The European Union and minority languages: Evolution, achievements and contradictions in the light of the Treaty of Lisbon

Abstract

The issue of minorities has long been perceived as an obstacle to European integration. This paper seeks to unravel the complex nature of minority language (ML) policy in the European Union (EU), arguing that a long way has been travelled since 1981. From that moment onwards, the European Parliament (EP) began dealing with minority issues starting from the functional area of minority languages (MLs). This has led to two outcomes: on the one hand, with the Treaty of Lisbon (ToL) the EU has finally adopted a more embracing notion of minority rights, recognizing linguistic diversity and the protection of the persons belonging to minorities as part of its fundamental values; on the other hand, the European Commission is increasingly active in supporting the promotion of ML through financial programmes. This is evidence that ML policy at the European level, complementary to those of the single Member States, is very fragmented and barely structured, but still effective in so far as it legally protects and financially supports ML.