Press release 28 universities call for Catalan, Galician and Basque to become official languages in the European Union 2025·07·21

28 universities call for Catalan, Galician and Basque to become official languages in the European Union

The 28 universities of Xarxa Vives (Catalan-speaking territories), Galicia and Hego Euskal Herria have joined forces before the Council of the European Union in a joint manifesto in favor of making Catalan, Galician and Basque official languages.

The universities of Xarxa Vives, the University of Santiago de Compostela, the Public University of Navarra, the University of the Basque Country, the University of Deusto, Mondragon Unibertsitatea and EUNEIZ have claimed the importance of this step.

The rectors of these universities have shown their support for the request that the Spanish government has submitted to the European Commission. The manifesto is open to new adhesions and recalls that 4 out of 10 citizens of the Spanish State are speakers of one of these three languages, and that "between the three of them there are more than 13 million active speakers, above the average of the other official languages of the EU".

The manifesto underlines the importance of their own languages for scientific creation and academic freedom. In fact, these universities carry out their academic work in their own languages.
Finally, the universities have thanked the Spanish Government for the efforts it is making in the Council of the EU and have asked the political representatives of the Spanish State to support this initiative.

Manifesto of the universities in favor of co-official languages

The undersigned Universities* express our support to the petition formulated by the Spanish Government before the Council of the European Union with the aim that Catalan, Basque and Galician be recognized
as official languages of the European Union. The territories where these languages are co-official represent 40% of the population of the Spanish State and between the three of them there are more than 13 million active speakers, above the average of the rest of the official languages of the EU. The signatory Universities carry out their academic and scientific activity and their daily management in these languages, in coexistence with Spanish, as well as with other official languages of the EU, especially English.
We consider that the official status of our own languages by the Council of the EU is a recognition of the diversity of the Union, as well as of the linguistic rights and of the academic freedom and scientific creation specific to the university environment.
We appreciate the effort that the Spanish Government is currently making before the Council of the EU for the inclusion of Catalan, Basque and Galician in Article 1 of the First Council Regulation. We ask all political representatives of the Spanish State to support this initiative in harmony with the universities and with the broad social consensus that the language issue represents.

Signatory Universitties

Xarxa Vives:

• Universitat Abat Oliba CEU
• Universitat d' Alacant
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
• Universitat de Barcelona
• Universitat Cardenal Herrera (CEU)
• Universitat de Girona
• Universitat de les Illes Balears
• Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona)
• Universitat Jaume I (UJI)
• Universitat de Lleida
• Universitas Miguel Hernández (UMH)
• Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
• Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
• Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
• Universitat Ramon Llull
• Universitat Rovira i Virgili
• Universitat de València
• Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic - UCC)

Galicia:

• Universidades de Santiago de Compostela (USC)
• Universidade de Coruña (UDC)

Navarra

• Public University of Navarra (UPNA)

Basque Autonomous Community

• Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea / University of the Basque Country (EHU)
• University of Deusto
• Mondragon Unibertsitatea
• EUNEIZ University