Educational and related European opportunities

It lists the following headings containing rerefences to Europe: 

• European Initiatives
• Vocational European Language Portfolio
• Workforce research: interpreting + translation
• European Language Porfolio (ELP)
• Common European Framework
• Recognition Scheme
• European Day of Languages
• European Award for Languages   

The Council of Europe

The Council of Europe has been active in the promotion of modern language learning and teaching since the signature of the European Cultural Convention in December 1954. Its programmes are co-ordinated by two complementary bodies: the Language Policy Division in Strasbourg (France) and the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) in Graz (Austria).

The Council of Europe summarises its languages policy as according 'special importance to fostering the linguistic and cultural diversity of its member States. Its activities in the field of languages aim to promote plurilingualism and pluriculturalism among citizens in order to combat intolerance and xenophobia by improving communication and mutual understanding between individuals.'

Further information will be found under:

• European Centre for Modern Languages (opens in a new window)
• Language Policy Division (opens in a new window)   

The European Union

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. 

Further information about European Union initiatives will be found under: 

• EU policy (opens in a new window) 
• Funded programmes (opens in a new window)
• Promotion (opens in a new window)   

Funded programmes

The European Union has two funded programmes of in the field of education and languages: 

Socrates spans the entire breadth of education. It comprises eight parts, or "Actions", which aim to improve quality and strengthen the European dimension in education. These include: 

• Comenius for school education.
• Erasmus for higher education.
• Grundtvig for adult education and lifelong learning.
• Lingua for the learning of foreign languages.
• Minerva: Information and Communication Technology and Open and Distance Learning.   

With the exception of Erasmus (opens in a new window), these actions are administered in the UK by the British Council. Full information can be found on their web site, www.britishcouncil.org (opens in a new window) 

Since 1995 the Eurydice Network has been an integral part of Socrates. Created in 1980, Eurydice is an institutional network for gathering, monitoring, processing and circulating reliable and readily comparable information on education systems and policies throughout Europe. Major documentation produced includes:

• Eurybase (opens in a new window), an online database of information about European education systems
• Foreign language teaching in schools in Europe (opens in a new window) (2001)   

The UK Eurydice Unit's Eurofocus series includes the following briefing:

Foreign Language Teaching in Member States of the European Union (opens in a new window) (2002)

Leonardo da Vinci is a European Community programme which aims to support national training strategies through funding a range of transnational partnership projects aimed at improving quality, fostering innovation and promoting the European dimension in vocational training. Measures include the development of language competences in a vocational setting. Responsibility for the administration of the programme, in the UK is shared between several different organisations, but information will be found on a dedicated web site at www.leonardo.org.uk/ (opens in a new window)