ELEN Press Releases
ELEN set for EESC Civil Society Week 2026
From Monday March 2nd to Thursday March 5th 2026, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will bring together the main European civil society organisations from across Europe to discuss, debate and contribute to shaping the future of democracy and building...
UN Special Rapporteur for Minorities slams EU for its lack of protection of European minoritized languages.
Speaking in Brussels today, the UN Special Rapporteur for Minority Issues, Nicolas Levrat, strongly criticised the EU over its double standards regarding minority protection in general and the continuing lack of protection for European minoritized and endangered...
ELEN calls on EU to take action to protect European minoritised languages at the UN Forum for Minority Issues
ELEN has issued a formal statement at the UN Forum for Minority Issues in Geneva calling on the EU to take action to protect European minoritized and endangered languages, something that the EU is required to do under Article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty. The statement,...
Events
Unlike most European languages — which belong to the Indo-European family — Basque developed independently and has no confirmed genetic links to its neighbours. A plausible historical connection identified by scholars is with Aquitanian, a language spoken two thousand years ago in what is now southwestern France 📜
Despite centuries of language policies designed to eradicate it, Basque has survived where many other ancient European languages disappeared. Today it is spoken across Euskal Herria on both sides of the western Pyrenees by around 900,000 people ⚖️
Its unique origin and continuous literary tradition since the 16th century make it one of Europe’s most remarkable languages. For more information see Etxepare Euskal Institutua. The NGO Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua represents Euskara in ELEN.
#LinguisticRights #minoritisedlanguages #EndangeredLanguages #LinguisticDiversity #languagepolicy #Basque #euskara
We’re sharing a selection of recent developments connected to Europe’s lesser-used and minoritised languages. From community initiatives supporting Galician and Korrika 2026 celebrating the Basque language, to an international symposium on minoritised languages and football in Barcelona, the opening of nominations for the Linguapax International Award, the closure of a Breton immersion school in Brittany, and protests highlighting the housing crisis affecting Irish-speaking Gaeltacht communities, these stories show both the efforts to promote linguistic diversity and the challenges faced by minoritised languages across Europe. 🗣️🏃♂️⚽📚🏫🏠
Stay tuned to learn more about these initiatives, developments, and challenges, and about the people and organisations working every day to keep Europe’s languages visible, active and thriving. 🌍
Queremos Galego! Plataforma per la Llengua Tinteán Thír Chonaill Diwan European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística Conradh na Gaeilge AEK Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua @followers Lingua Pax
#LanguageRights #LinguisticDiversity #ELEN #minoritisedlanguages #euskaragara
