Statement by the ACUP on the official status of Catalan in Europe

Catalan is part of Europe's cultural heritage and is the mother tongue and every day use language of many European citizens, also in the academic field. Catalan is the working language of Catalonia's public universities, active and committed partners of the European university and research ecosystem. Moreover, Catalan is an official language in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia and Andorra. The Catalan-speaking community comprises 10 million people, approximately 2% of the European Union population.

The petition to make Catalan an official language would allow Catalan to be used in the deliberations of the European Parliament, but its significance goes much further. Recognising Catalan as an official language will allow these European citizens to address European institutions and courts in their language, contributing to its full normalisation and allowing actions on key areas such as the labelling of products in Catalan.

The rectors of the ACUP request the member states of the European Union to approve the official status of Catalan in the European institutions, in line with the recent incorporation of Catalan into the Erasmus platform. This decision will undoubtedly strengthen the policy of recognition of linguistic rights and equality among all European citizens. A decision, in sum, that will honour the claim that links us, European citizens, together: united in diversity.

Barcelona, 17 September 2023