Welsh could become an official language of the European Parliament following proposals put forward by MEP Jill Evans, who represents Plaid Cymru and European Free Alliance. Last week Evans announced that she hoped to attract “individual and institutional” support for granting Welsh-speakers the right to address European institutions in Welsh and to allow MEPs to use the language in the Parliament.

Meanwhile, the BBC has reported that representatives of the UK Government have met with EU authorities to discuss the possibility of “limited use” of the Welsh language in the European Parliament. The United Kingdom would not press for Welsh to be fully official, however. The UK Government, under pressure from the governing coalition in Wales (Plaid Cymru and Labour), has said that it is committed to addressing issues relating to the Welsh language

As a result of this commitment, Welsh-speakers could soon have the right to address the European institutions in their own language, a right that speakers of Catalan, Basque and Galician have enjoyed since 2006.

Jill Evans has encouraged Welsh people to write to the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, asking for Welsh to be granted official status, in order to demonstrate that speakers would use Welsh if they were given the opportunity.

Further information:

• BBC: Welsh 'may be used' at EU level
• Eurolang: Welsh and Basque MEPs call for co-official status for their languages in the European Parliament
• European Free Alliance: EFA urges support to make Welsh official
• EUobserver: Catalan, Basque and Galician get EU language boost