Summary
Using the appropriate language on product labels is vital to ensuring consumer understanding of a product’s use, safety, and environmental impact. There are currently 22 official languages in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). The use of language on labels has been the subject of a 1993 Commission communication, the gist of which is to encourage multilingual information, while preserving the freedom of Members States to require the use of language of the country of consumption. At present, language requirements are a national issue in which Member States determine the appropriate language/languages necessary for labels on products in certain industries.