NPLD Reaffirms Commitment to Linguistic Diversity on International Mother Language Day 2026

On 21 February 2026, the Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity (NPLD) joins the global celebration of International Mother Language Day by reaffirming its strong commitment to safeguarding and promoting Europe’s linguistic diversity.

Across Europe, millions of people grow up speaking different mother tongues, regional, minority, national or migrant languages, each representing a unique cultural heritage and way of understanding the world. At the same time, many of Europe’s traditional regional and minority languages require sustained public support to ensure their transmission, visibility and vitality.

In its official statement, NPLD highlights the importance of recognising both the right of individuals and communities to maintain and transmit their mother tongues, and the need for structured and targeted policies to protect historically minoritised languages. Linguistic diversity, as the statement underlines, is not a competition between languages but a collective asset that strengthens democratic participation, social cohesion and cultural resilience.

NPLD calls on European institutions, national and regional governments, and civil society to continue investing in policies that allow all languages — particularly those most vulnerable — to thrive in education, public life, culture and digital spaces.

Read the full NPLD Statement here.