In the former Soviet Union, languages of all member states were authorized but only one was official. Concerns over language imperialism and cultural elitism arise. In 1993 the EEC/EU had nine official languages reflecting its membership, but several other languages, such as Irish, were authorized. Practically this means a two-tier system where the official languages are systematically translated, one between the other, but the authorized languages are treated more casually. Considering that 30 to 35% of the total operating budget of the EC is for translation, the implications of Sweden, Finland and Norway entering the EEC/EU are financially very costly under current pluralist language policies.