The arrangement, signed by UK Permanent Representative to the EU Sir Kim Darroch and Commission representatives today, allows citizens to write to the EU executive – and receive a response – in the Welsh language.
"This is about putting practical measures in place to make the EU more open and accessible to its citizens. We're committed to ensuring similar arrangements across the institutions of the EU," Sir Kim is quoted by Wales Online as saying.
Welsh citizens will communicate with the EU executive "through the medium of certified translations from designated bodies," the Commission said in a statement, adding that its aim was to "ensure that all EU citizens can communicate with the EU institutions in their mother tongue wherever practicable".
The EU institutions' translation and interpreting services absorb €1.1bn or 1% of the EU budget every year, an amount described by Multilingualism Commissioner Leonard Orban as "the cost of democracy" (EurActiv 12/11/08).
As for the Welsh arrangements, "wherever possible, the Commission will translate documents itself, but may forward letters to the Permanent Representation of the UK to the EU for transfer to the designated body for translation," the EU executive explained.
"The costs will be borne by the UK government, payable annually on the basis of the number of pages translated," it said.
Similar arrangements have been in place for Spain's regional languages - Basque, Catalan and Galician – since 2005.
Hailing the move as "another sensible step towards making the EU a little bit more accessible to a group of citizens," Rhodri Morgan, first minister of Wales, said "it's a practical way for the EU to demonstrate Europe's cultural diversity and it enables citizens the choice of corresponding in Welsh where that is their preference".
The European Commission is not the first EU institution to permit the use of Welsh in its corridors.
Last November, Welsh was heard and interpreted at EU level for the first time during a meeting of culture ministers (EurActiv 24/11/08).
Since then, the Welsh have been able to write to the European Council, and receive a written response, in their native tongue.
