EU language policy:

[Harold F. Schiffman]

eu language policy

Posted by cb on February 19th 2007 to harmonisation

This post by Peter Sain ley Berry at euobserver suggests there should be a
single language policy in the EU:

Surely it is time for the EU to recognise that much would be gained from
formally adopting a Single Language Policy to lay alongside the Single
Currency and the Single Market? The contest between English and French -
German has never really been in the running - has been effectively settled
according to alphabetical order. With globalisation and with the
enlargement of the EU that result was inevitable. Yet we persist in
denying reality.

It would be rational now to cut through the endgame and to implement a
Single Language Policy directly. This would mean only one official
language - English - for the whole Union. Not having to produce official
legal texts in all 23 languages would entail significant advantage in
terms of efficiency and cost.  Moreover, the longer we delay the harder we
make transnational debate across the European public space. Of course,
such a move would be controversial and politically difficult.  But that
does not make it wrong. Of course, Europes linguistic heritage is of
immense value; I do not want nor expect to see French, German or any other
language fall away at the national level. But apart from satisfying
national pride do we support a language by making it official? If all EU
business were conducted, and texts formalised, solely in English that
would not mean that we shouldnt speak French in France, or German in
Germany or Spanish in Spain. But in Brussels we should surely speak
English. Otherwise our love of languages may strangle us.

http://eulaw07.umlaw.net/2007/02/19/eu-language-policy/

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