Spain links EU enlargement to recognition of regional languages

The Spanish government plans to issue an ultimatum to European Union member states next Tuesday, linking the accession of new members to the official recognition of Catalan, Basque, and Galician as EU languages. This move follows more than a year of stagnation regarding the status of these regional languages in Brussels.

However, several EU member states have reportedly reacted with indifference to the proposal. Diplomatic sources suggest the threat of a veto is viewed as “empty,” noting that the EU enlargement process is based on the merits of candidate countries and is legally distinct from the issue of co-official languages. Some officials also criticized the move as an attempt to involve domestic political agreements in international EU affairs.