The official language used during the proceedings is English. However, at least once a day, participants and interpreters will experience a Mother Tongue Session. It is a very special session, in which MEPs, lobbyists, and members of the press are allowed to speak their mother tongue (one of the languages provided by interpreting services) and interpreting will be performed via a relay system. The Mother Tongue Sessions aim at increasing the attention and the involvement of participants, bringing more dynamism
and enthusiasm to the sessions and deepening of the experience of European diversity. The session was first introduced in 2011 and the result was a great success, as it increased the visibility of the interpreters and drew the attention of the delegates to multilingualism.
The use of one’s mother tongue will be allowed in statements, debates, meetings with lobbyists and the press, but will not be used during the delivery of amendments and the phase of voting on amendments, where the utmost clarity is necessary.
The official list and the number of interpreting languages will be decided at the end of the selection process and will be influenced by various factors, e.g. the number of participants for each language.