A failure to comply with the EU language policy: A study of the Council archives

Abstract

Is it possible to bridge the widening gap between multilingualism in the international institutions of the European Union as decreed in Regulation N° 1 and the everyday practices within the EU institutions? This article reports on the findings of an investigation into correspondence, obtained from the Council archives, relating to the language policy. After discussing the languages and the argumentation patterns used, I will demonstrate with facts available in these documents that the current situation shows no marked improvement over the language problems perceived from the very start. With every accession of new Member States, it again becomes painfully clear that the democratic principle of Regulation N° 1 is a far cry from the undemocratic reality apparent from a consistent stream of complaints and a string of reports re-investigating the problem. This analysis will confirm that an effective and equitable solution has not as yet been proposed.