Multilingualism

The GSC's translation service helps ensure that the Council and the European Council are able to put into practice specific rules about the use of languages. The EU treaties recognise 24 official EU languages. All EU citizens are entitled to write to the European Council and the Council, or any other EU institution or body, in one of the official languages and receive a reply in that language.

The internal language rules of the Council and the European Council are set out in their rules of procedure. According to these rules, discussions at the European Council and Council have to be based on documents submitted in all the official and working languages, so that delegates are able to work in their respective national languages. All language versions have the same legal and political validity.

The GSC's translation service, which accounts for around 27% of GSC staff, helps put these rules into practice. Each year they handle between 12 000 to 15 000 translation requests, and deliver the equivalent of around 1.3 million pages of translated text, often under very tight time constraints. The translation service also works closely with the Council's legal service to finalise the legislative texts that the Council adopt.

Interpretation at Council and European Council meetings is provided by the European Commission's directorate general for interpretation.

• Language policy