Language Policy in the Institutions of the EU: Dealing with the

This paper addresses role and status of languages at the supranational level of European integration. It forms a chapter of my thesis on the relationship between European integration and languages, examining how integration influences the use, distribution and status of languages, as well as what role these play in furthering the European project by way of their contribution to a pan-European identity. (see Appendix 1: Thesis Outline). The thesis ’ theoretical framework (Ch1) looks at the formation of identity, in particular group identity. Within group identity, I distinguish between the traditionally predominant national identity, its history and component parts (territory, culture, ethnicity, language, shared or invented tradition), and the more recent concept of a supranational cultural identity promoted by the EU. I then focus on the role of language, traditional and contemporary, in identity-building. Working from this basis, three further chapters examine the role and status of language at three levels within the European project (supranational, national and sub-national/regional) and seek to identify both how integration affects these as well as the reciprocal influence these languages have in the forging of a European cultura