Overview

• Denmark’s EU Council presidency has accepted Spain’s request to debate adding Catalan, Basque and Galician as official languages at the July 18 General Affairs Council
• Previous efforts under Hungary and Poland stalled over a lack of unanimous support after the proposal’s initial March 2024 debate under Belgium
• Spain has vowed to cover the European Commission’s estimated €132 million annual translation costs and submitted a legal report to address potential treaty reopening concerns
• Key EU powers including Germany, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Finland and Sweden have expressed doubts over financial burdens and legal implications
• Supporters such as Romania, Belgium, Slovenia, Portugal, Denmark and Malta underscore the deep diplomatic divisions over language recognition