Language Policy and Linguistic Justice in the European Union: The Socio-Economic Effects of Multilingualism

Abstract

This article addresses the question of the effectiveness and the fairness of the language policy of the European Union, by carrying out a comparative analysis of four alternative language regimes. A monolingual language policy based on English only, a trilingual language regime founded on English, French and German, and finally an oligarchic language policy including six official languages are compared to the status quo, that is, a multilingual language regime based on the formal equality among the official languages of the EU Member States. Using statistical analysis and data provided by Eurostat, this article shows that multilingualism is (and will be for the foreseeable future) by far the most effective language policy for the external communication of the EU. Further, results reveal that a drastic reduction in the number of official and working languages of the EU would have regressive effects among EU citizens, as it would be significantly detrimental to Europeans with a low level of education and income, and to the elderly. The empirical evidence provided in this article supports the claim that a multilingual language policy can contribute to the social cohesion in the EU.