Croatia responds to Spain’s push for Catalan, Basque and Galician as EU languages

ZAGREB, 13 Aug (Hina) – Croatia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it would not oppose adding Catalan, Basque and Galician to the list of the EU’s official languages “if the competent services of the Council of the EU” find Spain’s request justified.

“Croatia supports the principle of multilingualism and cultural diversity within the European Union,” the ministry said in response to a Hina query.

All 27 EU member states must approve the inclusion of Catalan, Basque and Galician as official EU languages. Before that, the Council’s legal service provides legal assessments, including whether the existing regulation governing languages can be amended as proposed.

Catalan newspaper El Periódico reported today that Croatia was among the member states opposing the recognition of Catalan, Basque and Galician as official EU languages. It said that because unanimity among the 27 member states is required, the proposal currently has little chance of being adopted.

Germany, Finland, Sweden, France and Austria are also among the countries that have expressed opposition or serious reservations, El Periódico reported.

Spain’s left-wing government formally requested in August 2023 that Catalan, Basque and Galician be granted official EU language status.

The EU currently has 24 official languages, including Croatian.

Around 10 million people speak Catalan, 2.4 million Galician and 800,000 Basque. All three already have official or co-official status in parts of Spain.

The Council’s legal service has said that recognising the languages could require amendments to the EU treaties.

The European Commission estimates that translating into Catalan, Basque and Galician could cost up to €132 million a year. Spain has pledged to cover the costs, but some countries fear that such a political commitment might not be sufficiently robust if there is a change of government in Madrid.

Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia have expressed varying degrees of support for the proposal.

The issue was last on the agenda in May 2025, but no vote was held after as many as 10 countries raised concerns, El Periódico reported.

Spain’s right-wing opposition opposes the proposal put forward by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist government.