Which language has the most native speakers within the European Union?

The European Union was established on 1 November 1993. English is spoken by more than half the entire population of the EU, although German has the most native speakers. English is the most popular choice of second language for almost all the countries in the EU.

There are over 200 languages spoken in the countries of the EU, but only 24 official languages. The European Commission is one of the largest language translation and interpretation services in the world with 1,750 linguists, 850 support staff, 600 staff interpreters, and 3,000 freelance interpreters. The majority of official EU languages are Indo-European. There are also a few Finno-Ugric languages: Estonian, Finnish, and Hungarian, as well as one Semitic language: Maltese. Basque, which is a descendant of a pre-Indo-European language of obscure origin, has official status regionally within Spain while not being an official EU language.