The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
Communicating
in the EU
Languages
Europe is rich in languages with about 225 spoken indigenous
languages. The main language families in the EU are Germanic,
Romance, Slav, Baltic and Celtic. The EU institutions now have
20 official languages but you may get along very well with English
in all European countries, especially when communicating with
the younger generation.
Many Europeans speak at least one other language as well as
their mother tongue but during your travels in Europe, try using
at least a few phrases of the local language when talking to
local people. It will add colour to your experiences.
A European Day of Languages now takes place on 26 September,
every year, to celebrate and encourage language learning. The
slogan for this year is “Pack an extra language in your
luggage”. It is never too late to learn a language and
enjoy the opportunities it opens up.
Telephone
There is just one prefix for making international telephone calls
anywhere in the EU: 00.
The country codes are:
Austria
43
Italy
39
Belgium
32
Ireland
353
Cyprus
357
Luxembourg
352
Czech
Republic
420
Lithuania
370
Germany
49
Latvia
371
Denmark
45
Malta
356
Spain
34
The
Netherlands
31
Estonia
372
Portugal
351
France
33
Poland
48
Finland
358
Sweden
46
United
Kingdom
44
Slovakia
421
Greece
30
Slovenia
386
Hungary
36
The
prefix 00 800 followed by an eight digit number indicates a universal
international free phone number but be aware that not all mobile
phone companies and hotels recognise it and may charge.
The prefix 00 979 followed by a nine digit number indicates a
universal international premium rate number.
The prefixes which indicate national telephone services that are
either free or cost extra high premium charges are not the same
in all EU-countries.
Mobile
phones
You can use your mobile phone anywhere in Europe and in many other
parts in the world thanks to the EU's GSM technical standard.
Before travelling, however, contact your network provider to make
sure that your phone is enabled for international roaming. Coverage
will vary and the costs will depend on your provider. Don't forget
that there can be charges for receiving calls abroad both for
you and the caller. Most US mobile phones will not work in Europe
but there are ample possibilities of renting a mobile phone in
Europe for the duration of you stay.
Postcards
Postage stamps can only be used in the country in which you buy
them, even when priced in euro.
If you want to send a postcard to another EU country, here are
the most used rates valid at the beginning of 2004. For letters
and other rates, ask the local post office.