Parliamentary law and the use of co-official languages in the Congress: necessity, scope and budgetary impact

Abstract

On 25 September 2023 the reform of the Rules of Procedure of the Spanish Congress, approved by the Plenary of the Congress on 21 September, was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE). This article examines that reform, which permits and generalizes the use of co-official languages in the Plenary Sittings of the Congress, as well as in the various committees and publications of the Chamber. The purpose and importance of this research is to analyse the real scope of this new right of use, its guarantees of publication in Spanish as the common language, and the balance between linguistic representation and equality of understanding for each of the co-official languages. In addition, it will examine the organisational and economic cost arising from interpreting and the various mandatory translations. Lastly, this article will compare the Spanish model with other parliaments, such as those of Switzerland and Belgium, in order to determine whether the solution
adopted is necessary, proportionate and sustainable.