The introduction of specific linguistic criteria for access to public services, the administration of justice and the awarding of state contracts in areas with their own language marks a change in national language policy, as El Mundo details. This move, pushed by nationalist and regionalist parties with the support of the PSOE, opens the way for Galician, Basque and Catalan to obtain the same legal and administrative status as Spanish before the General Administration of the State and public services throughout Spain, among other changes in scope.
The Congress of Deputies approved the processing of the proposal for an organic law guaranteeing multilingualism and linguistic rights of citizenship, which aims to adapt state administrative procedures and platforms to ensure the indistinct use of Galician, Basque and Catalan at the national level. According to information published by El Mundo, the initiative allows any document submitted to the state administration or the judicial system to be given the same legal validity, regardless of whether it is written in Spanish or a co-official language, without the need for translation.
El Mundo explained that the bill will oblige public organizations, digital portals, the audiovisual sector and other government regulatory services such as transport and security to offer care and resources in all of Spain’s official languages. The supporting parliamentary coalition, made up of ERC, EH Bildu, PNV, BNG, Compromís and members of Sumar, proposed the amendment of 15 state laws to eliminate the institutional asymmetry that has supported the supremacy of Spanish in the past. The text contains provisions that require mandatory language training for access to positions in public administration and the justice system when it comes to areas with their own language, as El Mundo reported.
Likewise, the proposal includes mechanisms for exercising the right to choose the language in all actions before the public administration and in the areas regulated by it, and requires that the linguistic variable be taken into account in public procurement in order to overcome obstacles that make it impossible for citizens to use Galician, Basque or Catalan effectively. According to El Mundo, the plan is to adapt citizen service systems and all government digital platforms so that they are available in official languages.
During the debate in the House of Commons, the speakers of the nationalist groups argued that the reform complies with the provisions of the constitution to recognize and promote Spanish linguistic diversity and represents a permanent claim to areas with their own language. According to El Mundo, Socialist spokesman Marc Lamuá defended the authorization to move forward with the process, citing the protection of official languages as a defense of democracy and fundamental rights. Lamuá emphasized the PSOE’s commitment to a diverse, pluralistic and coherent Spain.
Aina Vidal, member of the Comuns in Sumar, told the chamber that the proposal should not be interpreted as a political concession, but rather as compliance with the Constitution and Europe. Vidal pointed out that there had been “systematic errors” in the effective promotion of the Catalan, Galician and Basque languages. According to El Mundo, supporters stressed that the current linguistic asymmetry has led to decades of inequality and stated that correcting this situation is the main goal of the project.
The debate included accusations and questions about the constitutionality of the initiative. Speakers from the Popular Party and Vox argued in Congress that the extension of the linguistic co-incumbency to the entire national territory goes beyond what is provided for in the Constitution, recalling that Article 3 recognizes Spanish as the official state language and limits the official status of the others to their respective autonomous communities. Popular deputy Marta González, quoted by El Mundo, said the proposal aimed to “explode the constitutional framework” and accused the PSOE of giving in to pressure from nationalist and pro-independence parties. Vox’s Jorge Campos argued before the chamber that the text aims to “abolish Spanish as an official language” and denounced possible abuses against those whose native language is Spanish.
From the group of nationalist parties insisted that the new law would eliminate discrimination, which, according to their representatives, affects citizens who use Basque, Galician or Catalan in their relations with the state. Álvaro Vidal of the ERC described the insufficient institutional recognition of linguistic plurality as “scandalous” and stressed that “there are no more excuses” to correct the imbalances identified over the years. PNV MP Joseba Aguirretxea defended that the measure responds to a historic demand from areas with their own language and called for an approach based on respect, freedom and the rights of citizens. In this sense, EH Bildu spokesperson Mertxe Aizpurua pointed out that the text will help reduce the gap between Spanish and Basque in the legal field and expressed concern about the PSOE’s stance in the Basque Country, which she considered inadequate.
Pilar Calvo from Junts announced her group’s support for the general objective of the project, but expressed reservations about the constitutional approach and reiterated that on Catalan language issues, the priority for Junts remains sovereignty in language policy on the part of Catalonia and not state protection. He also expressed doubts about the PSOE’s willingness to speed up the parliamentary procedures necessary for the initiative.
Javier Sánchez Serna, spokesperson for Podemos, accused both the PSOE and the PP of failing to develop “Article 3.2” of the Constitution, which provides for the official status of co-official languages. Sánchez Serna criticized that the incomplete application of this law prevents Spain from being considered a social and truly multilingual country.
Spokesmen for Compromís and the BNG, such as Águeda Micó and Néstor Rego, explained that the adoption of the law would facilitate the right to communicate with the state administration in the language of the territory of origin, eliminating authorizations or additional obstacles. They claimed that the reform would bring Spanish legislation closer to the standards of the European Charter for Minority Languages and remove legal and administrative obstacles that previously existed, as El Mundo reports.
The same media explained that the legislative text will introduce the validation of court documents written in one of the co-official languages throughout the State, force state procedures to take into account this linguistic plurality and strengthen the presence of native languages in areas regulated by the State, including those related to consumers, security and audiovisual media.
There is also a section on education, which suggests that the territory’s own language usually acts as the main teaching tool, but that students must complete the compulsory level of education with complete mastery of both the official language and Spanish.
According to El Mundo, supporters believe that final approval would represent a structural change in the management of linguistic diversity at the state level and put an end to what they describe as years of inadequate application of constitutional and European protections on language rights issues. The text will continue its legislative process with the support of the driving groups and the support of the PSOE, leaving ahead an intense parliamentary debate on the scope of the equality of official languages and its constitutional limits.
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