Their linguistic skills are attractive to employers. The European Commission wants everybody to share those benefits. The White Paper focuses on language learning at all ages. These have been partly funded by the Lingua element of the EU's Socrates programme for cooperation in education and by the Leonardo da Vinci programme for cooperation in vocational training. The European Label Learning a language no longer means just sitting at a desk doing grammar exercises.
Modern methods can be more fun and more effective.
The aim of the Label is to help stimulate interest in language learning by highlighting innovative language learning projects at all stages of education and training, from pre-school to adult. The Label is coordinated by the European Commission, but managed on a decentralised basis by Member States, along with Norway and Iceland. The Commission has made funds available to help with national information campaigns about the Label. It will also organise a European event involving projects which have been awarded a Label and provide financial support to help publicise such projects The Label is awarded by juries in each Member State, according to criteria agreed at European level and to additional national criteria. It can be awarded to any initiative in the field of language teaching and learning, whatever type of organisation is responsible.