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Starting from the intricate and multifaceted issues connected to the role that language may perform at both the European and national level, the chapter aims at studying the various barriers deriving from European Union (EU) linguistic diversity, as an interesting perspective from which to analyse the multilayered character of EU citizenship and to reflect on how to better exploit the EU linguistic richness while mitigating those barriers. To deal with these issues properly, the chapter focuses on the reasons justifying a linguistic requirement, in the light of the differences between factual and legal barriers. The need for a plurality of factors, sources of law, policies and actors to manage the challenges deriving from linguistic diversity are also considered. In particular, education and plurilingualism as tools to overcome – in a balanced and coherent way – the linguistic obstacles deriving from EU multilingualism are analysed.

The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are claimed to bear cultural as well as social and economic value for their potential to generate innovation, growth, resilience and jobs (in particular among youth), spilling over into the whole of society and the economy. The CCIs include many sectors and a diversity of modes of production, distribution and consumption of goods. Creatives and creative firms are generally acknowledged for lacking sufficient business skills and know-how. Eventually, this hinders the commercial viability of business models and the entrepreneurial and scaling-up capacity of creative firms. Digital technologies increasingly challenge CCIs’ traditional value chains and modes of competition, blurring the boundaries between supply and demand. It is therefore fundamental to grasp underlying main economic issues and concepts to better understand the strategies and functioning of creative firms and critically assess and develop CCIs’ potential. The chapter is illustrated through the successful story of the art collective teamLab, a Japanese students' start-up and now an internationally acknowledged company.