WRITTEN QUESTION E-1731/00

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(31 May 2000)

Subject: Commission linguistic policy and the safeguard and promotion of minority and regional languages

The conference of the Education Ministers from the 15 EU Member States, the three European Economic Area (EEA) countries and the 13 applicant states hosted by the Portuguese presidency in Lisbon on 17 and 18 March marked the launch of the new phases of the Community education, training and youth programmes (Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth) for the period 2000-2006.

Given the enormous success of initiatives under the Lingua programme (a sub-programme of Socrates aimed at promoting language teaching and learning), which were partially included as horizontal measures in the previous phase of the Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes (1995-1999), can the Commission confirm whether in the new period 2000-2006, measures connected with language teaching and learning under the Lingua or any other programme will be wholly or partly included as horizontal measures in the EU's education, training and youth programmes? What is the total amount of funding the Commission plans to set aside for these purposes?

Could the Commission state whether these initiatives in the field of language learning and teaching also apply to minority and regional languages, and, if so, the percentage concerned?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(27 June 2000)

The Lingua actions of the Socrates programme aimed to promote a qualitative and quantitative improvement in the teaching and learning of the official languages of the Community as foreign languages.

(a) Since 1991, almost 22 million has been invested in multinational projects between teacher-training establishments, which aim to improve the quality of language teacher training by sharing best practice and innovation.

(b) Between 1995 and 1999, individual in-service training grants totalling 39 million have helped 34 600 teachers of a foreign language to improve their skills. This is in addition to the 19 000 teachers who benefited between 1990 and 1994.

(c) Between 1995 and 1999 over 2 800 future foreign language teachers received a bursary enabling them to spend up to eight months teaching their mother tongue in a school abroad, as part of the Lingua assistantship scheme.

(d) Support has been given to the development of innovative language teaching methods and learning tools, and the development of instruments for the assessment of language skills.

(e) Each year, grants have enabled about 30 000 young people to improve their foreign language skills by working with counterparts in a school abroad on a project related to their education and training; they have then travelled abroad to work with them face-to-face, and spend time in their families, thereby making practical use of their new foreign language skills.

The Commission is pleased to confirm that the actions referred to under (a) (b), (c), and (e) above will continue in the second phase of the Socrates programme, within the Comenius action, whose objectives now include the promotion of language teaching and learning. The actions referred to under (d) above will continue under the new Lingua action, which will also contain new measures to raise public awareness about the importance of language learning, improve citizens' access to language learning opportunities, and share information on best practice and innovation in the field.

The promotion of language teaching and learning in the field of vocational training continues to be a priority in the Leonardo Da Vinci programme.

The Socrates decision lists as target languages the 11 official languages of the Community, plus Irish and Letzebuergisch. The national languages of the European economic area (EEA) countries Norwegian and Icelandic and the national languages of the newly participating countries are also eligible. Regional and minority languages are not eligible to be target languages under the Socrates programme.

The Leonardo Da Vinci programme does not identify target languages.