On 19 September 2023, Spain’s national parliament approved a reform allowing MPs to speak in the regional languages Basque, Catalan and Galician during debates — alongside Spanish. The change was part of a deal by the caretaker government to secure support from Catalan and Basque-region parties following an inconclusive election. The reform came with the promise of translation and interpretation systems. Some opposition parties, including the far-right, walked out in protest. The article notes that Spain continues to push these languages for recognition at EU level, yet faces resistance from other Member States over costs and precedent.
This is a noteworthy shift: from regional co-official languages being used locally and in autonomous community institutions to being formally recognised at the national legislative level. It signals a step in the “normalisation” of these languages in Spain’s public and political life.
From a European multilingualism viewpoint, a few aspects stand out:
- The move reflects the institutional recognition of linguistic diversity within a state: by enabling Basque, Catalan and Galician in national parliament, Spain is acknowledging that Spanish alone does not suffice for the full political representation of its multilingual society.
- However, the bump-up from national to EU level is yet uncertain: Spain is also pushing for these languages to become official in the European Union, but as the article shows others are wary. This illustrates the gap between “recognition in national law” and “recognition in supranational institutions”.
- From the perspective of translation, localisation and language professions: if these languages gain more institutional recognition (national + EU), then the demand for high-quality translation, interpreting, terminological corpora and multilingual digital services will grow. The fact that Spain promises to fund translation costs adds a concrete professional dimension: the shift is not purely symbolic.
- There is also the risk of precedent effects: as countries grant greater status to regional/minority languages, the institutional costs (translation, interpreting, published materials, digital services) mount. Other EU states and institutions are sensitive to this.
- Politically, the change is entangled with power-sharing deals and party support. That means language recognition is not only cultural/educational, but deeply political. Recognition can follow negotiation leverage, rather than pure linguistic rights logic.
- What do you make of the idea that regional languages like Basque, Catalan and Galician are being empowered at national level? Does this strengthen or fragment national cohesion in your view?
- If these languages were recognised at EU level, what professional or educational opportunities (translation, localisation, terminology, digital services) might open up — and what obstacles might appear?
- Do you think recognition of languages in institutions should be driven by speaker numbers, historic use, identity politics, or economic/technical viability? Which criteria matter the most?
Would love to hear your perspectives!