“United through diversity”

This has been, since the year 2000, the official motto of the European Union. And few things truly embody the meaning of this sentence like the European Day of Languages (EDL) does, celebrating language learning and language diversity on 26 September every year. A joint initiative of the Council of Europe and of the European Commission, the EDL has been an occurrence since 2001. 

In fact, the EU is founded upon its cultural and linguistic diversity, and the languages spoken in EU countries are an essential part of its cultural heritage. As of now, the EU has 24 official languages. 

Multilingualism at the heart of Europe’s identity

It is no coincidence that multilingualism is one of the EU’s founding principles, supported throughout EU’s programmes and in the work of its institutions. When it comes to education in general and to the education of adults in particular, EU efforts to promote language learning across Europe are put in place to support ambitious education policies with regard to language learning in EU Member States.

As a matter of fact, language learning is essential to personal development as it creates personal and professional opportunities; for communities and societies, it fosters cultural awareness (and related competences), mutual understanding and overall social cohesion

Multilingualism is enshrined in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. Did you know that you have the right to communicate in any of the 24 official languages while communicating with EU institutions? Legal acts and their summaries are also available in all official EU languages.

2024 European Day of Languages: Europeans and their languages

For the 2024 edition of the European Day of Languages, the European Commission has organised an event focusing on the results of the 2024 Eurobarometer on Europeans and their languages, comparing them with the 2012 Eurobarometer results. See more here and follow the live stream!