Which languages are used at the European Council and the Council (of the European Union)?
The institutions of the European Union currently have 24 official languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.
- Languages used at the Council
EU citizens are entitled to write to the Council in any of the official languages and receive a reply in that language.
Furthermore, Spanish citizens may use, in their written communications with the Council, languages other than Castilian (Spanish) which have official status in Spain.
During Council discussions the representatives of the member states usually speak in their own languages and interpreters ensure smooth multilingual oral communication.
The Council's deliberations are based on documents submitted to it in all the official languages. All language versions are equally authentic.
Among the official and working languages of the EU, Irish is a special case. It is one of the authentic languages of the governing treaties but currently not all legal acts are produced in Irish.
- Languages used at the European Council
Interpretation from and into all the official languages is provided at European Council meetings. The Conclusions of the European Council are published in all the official languages.