France “is not hostile” to Spain’s proposal to make Catalan official in the EU

2023-10-31 18:53:01

An unexpected and important ally to achieve officialization of Catalan in the European Union. Spanish diplomatic sources have explained that French authorities do not object at the will of the Government of Pedro Sanchez to achieve the recognition of Catalan as an official language of the EU, one of the demands of the Junts independentists to invest the socialist leader. “France wants to facilitate“the composition of a new Executive in Spain and “is not hostile to the Government’s request,” these sources have indicated to EL PERIÓDICO, from the Prensa Ibérica group, and other Spanish media.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, already said last week on TV3 that “the important thing is not speed, but achieving the objective.” In fact, he implied that it is a long process. At the earliest, and barring any surprises, there will not be a vote until next year in Brussels.

Reluctance from Latvia, Finland and Sweden

The Spanish request has, however, the advantage that has not received the refusal of Germany or France, the two main powers of community organization. A support that did not seem so evident at first, especially in the French case. In the neighboring country there are more than 70 regional languages (Breton, Alsatian, Catalan, Basque and a long etcetera), but none of them is recognized as official. Furthermore, they are relegated to a very secondary role in public education, the media and most areas.

However, Paris “considers strategic stability in Catalonia and Spain“, these sources explain. For this reason, France, at least “for the moment” – a nuance with some relevance – does not represent an obstacle to achieving the officialization of Catalan, and then Basque and Galician, in the EU. The negotiations to achieve this objective are predicted to be complex. Other Member States – smaller and with less weight in the bloc – have already expressed their reluctance, such as Finland, Sweden, Latvia or other countries in the east of the Old Continent. Due to the presence of a significant Russophone minority, with hostile linguistic treatment by the Latvian State, the Baltic country may be one of the most difficult to convince to support the Spanish request.

“A Frenchman can claim different languages”

In the case of France, however, the issue of so-called regional languages ​​does not generate great interest in the media and political spheres. The Spanish Government’s request to achieve European official status for Catalan has had a minimalist impact in the French media. All this offers greater room for maneuver to the Government of Emmanuel Macron.

The French president expressed on Monday his desire that these regional languages ​​have a little more presence in French education. “A Frenchman can perfectly claim different linguistic affiliations. Everyone has the right to know, speak or transmit his or her language or languages. This is a non-negotiable right,” he said in his speech at the inauguration of a state museum dedicated to French in Villers-Cotterets, in the north of France. Although Macron does not contemplate recognizing the official status of any of these regional minority languages ​​in his country, he does not have a hostile position against them either.