Brussels, February 23, 2026 - The first Brussels Multilingualism Week has come to an end, exceeding all expectations. From February 9 to 14, 2026, nearly 3,000 participants took part in more than 110 activities organized in a dozen municipalities and at the Palais de la Bourse.
Led by the Brussels Council for Multilingualism, with the support of the Brussels-Capital Region and the City of Brussels, the initiative highlighted the capital's linguistic diversity and the role of multilingualism in social cohesion, education, and economic life.
Starting signal among the pupils
The starting signal was given at the GO! Pacheco primary school, in the heart of Brussels. This Dutch-speaking school, which bears the label “Language Friendly School,” values the nearly thirty native languages spoken by its pupils in order to reinforce the learning of the school language.
The testimonies heard that day—from a Ukrainian student who only joined the school in September, or an Afghan girl who was attending school for the first time—were a reminder of how demanding the reality in Brussels is for teaching staff. They also showed that passing on the mother tongue and learning the language of instruction reinforce each other rather than working against each other, and how the expertise and enthusiasm of the teaching team can make all the difference.
Five languages in the spotlight, dozens of actors involved
Every evening, the Palais de la Bourse hosted events open to the public focusing on five major immigrant languages in Brussels: Polish, Spanish, Turkish, Romanian, and Arabic. Often organized by organizations from these communities, these events painted an enthusiastic picture of the capital's linguistic diversity.
The closing day brought together around 40 participants, each with their own stand in the Forum area of the Stock Exchange. The European Parliament gave an insight into the work of its interpreters and translators, while Actiris, the VDAB and Bruxelles Formation detailed their initiatives to improve the language skills of job seekers. Associations, schools, universities, and training providers also highlighted the range of resources available, from the Brulingua program to the multilingual collections of Brussels libraries.
Four debates punctuated the day: the impact of artificial intelligence on language learning and translation professions, the place of mother tongues in schools, the language practices of Brussels public services, and, in the company of Ministers Valérie Glatigny and Cieltje Van Achter, the shortage of Dutch teachers. In a climate of open discussion, these exchanges confirmed the relevance of these issues and the need to continue the dialogue.
The week ended with a multilingual performance by the RaveKoor choir.
Organized in the same week as the formation of the new Brussels government, this first edition mobilized a large network of enthusiastic participants. An encouraging sign for the future.
See you in February 2027 for a second edition.
The Brussels Multilingualism Council