Bilingualism in Finland is no unique phenomenon. Elsewhere in Europe, there are numerous nation-states that are bilingual or multilingual. In the European Union, there are more than 40 million people who speak a language other than the majority language of their home country.

The Swedish Assembly co-operates vividly with linguistic minority communities in other countries. The Assembly actively supports the National Association of Finns in Sweden and enjoys good relations with the Organisation of Swedish Finns in Sweden. In addition, the Swedish Assembly participates in the activities of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL), which is a common body of a number of national committees of the EU Member States. EBLUL works actively to promote lesser used languages, regional minority cultures, and historical minorities. The EBLUL website provides detailed information on linguistic minorities in Europe.