Ireland should act to protect rights of language minorities during upcoming EU Presidency

15 Mar 2026, 16:06 by Concubhar Ó Liatháin, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/concubhar-Ó-liatháin/ · TheJournal.ie

(This article is produced by our Gaeltacht team. You can read the original Irish version of this piece here)

THE EUROPEAN UNION has failed to develop adequate protection for minority language communities such as the Irish-speaking community within the bloc, despite lobbying for other minorities around the world, the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has said.

Nicolas Levrat made the remarks in an end of mission report following a recent visit to the European Union, and now the European Network for Language Equality (ELEN) is saying that the Irish Government must address the development of legal protection for linguistic minorities within the European Union when we hold the EU Presidency later this year.

Ireland takes up the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026 and, in that role, will have the capacity to set the agenda to a certain extent for the 27 member states.

“While the EU values linguistic diversity in accordance with Article 3 of the founding treaty, the Union does not have a dedicated framework and legally binding function to protect linguistic minorities,” Levrat said in his report.

“Furthermore, linguistic minorities do not enjoy specific protection as language is not a ground for discrimination under Article 19 of the treaty, although it is a ground for discrimination under Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.”

The EU has no authority to implement the protection of linguistic minorities and most responsibility is left to the member states, as well as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages at the Council of Europe.

“The Charter is the main instrument for protecting minority languages,” he said.

He said the EU was obliged, according to existing treatie to take into account the cultural aspects of its members and emphasised that inguistic diversity, including minority languages, was at stake when discussing the cultural diversity of the European Union.

A supporting measure such as a Strategic Framework for Endangered Minority Languages would be welcome.

Davyth Hicks, ELEN secretary-general, welcomed the UN Special Rapporteur on Minorities’ call for a framework for minority languages from the European Union.

“The European Union must recognise that the protection of minority languages and linguistic diversity is at the heart of the Union.

“The Union must put in place measures to protect our languages under Article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty on minority rights,” he said, recalling that the Union had the power to do this under Article 167 which protects cultural heritage.

Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, when Ireland will hold the EU presidency, Hicks said it would be ‘great’ if the Government took the opportunity to make the protection of minority languages a priority on its agenda during that period.

Today Ireland, amidst a huge surge of support from young people to use and learn Gaeilge, is led by a President who is outspoken in her support for the language.

“It would be excellent if the Irish Government could make the protection of all European endangered languages one of its priorities for its upcoming Presidency and back our call for a new strategic framework that would work to give the protection and support that our languages urgently need.”

The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.