Eŭropa Esperanto-Unio (EEU – the European Esperanto Union) is an umbrella organisation of the national Esperanto organisations of the EU Member States, which also included candidate countries. Other European Esperanto organisations my be observers without voting rights.
The principal function of EEU is to represent the European Esperanto movement in contacts with the EU institutions. In this regard EEU not only has the aim of informing about Esperanto and strengthening its position in the EU countries, but also strives to contribute to various EU goals, particularly those relating to human rights, the ecological sensitisation of citizens, equality of language rights and general solidarity.
The European Commission has recognised the important contribution of EEU by inviting it to be among the 29 Pan-European organisations constituting the Civic Society Platform to promote Multilingualism, which was founded in October 2009. EEU representatives work actively in all four working groups of the Platform. The role of the Platform is to pursue a dialogue with the Commission concerning how the EU goals of promoting multilingualism and protecting endangered languages may be advanced.
EEU informs the European Parliament of its activities, applies for financial support for its European projects and organises international conferences and symposia on various European and linguistic themes, such as bi- and multilingual education, strengthening a European identity in harmony with national identities, etc.