Council Resolution of 14 February 2002 on the promotion of linguistic diversity and language learning in the framework of the implementation of the objectives of the European Year of Languages 2001
Date: 2002-02-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European language, European symbol, in-service training, language teaching, multilingualism

23.2.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 50/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 14 February 2002

on the promotion of linguistic diversity and language learning in the framework of the implemen-
tation of the objectives of the European Year of Languages 2001

(2002/C 50/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

RECALLING:

(1) the Council Resolution of 31 March 1995 on improving
and diversifying language learning and teaching within the
education systems of the European Union (1), according to
which pupils should, as a general rule, have the oppor-
tunity of learning two languages of the Union other than
their mother tongue(s);

(2) the responsibility of Member States for the content of
teaching and the organisation of education systems and
their cultural and linguistic diversity;

the Nice European Council, which states that the Union
shall respect cultural, religious and linguistic diversity;

(9) the Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of
the Governments of the Member States, meeting within
the Council, of 14 December 2000 on the social inclusion
of young people (5), which was approved by the Nice
European Council;

(10) the Council Decision of 19 January 2001 on Guidelines
for Member States’ employment policies for the year
2001 (6)
the horizontal objective
and in particular
concerning lifelong learning;

(3) the Commission’s 1995 White Paper entitled Teaching and

learning: Towards the learning society;

(4) the Council Conclusions of 12 June 1995 on linguistic
diversity and multilingualism in the European Union;

(11) the Report of the Education Council of 12 February 2001
on the concrete future objectives of education and
training systems which was submitted to the Stockholm
European Council and which explicitly includes improving
foreign language learning as one of its objectives, and the
Council Conclusions of 28 May 2001 on the follow-up to
be given to the Report;

(5) the Council Resolution of 16 December 1997 on the early

teaching of European Union languages (2);

(6) the Presidency conclusions of

the Lisbon European
Council of 23 and 24 March 2000 which include
foreign languages within a European framework for the
definition of basic skills;

(12) the Commission’s 2000 Memorandum on lifelong
learning which has given an impetus
to a broad
discussion, both at European level and in the Member
States, on how to implement broad and coherent
strategies for lifelong learning,
inter alia in the field of
language learning;

(7) Decision No 1934/2000/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council of 17 July 2000 on the European Year
of Languages 2001 (3);

(13) the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 10 July 2001 on mobility within the
Community for students, persons undergoing training,
volunteers, teachers and trainers (7);

(8) Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union of 7 December 2000 (4), welcomed by

(14) the activities developed by the Council of Europe in the
field of the promotion of linguistic diversity and language
learning.

(1) OJ C 207, 12.8.1995, p. 1.
(2) OJ C 1, 3.1.1998, p. 2.
(3) OJ L 232, 14.9.2000, p. 1.
(4) OJ C 364, 18.12.2000, p. 1.

(5) OJ C 374, 28.12.2000, p. 5.
(6) OJ L 22, 24.1.2001, p. 18.
(7) OJ L 215, 9.8.2001, p. 30.

C 50/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

23.2.2002

EMPHASISES THAT:

to acquire in order
in the European knowledge

(1) the knowledge of languages is one of the basic skills which
to take part
each citizen needs
and
society
effectively
therefore facilitates both integration into society and
social cohesion; a thorough knowledge of one’s mother
tongue(s) can facilitate the learning of other languages;

(2) knowledge of languages plays an important role in facili-
tating mobility, both in an educational context as well as
for professional purposes and for cultural and personal
reasons;

(3) knowledge of

languages is also beneficial

for European

cohesion, in the light of EU enlargement;

(4) all European languages are equal in value and dignity from
the cultural point of view and form an integral part of
European culture and civilisation.

RECALLS THAT:

the European Year of Languages 2001, organised in coop-
eration with the Council of Europe, is stimulating awareness
of linguistic diversity and the promotion of language learning;

the Report of the Education Council of 12 February 2001 on
the concrete future objectives of education and training
systems, which explicitly includes improving foreign language
learning as one of its objectives, should be implemented via a
detailed work programme to be defined in a joint report which
the Council and Commission will present to the Barcelona
European Council.

REAFFIRMS:

set out

in Article 2 of Decision No
the objectives
1934/2000/EC of
the
Council of 17 July 2000 on the European Year of Languages
2001, with a view to the further implementation of
these
objectives.

the European Parliament

and of

be as diversified as possible,
bouring countries and/or regions;

including those of neigh-

(2) to ensure

that

educational
study programmes
objectives promote a positive attitude to other languages
and cultures and stimulate intercultural communication
skills from an early age;

and

(3) to promote the learning of

in vocational
training, thereby taking into account the positive impact
of language knowledge on mobility and employability;

languages

(4) to facilitate the integration of non-native speakers in the
including
educational system and in society as a whole,
through-measures
the
official language(s) of instruction, respecting the languages
and cultures of their country of origin;

to improve their knowledge of

(5) to promote the application of

innovative pedagogical

methods, in particular also through teacher training;

(6) to encourage future language teachers to take advantage of
relevant European programmes to carry out part of their
studies in a country or region of a country where the
language which they will teach later is the official language;

(7) to set up systems of validation of competence in language
knowledge based on the common European framework of
languages developed by the Council of
reference for
Europe,
acquired
sufficient
taking
through informal learning;

account of

skills

(8) to stimulate European cooperation in order to promote
transparency of qualifications and quality assurance of
language learning;

(9) to bear in mind the wealth of linguistic diversity within the
European Community in the context of
the abovemen-
tioned objectives, and thus to encourage, inter alia, coop-
eration between official centres or other cultural
insti-
languages and
the dissemination of
tutions
cultures of the Member States.

the

for

INVITES the Member States within the framework, limits and
priorities of
legal, budgetary,
their
educational and training systems:

respective political,

(1) to support the Member States in their implementation of

the abovementioned recommendations;

INVITES the Commission:

and

(1) to take the measures they deem appropriate to offer pupils,
as far as possible, the opportunity to learn two, or where
appropriate, more languages in addition to their mother
tongues,
foreign
languages by others in the context of
lifelong learning,
taking into account the diverse needs of the target public
and the importance of providing equal access to learning
cooperation and
opportunities.
to promote
In order
languages should
mobility across Europe, the supply of

to promote

learning of

the

(2) to take into account,
linguistic diversity
candidate countries;

in this context,

relations with third

the principle of
and

in its

(3) to draw up proposals by early 2003 for actions for the
linguistic diversity and language learning
promotion of
while ensuring consistency with the implementation of
the report on concrete future objectives of education and
training systems.