Understanding Europe in one's mother language

"The EU speaks your language" is an exhibition organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first legal act of the European Union, Regulation No 1/58, which determined the languages to be used by the EU institutions and set out the language arrangements applicable to them. The exhibition is a tribute to a multilingual Europe, by affirming its values and the recognition of what languages have contributed to this.

On Wednesday 19 September, the EESC hosted the opening of the exhibition in the presence of Luca Jahier, president of the EESC, and Barbara Cassin, a member of the Académie Française and director of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). The debate on the role of languages in the EU was moderated by Isabel Caño, vice-president for communication.

Opening the exhibition, Luca Jahier, president of the EESC, emphasised the role of culture in European Integration, which is "a beacon of hope for the future of Europe".  Languages are part of heritage and culture and help us find our soul. He stressed that they can be "a source of conflict, but can also lead to listening and dialogue". Isabel Caño, vice-president of the EESC, stated that – thanks to the existing language regime – the citizens have the right to communicate and understand Europe in their mother tongue. "Diversity begins with languages", she said. She also stressed the role of the translator in this process. In the debate, Barbara Cassin stressed the fact that translation, "which is the act of proliferating languages, will continue" because you can never go too far with multilingualism and because "each language has its strength and its uniqueness". "Translation can help improve the quality of European integration" she added. The debate also focused on questions about the complexity of translation, the place of "globish” and the regional languages of Europe.

The exhibition consists of a series of panels featuring the history of Regulation No 1/1958 and how, with the passing of time, the developing European Union has supported fundamental values such as equality, diversity and multilingualism. The exhibition is one of the initiatives organised be the EESC to mark the European Year of Cultural Heritage and remains open to the public until 12 October 2018. It is being organised in collaboration with the Directorate for Translation of the EESC and the Committee of the Regions.

More information is available on line at: https://www.eesc.europa.eu/fr/agenda/our-events/events/eu-speaks-your-language