Written answers
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Department of An Taoiseach
EU Regulations
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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56. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the progress made regarding amending Regulation No 1/1958 to include Catalan, Basque and Galician in the EU’s language regime; if Ireland will continue to support such an amendment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6957/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has always been a strong proponent of multilingualism and encouraging of the greatest possible access by all EU citizens to the EU and its Institutions and highlighted this at the General Affairs Council in September 2023 where the proposal from the Spanish Government was first discussed. It was clear at that meeting that further consideration of all potential implications, including any legal, financial and administrative impacts, was needed for the Council to come to a considered decision on the matter. Ireland welcomed Spain's commitment to provide this additional information.
At the General Affairs Council on the 12 December 2023, there was an exchange of views on the proposal. Belgium indicated that they would take the file forward under their Presidency of the Council of the European Union, however the proposal has not yet been discussed at the General Affairs Council or at the Committee of the Permanent Representatives in 2024.
While further discussions are awaited, along with a greater assessment of the implications, Member States, including Ireland, have been generally supportive of the proposal, in recognition of the importance we place on multilingualism.
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