A representative of Irish language campaign group STÁDAS today addressed the National Forum on Europe and called for the recognition of Irish as an official EU language.
Dr Pádraig Ó Laighin of STÁDAS said the inclusion of Irish on the list of official EU languages would bring economic as well as cultural benefits to Ireland.
A demonstration was also held to coincide with the meeting of the Forum at Dublin Castle.
STÁDAS, a group comprised of representatives of Irish language groups, educators and legal figures, has been formed to lobby the Government on the issue. It says the exclusion of Irish at an official level is putting the language under pressure.
The group claims the inclusion of Irish as an official language would help create jobs by way of translation and safeguard the future of the language in a greater EU.
STÁDAS argues that official status would create employment as the EU will engage 110 new translators and 40 new interpreters for each new language.
The group says that currently when job opportunities with EU institutions arise, these are open to EU citizens who can speak 2 (or more) official EU languages. However, Irish citizens applying for such jobs are disadvantaged as Irish is disregarded.
Currently Irish is given treaty status which only obliges the EU to translate all major treaties into the language.
Campaigners also say Irish will soon be the only one of 20 European languages not to have official status in the EU.
Official status would mean EU laws and official documents would be issued in Irish. It would also mean EU Parliament delegates could address the assembly in Irish.
Funding for the inclusion of the language would come from within the EU itself, as all EU citizens already pay €2 per citizen into an existing translation budget which would fund the inclusion of the Irish language.
Following the accession of new-member states, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene and Maltese will be recognised as official languages by the EU.
Chairman of the Forum on Europe, Senator Maurice Hayes, has backed the campaign to raise the status of Irish within the EU.