Europe's Languages Charter – 25 years later
25th anniversary of the adoption of the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages
To mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages by the Council of Europe, diverse MEPs intervened in the European Parliament's Strasbourg Plenary session in their own native languages.
The MEPs included President of the EFA Group in the European Parliament, Josep-Maria Terricabras who spoke entirely in Catalan, and who proposed the initiative to other MEPs.
The initiative was supported by the European Parliament's Intergroup for traditional minorities, national communities and languages, which brings together MEPs from across the political spectrum in support of language rights.
In his speech, Josep-Maria Terricabras called for the European Parliament to truly reflect Europe's linguistic diversity in its work.
He said: "Language isn't solely a means of communication, it is the environment in which we live, it is who we are. Our native language helps us learn other languages. Mutual understanding between languages, rather than imposition, has always helped understanding between peoples, and supported peace."
