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Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Mr Davis,
Dear participants,

Laćhi texarin,          

Bos días,

Gooie murrige,

Oh, and good morning, bonjour, guten tag!

Welcome to the Open Innovation Dialogue Hub.

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It is estimated that more than 4 million people in Europe speak Romani. More than 2 million speak Galician. And more than 1 million speak Limburgish.

These are just three of the 84 languages protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Languages spoken by more than 200 communities across Europe.

These languages carry the culture and heritage of their communities. They reflect history, place and tradition.

But they do more than preserve the past.

Languages shape how we think, how we solve problems, and how we imagine the future.

It is important to underline that diversity is one of Europe’s great strengths, particularly in today’s world.

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But our linguistic diversity is threatened.

It is reported that English is used by almost 50% of websites. Nearly one in two.  

The gap becomes even starker when we look at the next most-used languages.

Spanish and German are used by just 6% of websites. And the next languages you can imagine have an even smaller share.

My own language, French, is used by fewer than 5% of websites. Yet over 300 million people speak French around the world.

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So what chance do minority languages have to be heard at all in this context?

This is a cultural issue. But it is also democratic.

In a Europe where democracy is backsliding, open debate cannot depend on one dominant language.

New ideas need people who can express them in their own words.

The digital world must not become one huge echo chamber.

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Digital inclusion is a condition for democratic participation.

Europe’s digital and AI transformation has to be built on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

All our living languages need a strong place in that future.

That is why the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is so important for all of us. It protects communities. And in places like Ukraine, it can even help rebuild peace, stability and trust.

It is also why our Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence is crucial and the relations between these texts. Together with Convention 108+ on data protection, it helps ensure that technology serves our values.

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But none of this works without implementation.

Partnerships such as this one with the Microsoft Open Innovation Center are vital.

Open innovation brings expertise, resources and creativity together.

When public institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector work together, AI can become a tool for inclusion.

It is a matter of collective decision, what we do with these tools.

It can protect and reinforce our linguistic diversity, instead of silencing diverse voices.

It is encouraging to see Microsoft working on AI that recognises Europe’s many languages and traditions. It is a strong signal.

Training AI models with linguistic diversity is essential if technology is to be responsible and accessible to everyone across our continent.

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Together, we can make sure that AI does not make Europe smaller.

That Romani, Galician, Limburgish and all our living languages belong to our shared future.

A future where technology serves diversity.

Where inclusion strengthens democratic security. At the end of the day, it is all about democratic security, about having strong institutions.

It must be a place where every voice can be heard.

Thank you.

And I wish you a productive and excellent conference.