Andorra and Catalonia Form Joint Group to Boost Catalan Language Efforts

Andorra and Catalonia have established a joint working group on language policy, hosted by Andorra's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, to coordinate efforts on Catalan language projects following Friday's meeting in Encamp between Culture Minister Mònica Bonell and Catalonia's Language Policy councillor Francesc Xavier Vila.

The group will cover areas such as adult certification and training, audiovisual production, regulatory alignment for commerce, terminology development, policies for migrant populations, teaching Catalan outside its linguistic domain, and promotion campaigns. Andorran representatives include Language Policy Director Joan Sans, Marta Pujol, and Eva Royo. Catalonia's members are Vila, Andorra delegate Anna Vives, Jordi Suïls from territorial services in Alt Pirineu, Aran, and Lleida, Anton Ferret as deputy director general for planning and promotion, and Montserrat Sendra, head of cabinet.

Regular meetings will allow for sharing experiences, tracking progress, and identifying opportunities. Bonell described the initiative as institutionalising long-standing collaboration with Catalonia, enabling exchanges on language centres and exams under Andorra's two-year-old Official and Proprietary Language Law. She gave a positive assessment of its implementation, highlighting high pass rates on A1 exams—required for residence and work permit renewals among newcomers—with most participants succeeding so far. June results remain pending, and final data will follow once the process concludes.

The group will also assess how language centres and tests influence permit renewals for foreigners. Bonell noted that the National Council for the Language has approved programmatic areas funded by parishes for joint projects, while all local corporations develop linguistic plans to ensure Catalan services in public administration, sports, leisure, and youth activities.

On Andorra's pilot foreign recruitment scheme, Bonell clarified that participants are exempt from obtaining A1 certification but must demonstrate basic Catalan knowledge, particularly for public-facing roles. "They are not required to have that A1 title, but evidently they must know Catalan, as they work with the public and the regulations apply," she said.

Vila described Andorra as a "strategic partner," the only state with Catalan as its sole official language, and highlighted complementary strengths amid shared socioeconomic and migratory challenges. He countered perceptions of Catalan decline in Catalonia, citing annual gains of 50,000 new speakers and 20,000 new users between 2018 and 2023. "The solution is for growth in those who know and use the language to match, at least, the number of newcomers who do not," he said.

An early joint action will see Andorra join upcoming language and society workshops in Barcelona. The effort builds on an agreement between Andorran Head of Government Xavier Espot and Catalan President Salvador Illa to resume bilateral talks and sectoral groups.