Introduction |
European Union Policy on Language Teaching and Learning
The European Commission believes that languages have a vital role to play in building a 'common home' in which 450 million Europeans can live, work and trade together. Learning other languages contributes to its goal of becoming 'the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world' by the end of the decade. It regards the ability to understand and communicate in other languages as a basic skill for all European citizens.
European Union policies have been set out in:
Teaching and Learning: toward the learning society COM (95)590 (1995). This European Commission white paper includes action guideline proposals calling for the development of proficiency in three EU languages. The full text can be downloaded from the EU web site:
(257 kB)The conclusions of the European Council Meeting, Barcelona, March 2002. The Council called for further action' to improve the mastery of basic skills, in particular by teaching at least two foreign languages from a very early age: establishment of a linguistic competence indicator in 2003'. Download the full Presidency Conclusions from the EU web site.
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