The European Language Equality Network (ELEN) is an international non-governmental organization that is active at the European level which works to protect and promote European lesser-used languages (lesser-used languages), i.e. regional languages, minority languages, endangered languages, co-official languages and national languages of small nations. As of 2025, it states that 174 member organisations representing 50 languages in 25 European states, constitutes its network. This includes many language NGOs as well as academic institutions.
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History
ELEN was formed after the closure of EBLUL, European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages, a non-governmental organization with similar goals founded in 1982 and closed in 2010 The Secretary-General of ELEN has been Davyth Hicks since its foundation and its current president is Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, elected in 2021.
General Assembly
ELEN holds an annual general assembly in a different location each year. The most recent editions were:
2025: Barcelona, Catalonia.
2024: Bilbao, the Basque Country
2023: Cagliari, Sardinia
2022: Cardiff, Wales
2021: Santiago de Compostela, Galicia
The next general assembly is to be held in Belfast in Ireland in 2026.