ELEN Steering Committee Meeting
2024-06-14 13:00 - 18:00 (Europe/Brussels) | Barcelona, Catalonia

ELEN - CATESCO CONFERENCE: "Protecting Education in Minoritised Languages, Strengthening Language Rights: How to Progress?
2024-06-15 | Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Carrer del Carme 47, Barcelona, Carrer del Carme 47, Barcelona, Catalonia.
(Catalan version below)
Venue: Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Carrer del Carme, 47, 08001 Barcelona. Catalonia.
Date: Saturday June 15th 2024, 9.30-17.30.
What are the objectives of the conference?
The conference, in partnership with CATESCO, with the collaboration of Omnium Cultural, and with the support of the Catalan Government, has two main objectives. Firstly, to work to further develop awareness on territorial/minoritized language (RML) rights, in particular the role of education and immersion programmes in the normal use of these languages in society, taking as one reference the case of Catalonia. Secondly, to examine what actions NGOs can take to protect RMLs that will have a lasting and substantive effect.
What is the target audience?
The conference is open to everyone interested in linguistic rights, the role of education in the normalization of the language, and in the defense and promotion of linguistic immersion systems from a legal perspective. It is especially aimed at civil society organisations working in the field of human rights and language rights, educationalists, public administrators, policymakers, and trade unions.
Who will be speaking?
The conference will feature presentations from the UN Special Rapporteur for Minorities, the Council of Europe’s ECRML Committee of Experts and Advisory Committee of the Framework Convention for National Minorities, a UNESCO education specialist, legal experts on strategic litigation, academic experts on immersion education, policymakers, and civil society representatives from ELEN. Participants will also be able to contribute to the discussions.
The event will have simultaneous English-Catalan translation and lunch will be provided by the organisers. Below you can find the conference programme and the link to the online registration form.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
09.00 | Arrival and Accreditation: Participants collect conference badges, programme and headsets.
09.30 | Welcome Remarks

Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, ELEN President
Maria Corominas i Piulats, CATESCO Representative
Xavier Antich i Valero, President Òmnium Cultural
Adam Majó Garriga, Catalan Government, Director-General Human Rights.

Moderator: Davyth Hicks, ELEN Secretary-General.
10.00 | Opening Presentations. Language Rights are Human Rights: International Perspectives on the Rights of Minoritised Language Speakers in Education.
The opening section will discuss language rights within the broader human rights framework, international perspectives on education in minoritised languages, its successes and challenges, and how it has become one of the benchmarks employed for language recovery. Speakers will discuss which international institutional legislation and treaties have been most effective in protecting language rights more generally, and in particular minoritised language immersion education.

Prof. Nicolas Levrat, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues.
Ms. Lusine Kharatyan, Member of the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Council of Europe.
Prof. Petra Roter, President of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Council of Europe.
Ms. Tamara Martí Casado, UNESCO, Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality.
Prof. Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, ELEN President (University of Wales).

Moderated by Dr. Davyth Hicks, ELEN Secretary-General
11.30 | Coffee break
12.00 | Panel I: Local Perspectives on Language Education and Language Rights, Successes and Challenges.
This panel, comprising civil society representatives from ELEN member organizations, will discuss their insights and experiences with minoritised language education models and the guarantee of language rights within different legal and public policy frameworks, and the varying types of challenges they face.

Mr. Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, Irish (Glór na Móna).
Dr. Mirjam Vellinga, Frisian (Afûk).
Ms. Anna-Vari Chapalain, Breton (Kevre Breizh – Diwan).
Dr. Elsa Quintas Alborés, Galician (A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística).
Ms. Idurre Eskisabel, Basque (Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua).
Mr. Marc Guevara, Catalan in Catalonia (Plataforma per la Llengua).
Ms. Catalina Bibiloni, Catalan In Illes Balears (Obra Cultural Balear).
Ms. Núria Betoret Olives, Catalan in País Valencià (Acció Cultural País Valencià).

Moderated by Prof. Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, ELEN President.
13.30 | Lunch
14.30 | Presentation of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, 1966, by the CIEMEN President, Mr. David Minoves.
14.45 | Panel II: Developing Adequate Protection for Education in Minoritised Languages.
What should the focus be for activists to develop adequate protection for education in minoritised languages? Panellists will make separate presentations which will be followed by discussion.

Dr. János Fiala-Butora , University of Galway. The European Court of Human Rights, the ECJ and UN on language rights issues.
Dr. Fernand de Varennes, former UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues. Recent rulings at the European Court of Human Rights, the ECJ, pathways to success.
Prof. Eva Pons i Parera, University of Barcelona. How to legally protect education in minoritised languages, with reference to the Catalan model.
Dr. Benet Salellas i Vilar, Lawyer. Catalan, Basque and Galician: Rights to education in minoritised languages.

Moderated by Ms Elena Jiménez i Botías, Òmnium Cultural.
16.15 | Coffee Break
16.30 | Panel III: Recommendations: Developing a Roadmap Towards Achieving Better Protection for Minoritised Languages.
Based on the work of the previous panels, what are the conclusions and recommendations that we can draw from them? What are the next steps? The closing discussions will be led by experts who help to implement language policies and, in collaboration with conference participants, will focus on developing a roadmap towards better protection for minoritised languages.

Dr. Davyth Hicks, ELEN Secretary-General.
Ms. Marina Gay i Faura, CATESCO Director.
Prof. F. Xavier Vila i Moreno, acting Secretary for Language Policy, Catalan Government.

Moderator: Prof. Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones (ELEN President).
17.30 | End of the Conference
REGISTRATION
Protegir l’educació en llengües minoritzades, enfortir els drets lingüístics: com avançar?
Quins són els objectius de la conferència?
La conferència té dos objectius principals. En primer lloc, conscienciar sobre els drets de les llengües minoritzades d’Europa, especialment pel que fa al paper dels programes educatius d’immersió en la normalització d’aquestes a la societat prenent com a referència en cas de Catalunya. En segon lloc, analitzar quines possibles accions es poden prendre per part de les ONG per protegir aquests drets, pel que fa l’educació en particular, així com pel que fa el marc més ampli dels drets lingüístics per un efecte substantiu i durador.
A qui va dirigida?
La jornada és oberta a tothom interessat en els drets lingüístics, el rol de l’educació en la normalització de la llengua i en la defensa i promoció dels sistemes d’immersió lingüística des d’una perspectiva jurídica. Està especialment dirigida a entitats o actors de la societat civil vinculats amb l’àmbit jurídic i dels drets humans, membres de la comunitat educativa i de l’administració pública.
Qui hi intervindrà?
La conferència comptarà amb la participació de representants del sistema de Nacions Unides: l’actual Relator especial sobre Qüestions de les minories, Nicolas Levrat, i el seu antecessor, Fernand de Varennes. A nivell europeu, la jornada comptarà amb la participació de representants del Consell d’Europa: Lusine Kharatyan, membre del Comitè d’Experts de la Carta Europea de les Llengües Regionals i Minoritzades i Petra Roter, presidenta del Comitè Assessor de la Convenció Marc per a la Protecció de les Minories Nacionals. A més de representants de les organitzacions membres d’ELEN, experts jurídics i acadèmics.
L’esdeveniment comptarà amb traducció simultània anglès-català i l’esmorzar i el dinar corren a càrrec de l’organització. A continuació podeu trobar el programa complet de la jornada i el formulari d’inscripcions. Us hi esperem!
09.00 | Acreditacions
09.30 | Benvinguda

Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, presidenta d’ELEN.
Maria Corominas i Piulats, Institut d’Estudis Catalans i representant de CATESCO.
Xavier Antich i Valero, President d’Òmnium Cultural.
Adam Majó Garriga, Govern de Catalunya, director general per a la Promoció i Defensa dels Drets Humans.

Presentat per Davyth Hicks, secretari general d’ELEN.
10.00 | Ponències inaugurals. Els drets lingüístics són drets humans: perspectives internacionals sobre els drets dels parlants de llengües minoritzades en l’àmbit educatiu.
Aquesta secció d’obertura abordarà els drets lingüístics dins del marc més ampli dels drets humans, perspectives internacional sobre l’educació en llengües minoritzades, els seus èxits i reptes, i com el model d’immersió s’ha convertit en un dels referets emprats per a la recuperació lingüística. Els ponents parlaran de quina legislació i tractats institucionals internacionals han estat més eficaços per protegir els drets lingüístics en general i, en particular del model d’immersió lingüística.

Nicolas Levrat, relator especial de l’ONU sobre qüestions de les minories.
Lusine Kharatyan, Consell d’Europa, membre del Comitè d’Experts sobre la Carta europea de les llengües regionals o minoritàries.
Petra Roter, Consell d’Europa, presidenta del Comitè Assessor del Conveni Marc per la protecció de les minories nacionals.
Tamara Martí Casado, UNESCO, Secció d’Educació per a la Inclusió i la Igualtat de Gènere.
Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, presidenta d’ELEN i professora de sociolingüística a la Universitat de Gal·les Trinity Saint David.

Moderat per Davyth Hicks, secretari general d’ELEN.
11.30 | Pausa cafè
12.00 | Taula I: Perspectives locals sobre educació lingüística i drets lingüístics, èxits i reptes
Aquesta taula, formada per representants de la societat civil d’organitzacions membres d’ELEN, abordarà les seves perspectives i experiències amb els respectius models d’educació en llengües minoritzades i la garantia dels drets dels seus parlants en diferents marcs legals i de polítiques públiques, així com els diferents reptes als quals s’enfronten.

Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, irlandès (Glór na Móna).
Mirjam Vellinga, frisó (Afûk).
Anna-Vari Chapalain, bretó (Kevre Breizh-Diwan).
Elsa Quintas Alborés, gallec (A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística).
Idurre Eskisabel, basc (Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua).
Marc Guevara, català a Catalunya (Plataforma per la Llengua)
Catalina Bibiloni, català a les Illes Balears (Obra Cultural Balear)
Núria Betoret Olives, català al País Valencià (Acció Cultural País Valencià).

Moderat per Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, presidenta d’ELEN.
13.30 | Pausa dinar
14.30 | Presentació de la Declaració Universal dels Drets Lingüístics, 1966, a càrrec del president del CIEMEN, David Minoves.
14.45 | Taula II: Desenvolupar una protecció adequada per a l’educació en llengües minoritzades.
Quin ha de ser el focus dels activistes per desenvolupar una protecció adequada per a l’educació en llengües minoritzades? Els ponents faran presentacinos separades que aniran seguides d’un debat.

János Fiala-Butora, Universitat de Galway. El Tribunal Europeu de Drets Humans, el Tribunal de Justícia Europeu i l’ONU sobre qüestions de drets lingüístics.
Fernand de Varennes, antic relator especial de l’ONU sobre qüestions de les minories. Sentències recents del Tribunal Europeu de Drets Humans, el Tribunal de Justícia Europeu, camins per a un litigi exitós.
Eva Pons i Parera, Universitat de Barcelona. Com protegir legalment l’educació en llengües minoritzades, amb referència al model català.
Benet Salellas i Vilar, advocat. Català, basc i gallec: dret a l’educació en llengües minoritzades

Moderat per Elena Jiménez i Botías, Òmnium Cultural.
16.15 | Pausa cafè
16.30 | Taula III: Recomanacions: Desenvolupar un full de ruta per aconseguir una millor protecció per a les llengües minoritzades.
A partir de les ponències anteriors, quines són les conclusions i recomanacions que en podem extreure? Quins són els propers passos? El debat de cloenda serà dirigit per experts que ajuden a implementar polítiques lingüístiques i, en col·laboració amb els participants de la conferència, se centraran en l’elaboració d’un full de ruta cap a una millor protecció de les llengües minoritzades.

Davyth Hicks, secretari general d’ELEN.
Marina Gay i Faura, directora de CATESCO.
F. Xavier Vila i Moreno, Govern de Catalunya, secretari de Política Lingüística en funcions.

Moderat per Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, presidenta d’ELEN.
17.30 | Fi de la conferència
REGISTRATION

Premio Ostana
2024-06-28 - 2024-06-30
The “Ostana Prize: Writings in the Mother Tongue” is a celebration of the cultural biodiversity of humanity. It is a festival organised by the Occitan community of the mountain valleys (Valadas) of Piedmont, Italy, and it was born to defend and promote linguistic and cultural diversity throughout the world.
In its 13 editions, the Prize has given voice to 80 authors representing 46 from all five continents, with the desire to know and make known writers, filmmakers, musicians from different parts of the planet, has become a formidable opportunity to meet and exchange experiences for dozens of authors who in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and in Oceania illustrate and make the language of their community alive with their creative work.
Website: https://www.premioostana.it/

Plurilingmedia - Launch of the new COST Action for language diversity in European media.
2024-10-02 17:30 - 19:30
Plurilingmedia – Launch of the new COST Action project for language diversity in European media.
Brussels

ELEN GENERAL ASSEMBLY BILBO 2024
2024-11-08 - 2024-11-10
ELEN GENERAL ASSEMBLY BILBO 2024, EUSKAL HERRIA, 8-10th November
ELEN is delighted to announce that it will be holding its 2024 General Assembly in the vibrant Basque city of Bilbo hosted by the outstanding Basque language NGO and founding member organisation, Kontseilua. The theme for the 2024 ELEN General Assembly will be, “The importance of public policies in the normalisation of minoritised languages.” We’re looking forward to welcoming expert speakers to what has become the main annual event in Europe for organisations working for the protection and promotion of European minoritised and endangered languages, and featuring Basque experts who will deliver a plenary speech on the successful revitalisation of Basque in Tolosa.
The General Assembly will start on Friday afternoon November 8th at 14.30 with the new “Research and Activism” section featuring the latest relevant language-orientated research from the Basque Country and elsewhere, as well as our success with the new COST Action network on Language Plurality in European media. The session is open to ELEN members and invited guests.
The Saturday (Nov 9th) session is more NGO-orientated and features presentations on successful public policies and language recovery in the Basque Country, the new Welsh Government report on areas of higher density linguistic significance. In the afternoon the event features a presentation from the EU Commission DG Education and Culture on EU funding for language projects as well as a workshop with Basque MEPs on how to work effectively with the EU institutions.
We’ll also be following up on our very successful conference in Barcelona on strengthening language rights, and hearing about our success with the Horizon project application on Fostering Linguistic Capital in Europe (Fosterlang, led by Univ. of Warsaw) as well as the new COST Action Plurilangmedia led by ECMI.
Saturday afternoon also features a series of workshops for ELEN members. We’re looking forward to a workshop with NGOs on the impact of over-tourism and 2nd homes on our languages. Parallel workshops will feature discussion on next steps from the new working group on strategic litigation as well as a workshop on developing ELEN Youth with a presentation from the successful HIGA young language activists project. Saturday afternoon is also open to invited guests.
The timings are below:
FRIDAY November 8th
14.30 Research and Activism (Open to Members and Invited Guests)
Presentations and workshops
17.30 Close
19.00 Civic Reception
20.00 Dinner
SATURDAY November 9th
8.45 Accreditation opens.
9.05 Opening speeches (ELEN, Basque Government, MPs, MEPs, Bilbao Mayor)
9.30-12.30 Plenary Speech Presentations and Panels (Open to Members and Invited Guests).
– The importance of public policies in the normalisation of minoritised languages
– Successful language recovery for the Basque language in Tolosa.
12.30 ELEN Business (Members Only).
13.30 LUNCH
14.30 Afternoon presentations, resolutions, workshops (with MEPs and the EU Commission), new members.
– EU funding for language projects, a guide for NGOs
– Workshop with MEPs on working with the EU institutions
– Workshop with NGOs on the impact of over-tourism and second homes on our languages.
– Workshop on strategic litigation for NGOs
– Workshop for ELEN Youth
– Resolutions
– New Members
– Special Items
17.30 GA Closure
19.30 Reception, Dinner and Party.
SUNDAY November 10th
10.00 Visit to the Fine Arts Museum.
Delegates depart.
General Assembly Hotel: Hotel Carlton, 2 Federico Moyua Plaza, Bilbo.
General Assembly Venue: Itsas Maritime Museum, 1 Ramon de la Sota Kaia, Bilbo.
Basque TV, EiTB, will be broadcasting the whole event live.

Council of Europe Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion - CDADI
2024-11-26 - 2024-11-28
Plenary Session

UN FORUM FOR MINORITY ISSUES
2024-11-28 - 2024-11-29 | Palais de Nations, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
UN Forum for Minority Issues, 17th Session.

ELEN - ECMI Side Event at the UN Forum for Minority Issues
2024-11-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Palais de Nations, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
ELEN – ECMI Side Event at the UN Forum for Minority Issues.
Minoritised Language Media
Thursday 28th November, 14-15.00, Room XXII.
Title: Improving policy and representation for minoritised language media – challenges, best practices, and looking to the future.
CONCEPT The media landscape globally is transforming rapidly with an ever increasing array of platforms and social media outlets. At the same time we, as speakers of minoritized languages, work to ensure that we can live every aspect of our lives in our languages. Having a wide variety of media in our own languages and being fully represented in mainstream media is vital to that aim. This side event will explore the current challenges to, and best practices in, minoritized language media, looking at successes, the current legal framework and how to improve it, as well as challenges such as the exponential rise in hate speech against minoritized language speakers and how rapid digitalisation is adversely affecting media in endangered languages. Experts from across Europe will discuss these issues with the event having a focus on new initiatives and looking to how minority language speakers can ensure the future for their languages in all types of media.
Panellists:
Prof. Nicolas Levrat – UN Special Rapporteur for Minority Issues.
Prof. Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones – ELEN President / Prifysgol Cymru Y Drindod Dewi Sant.
Dr. Sergiusz Bober – European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI).
Dr. Elena Jiménez i Botías – ELEN Vice-President/ Omnium Cultural.
Dr. Craig Willis – ECMI.
Moderator: Dr. Davyth Hicks, ELEN Secretary-General.
Topics to discuss:

Dealing with hate-speech against minoritised language speakers
Impact of geo-blocking in the EU on minoritized languages.
Public service media in minoritised languages, the need for greater support.
Social media algorithm promotion.
Highlight the provisions for media in UN and Council of Europe instruments (ECRML, FCNM) and call for more countries to support and/or ratify.
How can we more effectively implement existing provisions?
Need for new legislation to support minoritized language media as media itself transforms.

FORUM SOBIRANISTA. Girona, Catalonia
2024-12-06 - 2024-12-07
Forum Sobiranista, Girona, 6-7th December 2024.
“Minority Languages and Linguistic Diversity in Europe in the Current Context. A Vision from Sustainability.”
Organised by CIEMEN.

LINGUAVITALXA, National Demonstration for Galician, Santiago de Compostela, Galiza.
2025-02-23 12:00 - 17:00
Website: https://www.queremosgalego.gal/

EESC Civil Society Week, Brussels.
2025-03-18 - 2025-03-20

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Plenary Session. Strasbourg, Alsace.
2025-04-08 - 2025-04-10

UN UPR 49th Session, Spain. ELEN Side-Event.
2025-04-29 13:00 - 14:30 | Palais de Nations, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
ELEN side event: The ELEN Report to the UPR 49th session on Spain
The official side event to be held in Room XXII in the Palais de Nations, Geneva, will discuss the main findings of the Report in particular over ongoing attacks against the official languages, Catalan, Basque and Galician, as well as Asturian and Aragonese, and contravention of language rights.
ELEN Report: https://elen.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ELEN-UPR-Report-2024-Spain.pdf
List of Speakers
Marcos Maceira, President, A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística. ELEN Vice-President (Galicia).
Elsa Quintas Alborés, Vice-President, A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística.(Galicia).
Marga Payola i Lahoz, International Co-ordinator, Plataforma per la Llengua, ELEN Vice-President (Catalonia).
Manex Mantxola Urrarte, Co-ordinator, Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua (Basque Country).
Davyth Hicks, ELEN Secretary-General. (Moderator)

UN 49th Universal Periodic Review, Spain.
2025-04-30 09:00 - 12:30 | Palais de Nations, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/upr-sessions

International Conference on Minority Languages - ICML XX 2025 Bogotá, Colombia.
2025-06-24 - 2025-06-27
ICML XX 2025, Bogotá, Colombia.
Website https://www.uexternado.edu.co/international-conference-on-minority-languages/

Council of Europe Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI), Strasbourg, Alsace.
2025-07-01 - 2025-07-03

CEARTA - AGÓID NÁISIÚNTA NA nGAEL - National Protest for the Irish language and Gaeltacht.
2025-09-20 13:30 - 18:00
Cearnóg Parnell, Baile Átha Cliath.

Congress on National Minorities, Opole, Poland.
2025-09-23 - 2025-09-24

European Day of Languages Event - Tŷ Cymru, Brwsel.
2025-09-24 17:30 - 20:00
Regenerating Minority Languages through Lifelong Learning and the Arts
Two panel sessions followed by a networking reception, with ELEN President Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones.
Venue: Ty Cymru, RP Schuman 11, Brussels.
By invitation only.

FOSTERLANG LAUNCH EVENT, Wilamowice, Poland.
2025-09-25 - 2025-09-27
FOSTERLANG PROJECT TO HOLD INAUGURAL OPENING EVENT IN WILAMOWICE, POLAND
FOSTERLANG, the new EU-funded Horizon project aiming to boost European endangered and minoritised languages, will be holding its inaugural project opening and conference in the town of Wilamowice, Poland, home to the endangered Wymysiöeryś language, from 25-27th September.
Wilamowice will become a European centre of activity for language diversity and revitalisation over the week with a host of endangered and minoritised language experts from across Europe participating.
Languages represented include Gaelic, Irish, Welsh, Catalan, Basque, Kashubian, Lemko and Wymysiöeryś, acting to underline how the Fosterlang project reflects the rich tapestry of European language diversity.
In addition, the conference will celebrate the European Day of Languages on Friday 26th September with a cultural event following the conference on Friday evening.
Speaking to the media project co-ordinator Prof. Justyna Olko said: “For almost two decades Wilamowice, a small town speaking its own language, Wymysiöeryś, has been the hub of language revival and community agency in restoring its unique ethnic and cultural identity. Over the years, this inspiring community of practice has attracted language activists and socially engaged researchers from all over the world, generating an energizing flow of networking, exchanges and inspiration.
“Wilamowice offers hope that even a highly endangered language can find its place in the current globalized world; that this language can contribute to the community’s wellbeing and healing; and that its speakers can actively shape their own reality.
“I am truly happy that the community has agreed to host the inauguration of the FOSTERLANG project. Our collaborative endeavour is about hope and acting “united in diversity”, and pursuing the vision of the European Union that we all deeply identify with.”
Wymysiöeryś language revitalizer and Vilamovian researcher, Dr. Tymoteusz Król, added that: “While we must also learn other languages, we always want to hear wymysiöeryś”.
The conference, which will be held in the Museum for Vilamovian Culture in Wilamowice, runs from Thursday 25th September to Saturday 27th September featuring presentations and workshops from leading academics from across Europe on a wide range of topics including on revitalising Wymysiöeryś, Lemko and Kashubian, effective intergenerational language transmission, grassroots multilingualism and sustainability, and re-defining and operationalizing linguistic capital. Saturday’s proceedings focus on the Wymysiöeryś language recovery and revitalisation effort.
The conference is preceded by a workshop on the 23 – 24th September looking at the effects of past trauma on endangered language speakers.
For the Conference Programme see: https://elen.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Fosterlang-inauguration-program-1.pdf

Plurilingmedia: Governance and Civil Society Meeting, Barcelona, Catalunya.
2025-11-12 - 2025-11-13
PLURILINGMEDIA: GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING
Venue: CIEMEN, Carrer de Rocafort 242, L’Eixample, Barcelona, Catalunya.
https://plurilingmedia.eu/

ELEN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | ASSEMBLEA GENERAL DE L'ELEN 2025, Barcelona, Catalunya.
2025-11-14 - 2025-11-16 | El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, Plaça Comercial, 12, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08003
ELEN GA General Timings and Location
El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria,
Plaça Comercial, 12
08003 Barcelona.
Catalonia
Friday 14th November 10.00 to 18.00
Official Reception 19.00 -21.00
Saturday 15th November 09.00 to 18.00
Reception 20.00 to 23.00
ELEN GA advert

UN Forum on Minority Issues, UN Geneva, Switzerland
2025-11-27 - 2025-11-28 | Palais de Nations, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
18th session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues
Theme: The Contribution of Minorities to Diverse, Vibrant, and Peaceful Societies.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/events/forums/2025/eighteenth-session-forum-minorities-issues

ELEN Side-Event at the UN Forum for Minority Issues
2025-11-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Palais de Nations, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
Join us for our ELEN Side-Event during the 18th UN Forum on Minority Issues, featuring Dara Keeve (Committee on the Administration of Justice NI), Elena Jimenez (Omnium Cultural), Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones (ELEN President), and the UN Special Rapporteur for Minority Issues, Nicolas Levrat. Moderated by Davyth Hicks (ELEN Secretary-General).

Our session — “How Minoritized and Endangered European Languages Contribute to Peace Building, Social Cohesion, and Resilient Societies, and How We Can Develop Better Protection for Them” — will explore the vital role that Europe’s endangered and minoritized language communities play in building inclusive, peaceful, and resilient societies.

Thursday, 27 November 2025 at 14:00
Room V, Palais des Nations, UN Geneva

We warmly invite all participants at the Forum to join us for this important conversation.

Plurilingmedia General Conference, Warsaw 2025.
2025-12-04 09:00 - 2025-12-05 18:00
The first PLURILINGMEDIA General Conference will take place in Warsaw on 4–5 December 2025. The main theme of the conference is ‘Media and Language Vitality’, reflecting the role of Working Group 3 as the lead organisers.
It will be hosted by the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences under the leadership of WG3 Leader Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska and Vice-Leader Sanita Martena.

Euskarari eta euskaltzaletasunari bultzada emateko deia/ Special Event to support Euskara. Abenduak/ December 27th
2025-12-27 17:00 - 23:30
Abenduaren 27an, Euskalgintzaren Kontseiluak eta bazkideek deituta, Bilbao Arena euskaltzalez beteko duen EKITALDIA antolatuko dugu. Informazio guztia eta sarrerak www.pizkundea.eus webgunean daude eskuragarri.
(On December 27th Euskalgintzaren Kontseilua and its partners will organize an EVENT that will fill the Bilbao Arena with Basque fans. All information and tickets are available on the website www.pizkundea.eus .)
ABENDUAREN 27AN, ZERGATIK BILBORA?
💥 Euskaltzaleon indar eta batasunaren erakustaldi bat egiteko.
Euskarak eta euskal hiztun komunitateak bizi dugun larrialdi linguistikoaren aurrean, zain gelditu baino, ekimen eta ilusio berrituak sortzea. Etsipenean jausi beharrean, euskaraz bizi nahi dugula adierazi, elkarrekin arnasa hartu, eta euskarari etorkizuna emateko prest gaudela erakustea.
💥 Euskal jendarte osoari mezu argi bat helarazteko.
Egiturazko minorizazioan dagoen euskararen normalizazioa eta biziberritzea guztion ardura da, gizarte berdintasunarekin, justiziarekin eta askatasunarekin lotutako beste auzi asko bezala.
💥 Hizkuntza-politiketan ezinbestekoa eta premiazkoa den jauzi sendo bat bultzatzeko.
Eragile instituzional, politiko, ekonomiko, kultural eta sozial guztiei, bakoitzaren erantzukizun eta erabakimenaren arabera, euskararen ezagutzaren unibertsalizazioaren eta erabilera normalerako baldintzen alde egin dezatela eskatzea.

EESC Civil Society Week - People, Democracy - Our Future!
2026-03-02 09:00 - 2026-03-05 17:00
People, Democracy, Resilience – Our Future!
2–5 March 2026 | Brussels, Belgium
Organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Why this week matters
Europe is facing a pivotal moment. Social and economic inequalities, rapid technological change, anti-democratic forces, and geopolitical instability are straining the foundations of the European project.
With democracy and civic space under mounting pressure, civil society organisations, human rights defenders and free media face growing constraints – from restrictive laws and disinformation campaigns to underfunding and public distrust. Deepening polarisation and eroding trust in institutions further undermine Europe’s democratic model.
Civil Society Week 2026 will bring together a wide range of voices, from grassroot activists and youth representatives to EU policymakers, journalists, and organised civil society across Europe including candidate countries.
The event will focus on advancing diversity, civic engagement, equality, and inclusion as key pathways to renewing Europe’s social and democratic promise for future generations. This means tackling poverty, reducing social exclusion, involving citizens, and bridging divides across regions and generations to rebuild trust and foster lasting social cohesion.
The 2026 edition will revolve around two pillars:

the EESC’s overarching priority for the new mandate, delivering on:

a Union of opportunities
a Union of security
a Union of resilience

three of the European Commission’s key priorities:

Supporting people and strengthening our societies
Protecting our democracy, upholding our values and
Delivering together and preparing our Union for the future

Each day will be dedicated to one of the above-mentioned priorities and will feature high-level debates, participatory sessions, and interactive workshops.
Website https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/agenda/our-events/events/civil-society-week-2026
Thursday March 5th 14:10 – 15:10 | Panel discussion with ELEN speakers: Intergenerational fairness, gender and minoritised language communities.

Fosterlang Workshop May 27th-28th Donostia, Basque Country
2026-05-27 - 2026-05-28
FOSTERLANG Workshop in Donostia: “Linguistic Capital and the Sustainability of European Minoritised Language Communities.”

27–28 May 2026 | Faculty of Computer Science, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (EHU), Donostia, Euskal Herria.

FOSTERLANG will hold a two-day workshop focused on the linguistic capital and sustainability of European minoritised language communities.

Hosted by Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, the event will bring together researchers, language professionals, activists and community members working on language revitalisation, linguistic diversity and minoritised language technologies

The programme will include lectures, roundtables, working sessions and practical activities focused on:

Linguistic capital and community well-being
Language transmission and socialisation
Digital tools and technologies for minoritised languages.

The event includes contributions from experts working on Basque, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Kashubian, Amazigh, Slovenian, Lemko and other minoritised language communities.

Participation is free of charge and open to all ELEN member organisations, researchers, activists, community representatives and language professionals.

Registration is now open for in-person and online participants.
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScg6FChIfQ2LI1uK5ri12lVl8QnfP6JaDs17WDpmsj9evHOEA/viewform

In-person participation:
Faculty of Computer Science (EHU)
Manuel de Lardizabal Pasealekua, 1
20018 Donostia

Online participation will be possible for the whole programme.

Interpretation will be in Basque and English.

For more detailed information and the full programme in Basque and English, visit the Fosterlang website. https://fosterlang.al.uw.edu.pl/fosterlang-event-in-donostia-linguistic-capital-and-the-sustainability-of-european-minoritised-communities/

European Parliament: Roundtable discussion on European minoritised languages. Tuesday June 2nd 15-17h
2026-06-02 15:00 - 17:00 | European Parliament, Rue Wiertz 60,, Brussels, 1047, Belgium
The event, hosted by Raquel Garcíá Hermida – van der Walle MEP and Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez MEP, will bring together Davyth Hicks Secretary-General of the European Language Equality Network, Anna Solé-Mena from the EU Commission DG Education and Culture, Minister Aitor Aldasoro from the Basque Government, and Minister Eke Folkerts from the Frisian Government.
The roundtable will focus on the protection and promotion of minoritised and endangered languages in Europe, current challenges, and opportunities for better cooperation at the European level.
The meeting runs from 15h-17h in Room ASP 5G1
The event will be webstreamed on this link: https://europarl.webex.com/europarl/j.php?MTID=m441246f16ac34cc85b989423dfdc7912
Meeting number: 2794 215 0214 Password: [REDACTED]
Minoritised language event Agenda
15:00 – 15:05 Opening remarks: Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez
15:05 – 15:50 Panel 1: Regional practice and added value
Objective: to demonstrate how minority languages in various European regions contribute to social cohesion, regional engagement and local development.
Format: Representatives from several regions will give brief presentations. Each speaker will respond to a set of standard questions to ensure comparability.
– Aitor Aldasoro, Deputy Minister for Language Policy of the Basque Country.
– Eke Folkerts Deputy minister of Friesland
– MEP Pascal Arimont
Key questions:
– What role does the minority language play in regional policymaking?
– In what ways does this contribute to social cohesion and participation?
– How does the minority intergroup of which Raquel is a member contribute to this?
15:50 – 16:00 Musical Intermezzo by Pieter Zijlstra (aprox 5 – 10 minutes)
16:00 – 16:45 Panel 2 Language policy
Approach: A panel examining policy, with a focus on feasible adjustments within existing EU frameworks
– Davyth Hicks, Secretary-General, European Language Equality Network (ELEN).
– Andrej Lavtar – European Committee of the Regions (Political Advisor in the Renew Europe secretariat of the European Committee of the Regions and former local councillor in Slovenia.)
– Anna Sole-Mena – DG EAC. Senior Expert, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.
Key questions:
– Why are minority languages often excluded from the core of EU funding?
– Which decisions regarding the formulation of the next MFF are relevant in this context?
16:45 – 17:00 Closing Remarks: MEP Raquel Garcia Hermida van der Walle

Language Diversity Forum, 17-20th June, Barcelona, Catalonia
2026-06-17 - 2026-06-20
Four days of debates, workshops and networking among experts, academics, indigenous and local communities from around the world, on language rights, linguistic justice, migration languages, education and the revitalisation of minoritised languages.

Organised by Linguapax in the frame of the Fosterlang project

Check the full programme, discover the key speakers and register here: www.linguapax.org/en/language-diversity-forum
