Spain withdraws vote to make Catalan official EU language 

Doubts from several member states jeopardized proposal, which requires unanimous support

General Affairs Council debate making Catalan, Basque and Galician official languages in the EU
General Affairs Council debate making Catalan, Basque and Galician official languages in the EU / EBS
Catalan News

Catalan News | @catalannews | Barcelona

December 11, 2023 05:01 PM

December 11, 2023 05:16 PM

The Spanish government has decided not to hold the vote on giving official status to Catalan, Galician and Basque languages in the European Union, diplomatic sources have confirmed to the Catalan News Agency (ACN).   

Tuesday's General Affairs Council was the last chance that Spain had to approve the proposal during its presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will be handed over to Belgium in 2024.

Spain's decision comes amid various member states' doubts on the matter, concerning economic, political and legal terms, further exacerbating the stagnation of Catalan's official status in the EU.

The proposal to legally change the language policy of the EU is an issue that requires unanimous support from the 27 member states.