EU Language Law

Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents

PART I Setting the scene: what is language law?

I Linguistic diversity throughout history

II Traditional aims of the regulation of language use
1 National unity and social cohesion
2 Protection of linguistic minorities and Language diversity

III Scope of the regulation of language use
1 Variatio delectat: a great variety
2 State sovereignty as to official language use
3 Private Freedom of language
4 The crucial great divide between public and private spheres

IV Classification of the language policies of the EU Member States
1 A patchwork of monolingualisms
2 Single official language policy
3 Single official language policy with territorial exceptions
4 Multiple official language policy

V Summing up: what is language law?

PART II Language law of the European Union

I Historical overview
1 The European Coal and Steel Community (1951)
2 The European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (1957)
3 The European Union (1992)
4 Some concluding remarks: pragmatism rules

II Aims of EU language policy
1 Language equality and non-discrimination
2 European integration and mobility
3 The integration aim in the case law of the Court of Justice
4 Linguistic diversity
5 Protection of linguistic minorities

III Scope of EU language policy
1 The scope of EU language policy is comparable to that of national policies
2 Limits of the scope of EU language policy

IV EU public language policy
1 EU Treaty languages
2 EU official and working languages
3 Restricted language regimes and practices
4 Special language regime of the Court of Justice of the European Union
5 The area of freedom, security and justice

V EU private language policy
1 Regulatory linguistic requirements as to the free movement of goods
2 The situation of migrating professionals in the EU internal market
3 Certified translations of documents
4 Broadcasting licences
5 Other preferential language policies

PART III A ten-point roadmap for a more coherent EU language policy

I The curse of languages: a democratic debate is long overdue

II Honesty is the best policy: transparency on the extent of multilingualism

III Some languages are more equal than others: provide for a legal basis and… embrace English officially?

IV Get real: EU multilingualism policy is self-defeating

V The multilingualism paradox as to the law in 24 languages

VI A clearer demarcation of competences between the EU and its Member States

VII The protection of linguistic minorities

VIII The issue of social cohesion and the importance of (a common) language

IX The paradox of multilingual EU Member States

X EU language policy needs a coherent framework

Epilogue: Coming to grips with the past

Bibliography
Table of cases
Index