ELEN Press Releases

(French version below) The European Language Equality Network and its member organisations in France have delivered a formal complaint to the United Nations regarding the continuing discrimination against territorial languages by the French state. The move comes after...

Bretons, Basques, Catalans, Corsicans, Occitans, Alsatians, Flamands, Gallo, Picards, Savoyards - thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday to defend immersion education in territorial languages, following the controversial censuring of the Molac Law by the...

The European Language Equality Network have called on President Macron to take urgent action to secure the future of territorial languages. The call comes the day before an general mobilisation of ELEN member organisations and partners where a total of 48...

Langues régionales: 70 ans après la loi Deixonne, la France doit rattraper le reste de l'Europe. (English below) Cher/ Chère Député, Le Réseau européen pour l'égalité des langues, l'ONG internationale pour la protection et la promotion des langues européennes moins...

CALL TO DEMONSTRATE IN SUPPORT OF THE BRETON LANGUAGE ON SATURDAY MARCH 13th in KEMPER. ELEN member organisations in Brittany, such as the parents’ association for state bilingual education (DIV YEZH BREIZH), the network of Breton-medium schools (DIWAN), the Breton...

ELEN statement to the French Government regarding the Diwan Breton immersion schools/ Déclaration d'ELEN au gouvernement français concernant les écoles bilingues en immersion en langue bretonne Diwan.  20th February 2021  Dear President Macron, On behalf of the...

The European Language Equality Network held its autumn Steering Committee meeting online on Friday (23rd October) with presentations on the effects and consequences of COVID-19 on lesser-used language communities from UN Special Rapporteur Fernand de Varennes, and...

The European Language Equality Network has welcomed the adoption by Spain of the majority of recommendations made by States in the UN Universal Periodic Review on human rights. However, serious challenges remain in particular regarding rights to freedom of expression...

The European Language Equality Network joins with the Council of Europe and the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities in the call to ensure that all States communicate in their co-official, ‘regional’, indigenous, endangered or minority languages during the...

Spain’s human rights performance was reviewed by the United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review on Wednesday  (22nd January), with 15 States calling on Spain to guarantee the right to freedom of expression and protest in what the Catalan Foreign Minister has called a...

Language NGOs demonstrated in Paris on Saturday 30th November in protest over French Government proposals to reform education. The proposals will undermine the teaching of the lesser-used languages in the French state such as Basque, Catalan, Breton, Alsacian,...

The European Language Equality Network has called for a new UN instrument to protect minoritised, indigenous and endangered languages at the Forum for Minority Issues held at the UN in Geneva. This year’s Forum, focusing on education, language and the human rights of...