Multilingualism in Europe

This paper discusses the language policy of the European Union (EU). A European language policy has become necessary due to the fact that linguistic diversity is an inherent part of European history and within the EU it is a fundamental right to speak one’s own mother tongue. Hence, 23 state languages have already received an official status within the EU. For maintaining political and social stability within Europe the introduction of a lingua franca, like English that is clearly on the rise, cannot be the solution for transnational and multilingual communication. It is to be expected that in the future even more languages, like minority and migrant languages will receive an official status within the EU.