MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – EU multilingualism in light of the principle of equality and non-discrimination – E-000499/2025

Question for written answer  E-000499/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Pál Szekeres (PfE), Tom Vandendriessche (PfE), Harald Vilimsky (PfE), Marie Dauchy (PfE), Chiara Gemma (ECR), Margarita de la Pisa Carrión (PfE)

Currently, the 29 national sign languages of the EU are recognised as full languages by all 27 EU Member States[1].

• 1.Considering that the provisions of Article 21(e) of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), in conjunction with Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Articles 21 and 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, place the obligation on its States Parties to officialise the national sign languages in their territories, does this impose the obligation on the EU to officialise the 29 national sign languages of the EU as official EU languages?
• 2.In light of the principle of equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of both disability and languages, should Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union, Articles 21 and 22 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and Article 5 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities oblige the EU institutions to facilitate interactions for deaf EU citizens and national sign language users in national sign languages of the EU?
• 3.By which means can the legal recognition of 29 national sign languages of the EU as official EU languages be achieved, and should a review of EEC Regulation 1/1958[2] be recommended, or would the adoption of distinct legislation be more suitable?

Submitted: 5.2.2025

• [1] World Federation of the Deaf, ‘The Legal Recognition of National Sign Languages’, https://wfdeaf.org/news/the-legal-recognition-of-national-sign-languages/.
• [2] EEC Council: Regulation No 1 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/1958/1(1)/oj.