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Plataforma per la Llengua Col·lectiu Esbarzer

Plataforma per la Llengua is a Barcelona-based advocacy group that defends the rights of Catalan speakers.

Lobbying Activity

Response to European Affordable Housing Plan

4 Jun 2025

The current housing crisis, driven by tourism-based gentrification, speculative real estate practices and state-led development policies, affects numerous Catalan-speaking regions. As a result, housing is increasingly commodified rather than being considered a fundamental right. This phenomenon poses a serious threat to social and territorial cohesion, as well as to social fairness and inclusioncore values of the European Union. The shortage of accessible housing is particularly acute in Catalan-speaking areas under intense pressure from short-term rentals and second homes, especially in highly touristic zones such as the coastal areas of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands (where the tourist-to-resident is 14.7:1), the Valencian Country, Northern Catalonia (officially known as Pyrénées-Orientales) and the Sardinian city of lAlguer. This situation is displacing young people, families, and key public sector workers, such as educators and healthcare professionals (a situation that becomes critical in the cases of small islands, where notorious cases of substandard housing have been documented1). These pressures break down year-round, intergenerational communities and, with them, the social fabric that sustains the use of the Catalan language. A similar circumstance affects the Aran valley, where tourist pressure is taking a toll on the vitality of Aranese Occitan. Thus, as permanent communities fragment, the local language is increasingly displaced by dominant state or international languages. In fact, resident tourists believe they have rights over the territory, unlike conventional tourists, and often do not perceive Catalan as a shared asset, demanding changes that put the cultural identity at risk2. This process is visibly weakening Catalan in the communities daily life, with its presence and use declining in schools, community events, and everyday communication. In fact, there is a demonstrable positive correlation between the speed of the decline of the use of Catalan and the intensity of touristic pressure. That is to say, areas where Catalan has declined more rapidly are those where pressure is more intense.1 These developments confirm that housing policy can have a profound impact on linguistic communities, especially when shortages lead to displacement, gentrification, or shifts in population that weaken minority or regional languages. This dynamic is not unique to Catalan. Notably, this crisis also impacts the vitality of other European minority languages, such as Irish3 and Breton4. These territories share a common vulnerability: current public policies tend to overlook the social consequences of mass tourism and the expansion of the second-home market5 and their impact on language. Language and housing are, simultaneously, a factor and condition for integration. Accordingly, urban and housing policies can either reinforce or marginalise minoritised languages. Therefore, we consider that EU housing measures that do not adequately address the linguistic and cultural dimensions of housing policy risk undermining the Unions commitments to cultural and linguistic diversity, as enshrined in Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. As a result of these developments, without urgent and coordinated intervention, the housing crisis will continue to deepen existing inequalities, accelerate linguistic displacement, and erode the conditions necessary for inclusive, sustainable communities throughout the Catalan-speaking territories. Considering the severity of the housing crisis and its impact on the decline of the Catalan language, we respectfully submit the following recommendations: Support language-sensitive housing policies: encourage and allocate EU funding to community-led housing projects that support cultural and linguistic continuity. Introduce linguistic impact assessments in urban planning: Urban or housing development projects that significantly increase the number of residents
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Meeting with Diana Riba I Giner (Member of the European Parliament)

13 May 2025 · Multilingualism within the EU and the European Parliament

Meeting with Diana Riba I Giner (Member of the European Parliament)

15 Jan 2024 · Geoblocking and linguistic diversity

Response to Verification of suppliers and other operational aspects for the functioning of product database - EPREL

30 Oct 2023

At Plataforma per la Llengua, we have long observed with concern that different European legislative initiatives present wording that could be detrimental to the non-official languages of the European Union, even if they are official in some part of a member state, as is the case of Catalan, a language spoken by more than 10 million Europeans. We have observed that, probably unintentionally, in some of the regulations, the wording of a directive or a regulation creates an obligation for citizens or companies to use an official language of the European Union or directly the official language of the state. In other cases, on the other hand, it allows the use of an official language in a part of the territory or of a language easily understood by consumers. At the international affairs office, we do a periodical review of the legislative initiatives carried out by the European institutions, on the lookout for wording that may be favourable or unfavourable to us. We believe that the wording of this initiative could be discriminatory against minority language speakers because, as the regulations in different regions of the Spanish State mandate, the information sheet should also be available in a non-official language in EPREL, Catalan. Which is not covered by the EPREL or this regulation.
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Meeting with Chris Macmanus (Member of the European Parliament)

6 Sept 2023 · Multilingualism in the EU (meeting taken by staff)

Response to Labelling fragrance allergens

17 Dec 2018

To the attention of the European Commission, Plataforma per la Llengua, the leading pro-Catalan language organization made up of more than 18,000 members, considers that it is important that the linguistic requirements established by this Regulation proposal with regards to the use of official EU languages in perfume allergen labelling are not drafted in a way that might cast doubt on the applicability of national legal dispositions making it compulsory to use autochthonous non-official EU languages. To this effect, it is vital that the Regulation establishes that the obligation setting that allergen information must be presented in at least one official EU language in the concerned member State makes it clear that such a requirement does not exclude that member States can pass legal acts establishing the obligation for perfume producers to present this information in additional autochthonous languages not holding official status in the EU. Our organization is very concerned with the potential effects that EU legal acts might entail for laws passed by the Catalan Parliament concerning the use of the Catalan language in product labeling. For instance, the current draft of Article 15.2 of Regulation 1669/2011 on the linguistic requirements for food labelling, which states that “within their own territory, the Member States in which a food is marketed may stipulate that the particulars shall be given in one or more languages from among the official languages of the Union”, creates confusion on whether Article 128-1 of the Catalan Code of Consumer Rights establishing the obligation to present food labeling in Catalan in addition to Spanish is applicable. This situation harms the linguistic rights of Catalan consumers; therefore, we believe it is essential that the European Commission makes it clear in this upcoming Regulation that member States can establish the obligation to label in other languages aside from EU official languages. It must be highlighted that the Catalan language has over 10 million speakers, which makes it the 14th most widely spoken language in the EU despite its non-official status in the EU institutions. This is the reason why it would not make sense to draft the linguistic requirements of this Regulation in a way that unnecessarily harms the linguistic rights of Catalan citizens, who wish to guarantee that their language is respected by companies in their economic activity. Plataforma per la Llengua wishes to stress that it would not be justifiable to draft the Regulation in a way that unnecessarily affects legal acts passed by the Catalan parliament that do not compromise the correct functioning of the internal market. In our view, it is a fact that establishing the obligation to label allergens in Catalan in addition to Spanish does not compromise the safety of consumers; on the other hand, such a measure is a way that enforces the right of Catalan citizens to have their language treated with respect by companies. It is our believe that this need must be respected by the EU when passing legal acts that can affect the applicability of such dispositions. Hoping that this feedback is useful for the European Commission, Plataforma per la Llengua stays at your disposal for any doubts you might have on this issue. Best regards, Margarida Payola i Lahoz. Responsible for International Affairs.
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Meeting with Szabolcs Horvath (Cabinet of Commissioner Tibor Navracsics)

21 Jun 2016 · Situation of the Catalan language in Europe