Over the rainbow: Languages and law in the future of the European Union

Among the many problems that have grown over the years in the European Union, the linguistic regime is often mentioned, but rarely acknowledged as a major difficulty in its structure. Nor has language been seen as a significant problem in the interpretation of Community law contained in the rulings by the European Court of Justice. However, with the enlargement of the European Union by 10 members, which will mean the addition of another 9 or 10 languages, there is a growing awareness that this may well be about to change. This article sets out to explore the origins of the multilingual regime in the European Union, the efforts to come to grips with it and the attempts, none of them wholly successful, to restrict the growing number of languages claiming official status with increasing membership. The multilingualism of EU Institutions is in stark contrast to the problem in the European Court of Justice, where the prevailing language is French, in particular in the deliberations of the Court. Looking to the future, how is it possible to continue with the present regime at both ends of the spectrum?