Plataforma per la Llengua (literally: Pro-Language Platform) is a non-governmental organization born in 1993 in Barcelona, in order to defend and promote the Catalan language all over the Catalan-speaking territories in the European states where it is spoken: Spain, France, Andorra and Italy.
Their activities include the development of sociolinguistic studies and a constant monitoring on the status of Catalan, in collaboration with other organizations, foundations and public agencies.
There are many aims; one of them is to guarantee the linguistic rights of Catalan-speaking people and the use of Catalan as a connection tool in the fields and territories where it is spoken.
On 23 September 2012, Martí Gasull i Roig, one of the organization's founders and the main Plataforma per la Llengua coordinator, died in an accident on a mountain (Manaslu), in Nepal.
Among posthumous prizes there are: Premi d’Obra Cultural Balear Aina Moll i Marquès at Nit de Cultura 2012, 'El Segador de l'any' by Reagrupament, UEC and Gràcia and Barcelona local government plens municipals recognition and the Barcelona local government Medalla d'Or al Mèrit Cultural.
On 15 January 2013, Plataforma per la Llengua honoured Martí Gasull Roig in the Sala Gran del Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, in Barcelona.
It approved the Premi Martí Gasull i Roig basis in order to award a person or an organization that has highlighted in the defence of Catalan language once a year.
[citation needed] In business area, there was a very unfavourable situation in 2000, and by intensive campaigns, some goals were achieved: Catalan language was introduced in some big multinationals like Apple, Microsoft, Vodafone, Orange, Telefónica, Carrefour, Nokia, Samsung, Siemens, Carrefour, Decathlon, Schlecker, Facebook, Google, Twitter or IKEA.
[citation needed] In 2004, the first Festa de la Joguina en Català (The Game Party in Catalan) was celebrated some days before Christmas.