Promoting language learning and linguistic diversity - Consultation initiated by the Commission of the European Communities

In November 2002, The Commission of the European Communities published a Commission Staff Working Paper entitled Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity – Consultation. The paper presents a follow-up to the European Year of Languages 2001 and has to be seen in the context of the Lisbon Strategy and the Objectives Process and of the Parliament’s call of December 2001 for measures to promote language learning and linguistic diversity.

As is now becoming common practice with Commission documents of this kind, the Commission invited stakeholders to give their views on further ways and means of promoting language learning whilst respecting linguistic diversity at a European level.

At the end of the document, the Commission asks seven specific questions. The Executive Committee of the CEL/ELC discussed the general outlines of its response to these questions at a meeting held in Brussels on 31 January. The Executive Committee’s official response since sent to the European Commission can be found here.

Here are the relevant URLs:

Consultation Document:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lang/languages/consult_en.html

For Lisbon Strategy – 2 links:
http://ue.eu.int/en/Info/eurocouncil/index.htm
(= the Lisbon Council Conclusions – 23-24 March 2000)
http://ue.eu.int/en/Info/eurocouncil/index.htm
(= Barcelona Council Conclusions - 15-16 March 2002)

Detailed work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of Education and training systems in Europe:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2002/
c_142/c_14220020614en00010022.pdf

Report by Michael Kelly, University of Southampton, UK:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/policies/lang/languages/download/
executive_summary_full_en.pdf