Spain's Albares Predicts Catalan Will Soon Gain Official EU Status

Spain's foreign minister José Manuel Albares has predicted that Catalan will gain official status in the European Union as "a matter of time", with a large majority of member states already backing the Spanish government's proposal.

Speaking during his first official visit to Andorra on Monday, Albares said Spain has addressed doubts from hesitant countries and committed to funding the addition of Catalan, along with Basque and Galician, to the EU's language regime. He attributed remaining opposition to purely political motives, accusing Spain's Popular Party of urging some states to block the process. "Some state is doing a favour to the Spanish Popular Party, which is earnestly asking to halt the official status of Catalan," Albares stated.

The minister argued that denying official EU recognition to Spain's co-official languages would be discriminatory, noting that several member states already have multiple official languages in EU institutions. He stressed Spain's multilingual reality, present in streets, workplaces and public transport across many autonomous communities.

Andorra's foreign minister Imma Tor reaffirmed the principality's support, pledging to do "everything we can" from its current position as a third state. She cited the recent translation of Andorra's EU association agreement—including annexes and protocols—into Catalan as a symbolic milestone.

Albares described the association agreement as having "extraordinary significance" for Andorra's future, anchoring it firmly in the European project and promising greater prosperity with benefits for neighbours. Tor thanked Spain for its "fundamental role" in the negotiations, which concluded in December 2023 during Madrid's EU Council presidency. She confirmed ongoing Spanish backing through the Council's approval process and highlighted joint commitments to accelerate bilateral and trilateral talks on practical implementation, including border management.

The visit also produced a cultural protocol between Andorra and the Cervantes Institute to boost joint activities, author exchanges and reading programmes. This will integrate Andorran events into the institute's global network and support Catalan-language initiatives at Andorran diplomatic posts.

Albares emphasised Catalan as a vital cultural and human bridge between Spain and Andorra, while framing linguistic diversity as essential to Europe's strength. Tor positioned Andorra's advocacy within its policy of promoting multilingualism internationally.