ELEN Press Releases
ELEN calls for new European Strategic Framework for European endangered and minoritised languages..
ELEN has called for a new European Strategic Framework for European endangered and minoritised languages at the recent EESC Civil Society Week. ELEN Secretary-General Davyth Hicks called for new measures in the March 5th session on building resilience along with NGOs...
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...
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Language, Love and Literature in Catalunya馃悏
脪mnium Cultural Plataforma per la Llengua CIEMEN Acci贸 Cultural del Pa铆s Valenci脿 Obra Cultural Balear Escola Valenciana
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Literature, Languages and Equality
World Book Day is celebrated every 23rd of April and was established by UNESCO in 1995 to promote reading, publishing, and access to knowledge. The date is symbolically associated with major writers such as Cervantes and Shakespeare. Its origins go back to the 1920s in Spain, where a Valencian publisher promoted a Day of the Book, first in October and later moved to April 23rd.
Books play a key role in preserving and transmitting languages, helping communities maintain their identity, history, and collective memory. This is especially important in Europe, where linguistic diversity is valued but many languages are still minoritised in publishing and cultural industries. Supporting literature in these languages involves sustaining authors, translators, publishers, and booksellers who help keep them alive.
The day also highlights the importance of copyright, intellectual creation, and initiatives like UNESCO鈥檚 World Book Capital. Overall, it emphasizes that access to reading and the right to create in one鈥檚 own language are essential for a more equal, democratic, and culturally diverse society.馃摉