2022 marks the inclusion of Irish as the official language and working language of the European Union. Bringing the language back to the central stage is part of the EU’s move to revalue indigenous and minority languages. The beginning of the end of English language dominance?

The complex journey of Gaelic language integration in the European Union

Ireland became the official language of the Irish Union when it joined the European Union in 1973. Similarly, from that date the texts were translated into Gaelic. However, they were the only European documents translated into Irish. Ireland became the official language of the European Union in 2007 at the request of Dublin. However, due to a shortage of translators, the council allowed a special dispensation of the language, which limited the translation of documents into Gaelic. Of course, if Gaelic is the first official language of the Irish Republic of Ireland and is considered a vernacular in Northern Ireland, it is rarely spoken: in Europe, less than 2% of the population speaks it.

In 2015, Ireland reiterated its call for Irish to be the working language of the European Union, and the humiliation would be phased out in subsequent years. Thus, the amount of documents available in Irish, from legislation to Internet content, tripled between January 2016 and April 2021. January 1, 2022 marks the official end to the humiliation that has been in effect since 2007. So Irish becomes the official language and function of the European Union: Institutions are now obliged to translate all their documents into the Gaelic.

Confirmation of a national identity

Adding Gaelic as the official language and working language is no small feat. On the contrary, it is a powerful symbol. Thus, Irish President Michael de Higgins welcomed the new concentration of the country’s first official language: ” Today is an important day for the language. […] This absolute privilege is an important international recognition of our unique identity as a people of our own language, used in conjunction with all other languages ​​we use and respect. He insisted on Gaelic’s rediscovered place in the Union, “establishing our language as equal to the language of the founding members of the Union and subsequent member states thereof.”

European institutions increased the protection of indigenous and minority languages

Multilingualism is enshrined in Article 41 of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, which values ​​primary law. Thus, according to the Charter Anyone can contact the union institutions in one of the languages ​​of the treaty, and the answer must be in the same language. On the part of the Council of Europe, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Local and Minority Languages ​​aim to promote the day-to-day use of these languages, especially in education and public services. However, Ireland refused to sign the charter because Gaelic was already one of its two official languages ​​and had no language to defend it, so it did not want to sign it. However, these different texts show the growing consideration of multilingualism in institutions and a general movement to re-evaluate the vernacular and minority languages ​​of Europe.

The end of English domination?

Brexit clearly changed the situation in linguistics in the European Union. While English remains the official language of the two member states of Ireland and Malta, many actors are calling for an end to the widespread use of the English language in European institutions.

Do not forget that the EU represents a unique system of translation, translators translate debates in the European Parliament instantly into 24 languages ​​and translate hundreds of official documents into writing.

Union institutions use three main working languages: English, French, and German. However, English remains the “majority” language there: it qualifies as a “procedural” language in the Brussels bubble, and is widely used for informal documents such as institutional corridors. It represents one-third of the European budget set aside for translation; This budget burden reflects the importance of the English language in the European Union even after Brexit.

However, some states are trying to change the rules of the game.

The recent revaluation of the Irish is certainly not trivial. This should be understood in the context of the post-Brexit agreement, which was the result of difficult negotiations on the return of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Indeed, the Republic of Ireland remains in the European Union, while the United Kingdom’s leaving its northern neighbor, the EU, as a territory raises fears of a resurgence of conflict between the two regions. Does the fact that Irish is the official and working language in 2022 represent the affirmative action of the Republic of Ireland against its English neighbors and its efforts to bring Northern Ireland closer together?

France is far behind in these linguistic debates. This is evidenced by the fact that Emmanuel Macron used French only once in all events related to the French presidency of the European Union from January to June 2022. Translating French into the “procedural” language of Brussels – replacing English in this case – will inevitably strengthen France’s burden within institutions, so that French civil servants in the European Union will “benefit”. As one of the three main languages ​​used in institutions – along with English and German – French already has an advantage. Would France like to use French instead of English domination within the institutions of the European Union to strengthen its diplomatic burden?

An even stronger multilingualism within institutions should be prioritized and the concept of “procedural” language forgotten. However, it should be borne in mind that this solution will incur additional translation costs for an already very high budget, and will often be detrimental to the ease of communication between English-speaking union officials. However, European documents translated and designed in all the languages ​​of European citizens would have the advantage of bringing them closer to the “higher European regions”. The future of Europe.