Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Communication from the Commission on Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004-2006"
Date: 2003-11-20
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: action programme, cultural heritage, foreign language, language teaching

23.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 73/33

— Sicily, Italy

— Siljan region, Sweden

— South West Region, UK

— Stockholm, Sweden

— Thuringia, Germany.

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Communication from the Commission on
Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004-2006’

(2004/C 73/06)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the European Commission Communication on Promoting Language Learning and
Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004-2006 (COM(2003) 449 final);

having regard to the letter of the European Commission of 24 July 2003 to consult it on this subject,
under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

having regard to the decision of its Bureau of 1 July 2003 to instruct its Commission for Culture and
Education to draw up an opinion on this subject;

having regard to the Commission Staff Working Paper: Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic
Diversity — Consultation (SEC(2002 1234);

having regard to the report from the Commission to the Council — The Concrete Future Objectives of
Education Systems (COM(2001) 59 final) and the detailed work programme on the follow-up of the
objectives of education and training systems in Europe;

having regard to its opinion on the Report from the Commission to the Council — The Concrete Future
Objectives of Education Systems (CdR 89/2001 fin) (1);

having regarding to its opinion on the Promotion and Protection of Regional and Minority Languages
(CdR 86/2001 fin) (2);

having regard to its opinion on the European Year of Languages 2001 (CdR 465/1999 fin) (3);

having regard to the Resolution of the Council of Education and Youth Affairs 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;

having regard to its draft opinion CdR 248/2003 rev. adopted on 2 October 2003 by the Commission
for Culture and Education (rapporteur: Mrs Annette McNamara, Member of Cork County Council and the
South West Regional Authority (IE/EA);

(1) OJ C 19, 22.1.2002, p. 23.
(2) OJ C 357, 14.12.2001, p. 33.
(3) OJ C 156, 6.6.2000, p. 33.

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whereas:

1)

a truly European Union of citizens and peoples starts by mutual understanding, in a broad sense,
which includes the ability to communicate with our neighbours;

2) Member States have agreed common objectives under their work on Concrete Objectives for
Education and Training Systems and have identified the improvement of language skills as a priority;

3)

knowledge of languages is a prerequisite for professional, educational, cultural and personal mobility
and a highly competitive European economy requires a workforce with a command of a range of
language skills;

4)

improving and facilitating language learning requires experienced and innovative language teacher
training and new pedagogical methodology;

unanimously adopted the following opinion at its 52nd plenary session, held on 19 and 20 November
2003 (meeting of 20 November).

1. The Committee of the Regions’ views

General Views

The Committee of the Regions

welcomes the Action Plan as an extremely positive
1.1.
contribution to the promotion of
language learning and
linguistic diversity and supports its objectives of (1) promoting
lifelong language learning for all citizens from an early age;
(2) increasing the quality of language teaching; and (3) creating
a more language-friendly environment within the European
Union;

welcomes the approach the Commission has adopted
1.2.
in making this Action Plan, by building on the experiences and
evaluations of the European Year of Languages in 2001 and
also by conducting an extensive process of consultation in the
preparation of the Plan;

1.3.
considers that the objectives of the Action Plan are
ambitious, but necessary, and believes that their realisation
from all, especially the
will require a high commitment
Member States;

1.4.
accepts that this Action Plan complements actions
taken by the Member States and local and regional authorities
and will be implemented based on resources available under
current European programmes. However, the Committee feels
that for such an important objective the resources available
are not sufficient;

1.5.
considers that the terms ‘multilingualism’ and ‘multi-
culturalism’, which are used throughout the Action Plan should
be replaced by the terms ‘plurilingualism’ and ‘pluriculturalism’

as these better reflect the objectives of the Action Plan as they
describe an accumulation of communicative competence to
which all knowledge and experience of language contributes
and within which languages interrelate and interact;

1.6.
agrees that care should be taken to favour the learning
of a wide variety of languages and cautions against supporting
the emergence of a de facto lingua franca;

welcomes the recognition in the Action Plan of the
1.7.
range of additional benefits associated with language learning,
which include cognitive and mother-tongue skills. However,
transferable skills that can be developed, such as communi-
cation, presentation, reporting, analytical and problem-solving
abilities, also need to be highlighted. These skills play
important roles in developing an entrepreneurial nature, thus
contributing to the Lisbon agenda of the EU becoming ‘the
most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world’;

1.8.
welcomes the emphasis placed in the Action Plan on
‘effective communicative ability’ as opposed to ‘native speaker
competence’, as this is a fairer reflection of the reality of the
language learning process. However, the Committee considers
that the implication in the Action Plan that active skills are
superior to passive knowledge may not always be accurate and
would prefer that the emphasis placed on ‘partial competencies’
in the initial Staff Working Paper be given similar profile in
the Action Plan;

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is of the view that the Action Plan places considerable
1.9.
emphasis on the acquisition of foreign languages in compari-
son to consideration of those acquiring second languages.
Given the increasing levels of migration, both to and within
the European Union, the Committee considers that the acqui-
sition of second languages in all age-groups is increasingly
important in order to ensure effective integration of migrant
groups in the host country.

Regional Disparities in Language Skills

The Committee of the Regions

welcomes the recommendation that Content and
1.14.
Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) be extended, especially to
interdisciplinary degrees at University level which include a
foreign language component, but is also aware that this may
place additional demands on learners;

1.15.
supports the Council of Europe’s Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF) and considers
that this should be given greater emphasis in the Action Plan,
as it creates a framework within which national examinations
and qualifications could be placed. In this regard it welcomes
the proposed working conference to devise mechanisms to
support use of the CEF in language testing and certification;

1.10.
notes that in the proposed Action Plan the European
Commission accepts that not all of the Plan’s objectives can be
achieved in all Member States and within the timeframe set
out. The Committee feels that this may widen the gap in
language skills between regions within the European Union;

believes that classes consisting of pupils from a
1.16.
range of backgrounds provide a rich backdrop against which
tolerance, openness and intercultural competencies can be
developed. In order to ensure this occurs the Committee
considers that teacher-training programmes in all Member
States should include an element of intercultural studies;

is therefore, concerned that the Action Plan contains
1.11.
no proposals to address the obvious regional disparities in
language skills, as identified by Eurobarometer in 2001 and
considers that the regional aspects of language learning and
language skills should be given greater emphasis in the Action
Plan, considering the regional variations in language learning
and language skills;

believes that early language learning is a firm basis
1.17.
for future language competency and would encourage support
for language-learning programmes aimed at primary schools,
such as The Modern Languages in Primary School Initiative in
Ireland. Such programmes should be expanded to include a
greater number of schools and languages,
including the
teaching of official national languages as second languages.

as a result, supports the idea of Member States
1.12.
conducting a language audit to help in identifying needs,
formulating language-education policies and addressing dis-
parities in language skills.

Action for Language Learning

The Committee of the Regions

in language learning as (1)

considers that the European Language Portfolio (ELP)
1.13.
is a useful tool
it encourages
language learners to record and value each language they speak
regardless of proficiency levels; (2) it encourages learners to
record time spent abroad learning to present a more complete
profile; (3) it promotes the development of language-learning
strategies by means of checklists; (4) it allows learners to
present their work to employers and directors of courses of
study; and (5) it facilitates the tailoring of courses to the needs
and goals of the learner. The Committee therefore believes that
the ELP has the potential to transform language teaching
within the Union and that it deserves greater emphasis in the
Action Plan;

Existing European Programmes

The Committee of the Regions

1.18.
considers that the Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci
programmes contribute enormously to enhancing teacher
training, improving language skills and promoting language
learning. However, the Committee believes that there is a need
to increase awareness and simplify the application procedures
of many of the language-learning components of these pro-
grammes, as this will increase the take-up of these language-
learning measures, which have to date been under-subscribed;

supports increased contact between Erasmus and
1.19.
‘local’ students and would support action by host institutions
to encourage Erasmus students to give conversation and
culture classes in local schools/community centres or at
institutions in which they are enrolled;

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welcomes the proposal to promote the participation
1.20.
of Erasmus students in language courses in less widely used
and less taught languages of the countries participating in
Socrates;

Regional Disparities in Language Skills

The Committee of the Regions

1.21.
welcomes the recognition in the Action Plan of the
role that town-twinning schemes can play, in the understand-
ing of other cultures and in promoting language learning at
the local level, by including multilingualism in future calls for
proposals under the Town-twinning programme.

2.4.
calls on the Member States to act on the recommen-
dation of the Council of Europe to its Member States to
conduct a language audit with a view to identifying needs and
formulating appropriate language-education policies;

Linguistic Diversity

The Committee of the Regions

1.22.
accepts that language learning and linguistic diversity
are issues that can be addressed in very different ways at
different levels and recognises that local and regional auth-
orities have significant roles to play in this regard;

1.23.
welcomes the encouragement in the Action Plan for
national and sub-national authorities to promote linguistic
diversity by actively encouraging the teaching and learning of
the widest possible range of languages, including regional,
minority, migrant community and sign languages;

1.24.
notes that, while the mainstream European education,
training and culture programmes are accessible to speakers of
all
languages, this may not be enough for some language
categories. The Committee considers that special attention is
required to assist the promotion of regional and minority
languages, in line with the European Charter on Regional and
Minority Languages.

2. The Committee of the Regions’ recommendations

The Committee of the Regions

2.1.
calls on the Commission to replace the terms multi-
lingualism and multiculturalism, which are used throughout
the Action Plan, with the terms plurilingualism and pluri-
culturalism as these better reflect the objectives of the Action
Plan;

2.2.
recommends that the Action Plan provide for a better
dissemination of information on the fact that transferable skills
are associated with language learning;

proposes that the Action Plan better recognise the

2.3.
value of partial competencies in learning foreign languages.

calls on the Action Plan to establish criteria to enable
2.5.
Member States to conduct an audit of language skills in
order to identify regions of disadvantage, with a view to
implementing targeted measures to address such imbalances
across the European Union.

Action for Language Learning

The Committee of the Regions

2.6.
recommends that Member States, in conjunction with
local and regional authorities, further develop and increase
their use of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) at all levels,
from primary pupils to adult learners;

2.7.
considers that if the application of CLIL is to be
extended then the necessary supports for learners, such as
small-group tuition and team teaching in schools, be provided;

the CEF (under Action II.6.4)

calls on the proposed working conference on the use
2.8.
of
to establish an agreed
mechanism whereby the CEF can be consistently applied in all
Member States to help determine standards of qualifications
and certification of language courses, in order to increase the
transparency of qualifications and, as a result, the mobility of
workers and students;

supports the teaching of national

languages and
2.9.
regional languages that are recognised as official languages
within the Member State, as foreign languages, to migrant
groups of all ages to ensure better integration into host
communities and would urge that the Action Plan support
training, best practice identification and dissemination in this
area and other actions to ensure that the skills required to
provide such teaching are available in all Member States;

2.10.
calls on those responsible for teacher training pro-
grammes in all Member States to include an element of
intercultural studies in all such programmes, and not just for
language teacher-training courses.

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Existing European Programmes

Linguistic Diversity

The Committee of the Regions

2.11.
calls on the European Commission to simplify appli-
cation procedures for language learning supports under the
Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes and similarly
calls on the responsible national agencies to increase these
programme’s profile and generate awareness, to ensure greater
take-up of the language-learning elements of the programmes;

calls for examples of best practices to be drawn-up
2.12.
and disseminated on how to improve the integration and inter-
linkages of students on exchange programmes and local
students and their communities;

2.13.
calls on the Commission and national agencies to
also work closely with local and regional authorities, as well as
universities, in areas where less widely used and less taught
languages are spoken, to encourage more Erasmus students to
take courses in these languages before starting their Erasmus
exchange;

asks that as part of the multilingual aspect of future
2.14.
Town-twinning, calls for proposals that emphasis is also placed
on e-twinning of schools, to build pedagogical partnerships
between schools, foster language learning and intercultural
dialogue and promote awareness of plurilingualism and pluric-
ulturalism within society.

Brussels, 20 November 2003.

The Committee of the Regions

2.15.
proposes the establishment of a multi-annual pro-
gramme for language learning and linguistic diversity, building
on the success of the European Year of Languages in 2001 and
the experiences of the Action Plan — with an appropriate
share of the available resources reserved for the promotion of
regional and minority languages — to support actions relating
to the creation of a climate of acceptance of plurilingualism,
exchange of experiences and highlighting the benefits of
language learning;

supports proposals currently before the European
2.16.
Parliament for the establishment of a European Agency on
Linguistic Diversity and Language Learning, to monitor the
implementation of this Action Plan, to promote a plurilingual
Europe and a language-friendly environment.

Follow-Up Actions

The Committee of the Regions

2.17.
considers that, in the absence of a European Agency
on Linguistic Diversity and Language Learning, the proposal
for a permanent high-level group of representatives to assist in
monitoring the implementation of the Action Plan is a good
one. The Committee considers that this high-level group could
also act as a forum for discussion on developments in language-
learning policy and further suggests that it be represented on
this group, given the contribution that local and regional
authorities can make to the realisation of the objectives of the
Action Plan and the development of policy in this area.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Albert BORE