Organized by the Ministry of European Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the European House, with the financial support of the European Union through the EU4ME project, the European Day of Languages was celebrated in Podgorica.
On this occasion, language workshops and gatherings of elementary school “Savo Pejanović” students with the ambassadors of Austria, France, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, as well as the chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of Poland and the counselor at the Embassy of the Netherlands was organized in the European House.
The event was opened by the Ministers Maida Gorčević and Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović and EU Ambassador Johann Sattler.
Minister Gorčević said that the European Day of Languages is celebrated throughout Europe with the aim of promoting the wealth of European languages and cultures. She reminded that there are about 220 original languages in Europe, and 24 official languages in the European Union.
Minister Gorčević said that the moment Montenegro becomes a member of the EU, the Montenegrin language becomes the official language of the European Union, and the children become citizens of the EU with all the possibilities of learning, studying, traveling, like everyone else who lives in the EU.
“I am sure that today, through this workshop, with our dear ambassadors, you will also learn new words. But what I would suggest is that you also teach them some words. Some interesting ones, some that we certainly don’t use every day and those that they will surely take to their countries and talk about as something that sounds nice, has a nice meaning or something that they will surely take away from this gathering”, said Gorčević.
Minister Jakšić-Stojanović said that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation to provide young people with access to the wealth of languages, not only in order to acquire skills for the labor market, but also to become world citizens open to new knowledge and perspectives.
“Language is not only a means of communication, it is a bridge that connects generations, cultures and traditions, preserving our past and building foundations for the future. Through the promotion of multilingualism, we foster intercultural dialogue, understanding and respect among the peoples of Europe. In Montenegro, a country with a multi-layered cultural heritage, this value is fundamental to our identity,” Minister Jakšić-Stojanović said.
Ambassador Sattler invited the children to continue learning, exploring and enjoying the beauty of the languages around us.
“By celebrating linguistic diversity, we also celebrate cultural diversity. Every language we speak or learn leads us to a closer understanding of other people’s values, music, food and stories. It shows us that, although we are all unique, we are also part of a larger, common European family. That is why the EU is strongly committed to promoting multilingualism,” said the ambassador.
Through socializing with ambassadors, elementary school students enriched their knowledge of foreign languages and learned new expressions in German, French, Dutch, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian and English and enriched their knowledge of the cultures of those countries. Also, the ambassadors learned words and expressions in the Montenegrin language from the elementary school students.