Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser has called on his five fellow Luxembourg representatives in the European Parliament to join forces in seeking greater recognition for the Luxembourgish language within the institution. In an open letter addressed to MEPs Martine Kemp, Tilly Metz, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Marc Angel, and Charles Goerens, Kartheiser proposed a joint initiative aimed at raising the profile of Luxembourgish in the European Parliament.
He suggested that the six Luxembourg MEPs write together to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and potentially also to the Luxembourg government, to advocate for stronger support for the language.
The appeal forms part of a campaign Kartheiser says he has been pursuing for nearly two years to secure an enhanced status for Luxembourgish in the Parliament. After the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) gained their first-ever seat on the European stage, Kartheiser almost immediately raised eyebrows in the European Parliament by delivering part of his speech in Luxembourgish before being interrupted and urged to switch to an approved language.
Luxembourgish is recognised as the Grand Duchy's national language, but it is not among the European Parliament's 24 official languages. As a result, it is also not included in the body's interpretation and translation services in the same way as the bloc's official languages.
In his open letter, Kartheiser referenced a recent Instagram post by Greens MEP Tilly Metz, in which she lamented that her fellow MEPs never get to hear her political views in Luxembourgish. The post featured the caption: "me because my MEP friends will never hear my political views in Luxembourgish".
According to Kartheiser, fellow Luxembourg MEP Marc Angel responded to the post by writing: "I hear YOU."
"The situation can, of course, be changed", Kartheiser wrote, arguing that Luxembourg's representatives should work together to promote their national language at the European level.
"I believe it is high time that our own language finally receives more recognition", he wrote. "It and we would deserve it."
Kartheiser concluded the letter by expressing hope that his colleagues would respond positively to the proposal.
