The main goal of the project Croatian Language in the European Union is to describe, on practical examples, modern use of the Croatian language in the EU context and to produce new linguistic and terminological resources. These resources could be of use to translators, legal and legal-linguistic community, national experts, terminologists, as well as to academic community at domestic and international level as a potential material for training stakeholders involved in creation of multilingual legislation and students enrolled in translation studies and professional development programs. The project Croatian Language in the European Union could connect the language community in Croatia with the community abroad, mostly in the EU institutions. Terminology work, language counseling, the legislative framework and translation in the EU institutions, and cooperation with national experts in Croatia will be described in a bilingual handbook applicable to work in a multilingual environment. The project will also offer a more complete insight into the path of the Croatian language following its accession to the EU, when Croatian terminology started playing an important role in creation of the EU legislation and has been imported into EU terminology databases . However, the EU institutions have been developing not only new terminological concepts but linguistic concepts as well, and it is precisely these concepts that shape and position each official language at the supranational, European level. A good integration of linguistic concepts in each official language is mainly based on planning and management of translation and terminology tasks. In the administrative context, various linguistic models are developed (e.g., citizen’s language, clear language, plain language) and the competencies of traditional (oral and written) translators are expanded (mostly by specializing in translation of specific legislation portfolios or, for example, as intercultural language mediators); needs that language should meet adjust along the way. Working in multilingual and multicultural communities has its own principles, one of which is respect for (common) European standards by simultaneously paying attention to the specifics of each official language in the European Union, with sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, political and other features also taken into account. Models of language use and new codes of administrative style and legal expression, on the one hand, in the context of language humanization appropriate for understanding legislation at everyday level, on the other hand, direct language towards common EU standards.

The aim of the project is twofold: to describe the Croatian language since joining the European Union until today and to expand knowledge at the academic level in order to, among other things, direct and develop the skills and competencies of translators and professions in accordance with standards of modern language and terminology. The experts with specialized knowledge and academic community are also active stakeholders in this process.

This project marks the 10th anniversary of Croatian language being part of EU multilingual community.