"It is unacceptable": member states lash out at Spain for linking EU enlargement to Catalan

BrusselsSpain has once again brought the official status of Catalan to the European Union this Tuesday. As Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares had already announced, the Spanish executive will explain to the EU General Affairs Council that it links the recognition of Basque, Galician, and Catalan to the accession of new states to the community club. It considers it "unthinkable" that another language be added to the EU's official regime (such as Montenegrin or Albanian) if the official status of the co-official languages of the Spanish state has not been accepted first.

The proposal, however, has not pleased the member states. Germany, Sweden, and Lithuania have criticized the Moncloa for conditioning the EU's enlargement on the recognition of the languages. "It is unacceptable," asserted the Lithuanian representative at the meeting, Sigitas Migtus, who will raise it as such before the Council. In the same way, the Swedish minister has defended that the entry of new countries into the European club "is one thing" and that the discussion about Catalan "is another."

Berlin, which had already put obstacles in the way of the initiative, has asked Spain for "a little more European spirit" when it comes to using the entry of new countries as a bargaining chip to "obtain better conditions." "I do not agree with it at all, because we have a responsibility towards this Europe," asserted the German minister, Gunther Krichbaum. The leader questions whether the Moncloa's request has anything to do with integration policy, and therefore argues that it "should not block or stop the accession process."

The Spanish executive, however, will defend before the rest of the member states that Catalan must be official before languages like Montenegrin or Albanian, which have far fewer speakers. "It is time to put an end to a discrimination that affects 20 million people," emphasized the Spanish representative at the meeting, Secretary Fernando Sampedro. Nevertheless, the number two of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has avoided making the recognition of the languages a red line and has limited himself to saying that he trusts they will be recognized "before other member states are incorporated."

Spain is putting this issue back on the table for the first time since the last debate among European ministers in July 2025. It does so coinciding with the negotiation of the budget in Congress, in which Pedro Sánchez's government needs the support of the Catalan pro-independence parties.

The initiative for the recognition of the language arrives in Brussels without any path forward. In this Thursday's debate, the matter will not be put to a vote, nor will any binding decision be taken. The Sánchez executive will limit itself to presenting its vision to the rest of the partners, who will be able to provide their arguments. But for it to be approved, the unanimous support of the Twenty-seven would first be needed. A milestone that, at this moment, remains far off for the Moncloa.