 3% || 0% || 3%
|- 
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]
| 3% || 0% || 3%
|- 
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]
| 3% || 0% || 3%
|- 
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Czech language|Czech]]
| 2% || 1% || 3% 
|- 
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]
| 2% || 0% || 3%
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
| 2% || 1% || 3% 
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Danish language|Danish]]
| 1% || 0% || 2% 
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Slovak language|Slovak]]
| 1% || 1% || 2%
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Finnish language|Finnish]]
| 1% || 0% || 1% 
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Croatian language|Croatian]]
| 1% || 1% || 1%
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]
| 1% || 0% || 1% 
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Slovene language|Slovenian]]
| 1% || 0% || 1% 
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Latvian language|Latvian]]
| 0% || 0% || 0% 
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Estonian language|Estonian]]
| 0% || 0% || 0% 
|- 
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Maltese language|Maltese]]
| 0% || 0% || 0% 
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[Irish language|Irish]]
| 0% || 0% || 0% 
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Non-official<br>languages
! [[First language|First <br>language]]
! [[Second language|Additional<br>language]]
! Total
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Russian language|Russian]]
| 1% || 3% || 4%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Catalan language|Catalan]] (s)
| 1% || 1% || 3%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Turkish language|Turkish]]
| 1% || 0% || 1%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Arabic language|Arabic]]
| 0% || 0% || 1% 
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Galician language|Galician]] (s)
| 0% || 0% || 1%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Standard Chinese|Chinese]]
| 0% || 0% || 1%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]]
| 0% || 0% || 0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Albanian language|Albanian]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Low German]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Frisian languages|Frisian]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Basque language|Basque]]
| 0% || 0% || 0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Sámi languages|Sámi]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Yiddish]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| 0% || 0% || 0% 
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Friulian language|Friulia]]
| 0% || 0% || 0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Occitan language|Occitan]]
| 0% || 0% || 0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Romani language|Romani]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Serbian language|Serbian]]/[[Bosnian language|Bosnian]]/[[Montenegrin language|Montenegrin]]
|0%
|0%
|0%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Other
| 0% || 0% || 0%
|}

According to the Special Eurobarometer no. 540, as of 2023, the five most spoken languages in the EU were [[English language|English]] (50%), [[German language|German]] (29%), [[French language|French]] (25%), [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (17%) and [[Italian language|Italian]] (16%). At 19% of the total number of speakers, German was the most widely spoken native language, followed by French (15%), Italian (13%) Polish (9%) and Spanish (9%). The knowledge of foreign languages varied considerably in the specific countries, as the table below shows. The most spoken second or foreign languages in the EU were English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. In the table, boxes coloured light blue mean that the language is an official language of the country, while the main language spoken in the country is coloured dark blue.
<gallery heights="220" widths="220">
File:Knowledge of English EU map.svg|Knowledge of English (2012)<ref name="ebs_386_en">{{cite web |title=Technical Specification |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106183351/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_anx_en.pdf |archive-date=2016-01-06 |mode=cs2}}, in {{cite report |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |title=Europeans and their Languages |date=June 2012 |publisher=European Commission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106183351/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |archive-date=2016-01-06 |url-status=dead |work=Special Eurobarometer 386 |ref={{harvid|Europeans and their Languages|2012}}}}</ref>
File:Knowledge of German EU map (2010).svg|Knowledge of German (2012)<ref name="ebs_386_en" />
File:Knowledge French EU map.svg|Knowledge of French (2012)<ref name="ebs_386_en" />{{efn|Around 40% of Belgium's population are native French speakers.}}
File:Knowledge of Italian EU map.svg|Knowledge of Italian (2012)<ref name="ebs_386_en" />
File:Knowledge of Spanish EU map.svg|Knowledge of Spanish (2012)<ref name="ebs_386_en" />
File:Knowledge of Russian EU map.svg|Knowledge of Russian (2012)<ref name="ebs_386_en" />{{efn|37.5% of Latvia's population<ref>[http://data.csb.gov.lv/DATABASEEN/tautassk/databasetree.asp?lang=1 2000 census results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321200854/http://data.csb.gov.lv/DATABASEEN/tautassk/databasetree.asp?lang=1 |date=21 March 2008 }} — choose "Results of Population Census Year 2000, in short" and "Iedzīvotāju dzimtā valoda un citu valodu prasme"{{in lang|lv}}</ref> and about 30% of Estonia's population are native Russian speakers.}}
</gallery>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Knowledge of languages in EU27 (2023)<ref name=":1" />
|-
! Country
! English
! German
! French
! Spanish
! Italian
! Polish
! Russian
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| European Union<br>(total) || '''50%'''|| 29% || 25% || 17% || 16% || 9%|| 4% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Austria}} || 59% || style="background:#6680cc;" | '''98%'''|| 11% || 4% || 9% || 0%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Belgium}}<sup>1</sup> || '''61%'''|| style="background:#b2c6ff;" | 18% || style="background:#6680cc;" |'''83%''' || 10% || 7% || 1%|| 2% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Bulgaria}} || '''30%'''|| 5% || 3% || 3% || 1% || 0%|| 14% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Croatia}} || '''45%'''|| 15% || 4% || 1% || 8% || 0%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Cyprus}} || '''80%'''|| 7% || 9% || 1% || 3% || 0%|| 5% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Czech Republic}} || '''43%'''|| 20% || 5% || 3% || 2% || 4%|| 15% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Denmark}} || '''90%'''|| 50% || 11% || 9% || 1% || 0%|| 0% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Estonia}} || 59% || 14% || 2% || 2% || 1% || 1%|| '''74%<sup>2</sup>'''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Finland}} || '''82%'''|| 19% || 4% || 4% || 2% || 0%|| 4% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|France}} || 42% || 6% || style="background:#6680cc;" |'''97%'''|| 14% || 5% || 0%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Germany}} || 66% || style="background:#6680cc;" | '''98%'''|| 16% || 8% || 4% || 2%|| 4% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Greece}} || '''52%'''|| 7% || 6% || 2% || 3% || 0%|| 2% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Hungary}} || '''31%'''|| 13% || 2% || 2% || 2% || 0%|| 2% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Ireland}} || style="background:#6680cc;" | '''97%'''|| 7% || 13% || 7% || 2% || 3%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Italy}} || 34% || 4% || 10% || 6% || style="background:#6680cc;" | 97% || 0% || 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Latvia}} || 55% || 18% || 3% || 2% || 1% || 3%|| '''91%<sup>3</sup>'''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Lithuania}} || 45% || 12% || 3% || 1% || 1% || 14%|| '''66%''' 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Luxembourg}} || 71% || style="background:#b2c6ff;" | 66% || style="background:#6680cc;" |'''94%'''|| 15% || 10% || 1%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Malta}} || style="background:#6680cc;" | '''91%'''|| 4% || 13% || 4% || 52% || 0%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Netherlands}} || '''95%'''|| 61% || 27% || 9% || 1% || 0%|| 0% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Poland}} || 31% || 5% || 1% || 1% || 1% || style="background:#6680cc;" | '''97%'''|| 5% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Portugal}} || '''42%'''|| 1% || 13% || 9% || 1% || 0%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Romania}} || '''27%'''|| 3% || 7% || 3% || 3% || 0%|| 1% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Slovakia}} || '''40%'''|| 21% || 2% || 2% || 2% || 2%|| 15% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Slovenia}} || '''62%'''|| 33% || 2% || 4% || 13% || 0%|| 2% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Spain}} || 39% || 3% || 13% || style="background:#6680cc;" | '''97%'''|| 4% || 0%|| 0% 
|-
|style="text-align: left;"| {{nowrap|Sweden}} || '''91%'''|| 25% || 12% || 10% || 3% || 1%|| 1% 
|}

<small>1 ''39% of those who speak French are native speakers, for a total of 83%.''<br>2 ''Includes 25% native speakers''<br>3 ''Includes 28% native speakers''</small>

59% of EU citizens are able to hold a conversation in a language other than their native language, three percent higher than reported in 2012.<ref name="ebs_386_en" /> 28% are able to hold a conversation in at least two foreign languages, 11% are able to hold a conversation in at least three foreign languages, while 39% are only able to speak their native language.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

English remains by far the most widely spoken foreign language throughout Europe. A total of 95% of students in the EU study English at secondary level<ref>{{cite web|author=Euobserver |url=http://euobserver.com/1016/113742 |title=News in Brief / English studied by 95% of EU students |work=EUobserver |date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> and 38% of EU citizens state that they have sufficient skills in English to have a conversation (excluding citizens of Ireland, an English-speaking country). A total of 28% of Europeans indicate that they know either French (14%) or German (14%), along with their native language. French is most commonly studied and used in southern Europe, especially in Mediterranean countries, in Germany, Portugal, Romania, the Benelux countries and Ireland. German, on the other hand, is commonly studied and used in the Benelux countries, in Scandinavia, and in the newer EU member states. Spanish is most commonly studied in France, Italy, Luxembourg, and Portugal. In 19 out of 29 countries polled, English is the most widely known language apart from the native language, this being particularly the case in Sweden (89%), Malta (88%); the Netherlands (87%); and Denmark (86%). A total of 77% of EU citizens believe that children should learn English. English was considered the number one language to learn in all countries where the research was conducted except for Ireland and Luxembourg. English, either as a native language or as a second/foreign language, is spoken by 44% of EU citizens, followed by German with 36% and French with 30%.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

[[File:Deutsch-Français.png|thumb|upright=1.15|The EU enlargements since 1990 have largely favoured the position of German relative to French. The only exceptions are Romania, Cyprus and Malta.<br>'''Red:''' Countries where German is more known than French.<br>'''Blue:''' Countries where French is more known than German.<br>'''Darker colours:''' Native countries.<br>'''Figure:''' year of accession.<br>'''C:''' Candidate country.]]
With the enlargement of the European Union, the balance between French and German is slowly changing. More citizens in the new member states speak German (23% compared with 12% in the EU15) while fewer speak French or Spanish (3% and 1% respectively compared with 16% and 7% among the EU15 group). A notable exception is Romania, where 24% of the population speaks French as a foreign language compared to 6% who speak German as a foreign language. At the same time, the balance is being changed in the opposite direction by growth of the French-speaking population and decrease of the German-speaking population.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

Language skills are unevenly distributed both over the geographical area of Europe and over sociodemographic groups. Reasonably good language competences are perceived in relatively small member states with several state languages, lesser used native languages or "[[language exchange]]" with neighbouring countries. This is the case in Luxembourg, where 92% speak at least two languages. Those who live in southern European countries or countries where one of the major European languages is a state language have a lower likelihood of speaking multiple foreign languages. Only 5% of Turks, 13% of Irish, 16% of Italians, 17% of Spaniards and 18% of Britons speak at least two languages apart from their native language.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

==Working languages==
===European Commission===
While documents for and communication with citizens are in every official EU language as a right, day-to-day work in the [[European Commission]] is based around its three working languages: English, French, and German.<ref>''[http://ec.europa.eu/stages/information/faq_en.htm What are the working languages of the European Commission?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205050340/http://ec.europa.eu/stages/information/faq_en.htm |date=5 February 2016 }}'', europa.eu, 2014.</ref> Of these, English and French are used the most often. The use of English vs. French depends greatly on the unit or directorate. Only a few of the commissioners use a language other than English or French as their working language. German is rarely used as a true working language in the Commission, and German media have called the dominance of English and French a discrimination against German (which is the most spoken mother tongue of the EU) and a violation of the regulations pertaining to the EU's working languages.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/article6544187/Warum-Deutsch-in-der-EU-diskriminiert-wird.html|title=Sprache: Warum Deutsch in der EU diskriminiert wird - WELT|newspaper=Die Welt|date=25 February 2010}}</ref> The German [[Bundestag]] has repeatedly called for German to receive an equal position in the Commission alongside English and French.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article210692/EU-Kommission-soll-Deutsch-als-Sprache-nutzen.html|title=EU-Kommission soll Deutsch als Sprache nutzen: - WELT|newspaper=Die Welt|date=12 April 2006}}</ref> The language situation has also disappointed many in France,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4840160.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Chirac upset by English address | date=24 March 2006}}</ref> and [[Kristalina Georgieva]], who is from Bulgaria, gained a round of applause when she told the European Parliament she would learn French while in the Commission.<ref>{{cite web|last=Morris |first=Harvey |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ba88c07a-1414-11df-8847-00144feab49a |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ba88c07a-1414-11df-8847-00144feab49a.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=French language losing its cachet? Au contraire! |work=Financial Times |date=7 February 2010}}</ref>

Use of German has, however, been increasing in EU institutions, as has the number of people learning the language across Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/we-will-all-be-speaking-german-soon-language-brussels/|title = We'll all be speaking German soon|date = 26 June 2020}}</ref>

===European Parliament===
{{main|European Parliament#Translation and interpretation}}
The European Parliament translates its proceedings into all official languages so that fellow MEPs can understand them better than if they had the delayed translation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Languages |url=https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/languages_en |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=european-union.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref> Committee meetings also often default to the language most understood by those attending instead of listening to the translation.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Court of Justice of the European Union===
{{Main|European Court of Justice#Procedure and working languages}}
The working language of the Court of Justice of the European Union is French. The judges deliberate in French, [[pleading]]s and written legal submissions are translated into French, and the judgment is drafted in French.<ref>{{citation |last=Sharpston|first=Eleanor V. E. |title=Appendix 5: Written Evidence of Advocate General Sharpston |work=The Workload of the Court of Justice of the European Union |publisher=House of Lords European Union Committee |date=29 March 2011 |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldselect/ldeucom/128/12816.htm |access-date=27 August 2013}}</ref> The Advocates-General, by contrast, may work and draft their opinions in any official language, as they do not take part in any deliberations. These opinions are then translated into French for the benefit of the judges and their deliberations.<ref>On the Linguistic Design of Multinational Courts—The French Capture, forthcoming in 14 INT’L J. CONST. L. (2016), MATHILDE COHEN</ref>

===European Central Bank===
{{Main|European Central Bank#Languages}}
The working language of the [[European Central Bank]] is English.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

==Policy==
The European Union's legal powers on legislative acts and other initiatives on language policy are based on the provisions of the [[Treaties of the European Union]]. In the EU, [[language policy]] is the responsibility of member states, and the European Union does not have a common "language policy". Based on the principle of [[subsidiarity]], European Union institutions play a supporting role in this field, promoting cooperation between the member states and promoting the European dimension in the member states' language policies, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of the languages of the member states (Article 149.2).<ref>{{CELEX|12002E/TXT|text=Treaty establishing the European Community (Consolidated version 2002)}}, Articles 149 to 150</ref><ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/facts/4_16_3_en.htm European Parliament Fact Sheets: 4.16.3. Language policy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219033654/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/facts/4_16_3_en.htm |date=19 February 2007 }}, ''European Parliament website''. Retrieved 3 February 2007.</ref> The rules governing the languages of the institutions of the Community shall, without prejudice to the provisions contained in the Statute of the Court of Justice, be determined by the council, acting unanimously (Article 290). All languages, in which{{Fix|text=word missing?}} was originally drawn up or was translated due to enlargement, are legally equally authentic. Every citizen of the Union may write to any of the EU institutions or bodies in one of these languages and receive an answer in the same language (Article 24 TFEU).{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

In the [[Charter of Fundamental Rights]], legally binding since its inclusion in the [[Treaty of Lisbon]], the EU declares that it respects linguistic diversity (Article 22) and prohibits discrimination on grounds of language (Article 21). Respect for linguistic diversity is a fundamental value of the European Union, in the same way as respect for the person, openness towards other cultures, and tolerance and acceptance of other people.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Initiatives===

Although not an EU treaty, most EU member states have ratified the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=148&CM=8&DF=&CL=ENG |title=European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages CETS No.: 148 |publisher=Conventions.coe.int |access-date=17 May 2009 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707015621/http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=148&CM=8&DF=&CL=ENG |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|European Union|Languages}}
* [[Euromosaic]]
* [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] (ECRML) – a 1992 [[Council of Europe]] treaty
* [[Languages of Europe]]
** [[English language in Europe]]
** [[French language in Europe]]
** [[German language in Europe]]
* [[European Day of Languages]]{{spaced ndash}} 26 September
* [[Language and the euro]]
* [[Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union]] (CDT) – [[Inter-Active Terminology for Europe]] (IATE)

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
=== Special Eurobarometers ===
* {{Cite book |last1=Directorate-General for Education and Culture |authorlink1=Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture |date=February 2006 |title=Special Eurobarometer 243: Europeans and their Languages. (Fieldwork: November – December 2005. Publication: February 2006). |url=https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/518 |location=Brussels |publisher=European Commission |pages=176 |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821064912/https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/ebsm/api/public/deliverable/download?doc=true&deliverableId=37732 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |ref={{refsfn|Special Eurobarometer 243|2006}}}}
* {{cite book |last1=Directorate-General for Education and Culture |authorlink1=Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |title=Special Eurobarometer 386: Europeans and their Languages. (Fieldwork: February – March 2012. Publication: June 2012). |date=June 2012 |location=Brussels |publisher=European Commission |pages=147 |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106183351/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |archive-date=2016-01-06 |url-status=dead |ref={{refsfn|Special Eurobarometer 386|2012}}}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Directorate-General for Education and Culture |authorlink1=Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture |date=May 2024 |title=Special Eurobarometer 540: Europeans and their Languages. (Fieldwork: September – October 2023. Publication: May 2024). |url=https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2979 |location=Brussels |publisher=European Commission |pages=181 |isbn=978-92-68-12045-3 |doi=10.2766/28257 |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821065557/https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/ebsm/api/public/deliverable/download?doc=true&deliverableId=92148 |archive-date=21 August 2024 |ref={{refsfn|Special Eurobarometer 540|2024}}}}

=== Further reading ===
* {{cite journal |author1=Sabine Fiedler |title=Approaches to fair linguistic communication |journal=European Journal of Language Policy |date=2010 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=1–21 |doi=10.3828/ejlp.2010.2 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/35515178/Fiedler-Approaches-to-Fair-Linguistic-Communication|access-date=30 July 2018|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Gazzola |first1=Michele |title=Managing multilingualism in the European Union: language policy evaluation for the European Parliament |journal=Language Policy |date=4 October 2006 |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=395–419 |doi=10.1007/s10993-006-9032-5 |s2cid=53576362 |language=en |issn=1568-4555|url=https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:110594 }}
* Hogan-Brun, Gabrielle and Stefan Wolff. 2003. Minority Languages in Europe: Frameworks, Status, Prospects. Palgrave. {{ISBN|1-4039-0396-4}}
* Nic Craith, Máiréad. 2005. ''Europe and the Politics of Language: Citizens, Migrants and Outsiders''. Palgrave. {{ISBN|1-4039-1833-3}}
* Richard L. Creech, "Law and Language in the European Union: The Paradox of a Babel ‘United in Diversity’" (Europa Law Publishing: Groningen, 2005) {{ISBN|90-76871-43-4}}
* Shetter, William Z., [https://web.archive.org/web/20060627014505/http://home.bluemarble.net/~langmin/miniatures/eulangs.htm EU Language Year 2001: Celebrating diversity but with a hangover], ''Language Miniature'' No 63.
* Shetter, William Z., [https://web.archive.org/web/20060627014310/http://home.bluemarble.net/~langmin/miniatures/Qvalue.htm Harmony or Cacophony: The Global Language System], ''Language Miniature'' No 96.
* Van der Jeught, Stefaan (2015). EU Language Law, Groningen: Europa Law Publishing, {{ISBN|9789089521729}}.
* Alice Leal, Seán Ó Riain, Language Policy and the Future of Europe, Routledge, 2023
* Pierrick Bruyas, Le multilinguisme de l'Union européenne : Etude d'un modèle de l'intégration, Larcier, 2025, {{ISBN|978-2-8027-7590-4}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Languages of Europe}}
* [http://europa.eu/languages/en/home Europa: Languages and Europe] – The European Union portal on languages
* [http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Foreign_language_learning_statistics Eurostat: Foreign language learning statistics (Jan. 2016)]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages_en.html European Commission > Education and Training > Policy Areas > Languages]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/index_en.htm European Commission Directorate-General for Translation (DGT)]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/scic/ European Commission Directorate-General for Interpretation (former SCIC)]
* [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20080224213920/http://publications.europa.eu/index_en.htm European Union Publications Office]
* [http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-370200.htm European Union interinstitutional style guide]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/translation/reading/articles/tools_and_workflow_en.htm Translation tools and workflow]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/sep/26/europeans-multiple-languages-uk-ireland Most Europeans can speak multiple languages. UK and Ireland not so much]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5775673/EC-XA-12-001-EN.PDF/917d3746-886e-456a-8b01-1971013d1cef Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe - 2012 Edition]

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