Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Multilingualism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment {SEC(2008) 2443} {SEC(2008) 2444} {SEC(2008) 2445}
Date: 2008-09-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European Union, competitiveness, economic and social cohesion, economic development, globalisation, language teaching, multilingualism

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 18.9.2008 
COM(2008) 566 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Multilingualism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment 

{SEC(2008) 2443} 
{SEC(2008) 2444} 
{SEC(2008) 2445} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

6. 

6.1. 

6.2. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

The Challenges of a larger and more diverse EU ........................................................ 4 

Objectives..................................................................................................................... 5 

Multilingualism for intercultural dialogue and social cohesion................................... 5 

Valuing all languages................................................................................................... 6 

Overcoming language barriers in the local environment ............................................. 6 

Multilingualism for prosperity ..................................................................................... 7 

Languages and competitiveness................................................................................... 8 

Languages and employability ...................................................................................... 8 

Lifelong learning........................................................................................................ 10 

More opportunities to learn more languages.............................................................. 10 

Effective language teaching ....................................................................................... 11 

The media, new technologies and translation ............................................................ 12 

The external dimension of multilingualism ............................................................... 14 

Implementation .......................................................................................................... 15 

10. 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 15 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Multilingualism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment 

Linguistic diversity is a challenge for Europe, but, in our view, a rewarding challenge (Amin 
Maalouf, Group of Intellectuals for Intercultural Dialogue) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  harmonious  co-existence  of  many  languages  in  Europe  is  a  powerful  symbol  of  the 
European Union's aspiration to be united in diversity, one of the cornerstones of the European 
project. Languages define personal identities, but are also part of a shared inheritance. They 
can  serve  as  a  bridge  to  other  people  and  open  access  to  other  countries  and  cultures, 
promoting  mutual  understanding.  A  successful  multilingualism  policy  can  strengthen  life 
chances of citizens: it may increase their employability, facilitate access to services and rights 
and  contribute  to  solidarity  through  enhanced  intercultural  dialogue  and  social  cohesion. 
Approached in this spirit, linguistic diversity can become a precious asset, increasingly so in 
today's globalised world. 

The Commission's renewed social Agenda, adopted on 2 July 2008, set out a new approach to 
managing  change  in  our  globalising  world  focusing  on  the  key  principles  of  opportunities, 
access and solidarity. In a multilingual European Union, this means that: i) everybody should 
have the opportunity to communicate appropriately in order to realise his or her potential and 
make the most of the opportunities offered by the modern and innovative EU; ii) everybody 
should  have  access  to  appropriate  language  training  or  to  other  means  of  facilitating 
communication  so  that  there  is  no  undue  linguistic  obstacle  to  living,  working  or 
communicating in the EU; iii) in the spirit of solidarity, even those who may not be able to 
learn other languages should be provided with appropriate means of communication, allowing 
them access to the multilingual environment.  

The  2005  Commission  communication  A  new  framework  strategy  for  multilingualism1 
reaffirmed  the  value  of  linguistic  diversity  and  revealed  the  need  for  a  broader  policy  to 
promote  multilingualism2,  as  recommended  by  the  independent  High  Level  Group  on 
Multilingualism3.  This  analysis  was  confirmed  by  a  broad  consultation4  in  2007-08  which 
included  an  online  consultation  attracting  over  2 400  replies,  and  two  advisory  groups 
reporting  on  the  contribution  of  multilingualism  to  intercultural  dialogue  and  on  the  role 
played by languages in business5. 

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4 
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COM(2005) 596. 
See the Staff Working Paper accompanying this communication: Inventory of Community actions in the 
field of multilingualism. 
See: http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/archive/languages_en.html.  
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/news/index_en.html.  
http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/archive/languages_en.html. 

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The  Commission  has  also  listened  to  other  EU  institutions.  The  European  Parliament  has 
produced  several  reports  of  great  interest6,  and  both  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions have been asked for opinions7. The Council’s 
first ministerial conference on multilingualism took place on 15 February 2008 with a view to 
preparing the ground for a broader policy.  

Member  States  are  the  key  decision-makers  on  language  policy,  including  on  regional  and 
minority  languages,  for  which  the  Council  of  Europe’s  European  Charter  for  Regional  or 
Minority  languages  provides  a  comprehensive  framework.  Many  other  organisations  take 
decisions  on  the  ground  on  language  issues:  educational  providers,  regional  and  local 
authorities, social partners, media and services. The Commission works with Member States 
and stakeholders, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, to ensure that objectives are shared, 
and will assist them in their efforts, notably by easing the exchange of good practices. 

Within this context, the Commission has worked since 2002 with Member States towards the 
Barcelona objective of enabling citizens to communicate in two languages in addition to their 
mother tongue, in particular, by developing an indicator of language competence8, by setting 
out strategic action and recommendations, and by including skills in foreign languages among 
the key competences for lifelong learning9. 

Building  on  the  progress  of  earlier  years,  this  communication  aims  to  achieve  a  qualitative 
shift, by presenting a policy that is widely shared and comprehensive, going beyond education 
to  address  languages  in  the  wider  context  set  by  the  EU  Agenda  for  social  cohesion  and 
prosperity, the two central objectives of the Lisbon strategy. 

2. 

THE CHALLENGES OF A LARGER AND MORE DIVERSE EU 

Today's  European  societies  are  facing  rapid  change  due  to  globalisation,  technological 
advances  and  ageing  populations.  The  greater  mobility  of  Europeans  -  currently  10  million 
Europeans  work  in  other  Member  States  -  is  an  important  sign  of  this  change.  Increasingly 
people interact with their counterparts from other countries while growing numbers live and 
work  outside  their  home  country.  This  process  is  further  reinforced  by  the  recent 
enlargements of the EU. The EU now has 500 million citizens, 27 Member States, 3 alphabets 
and  23  EU  official  languages,  some  of  them  with  a  worldwide  coverage.  Some  60  other 
languages are also part of the EU heritage and are spoken in specific regions or by specific 
groups.  In  addition,  immigrants  have  brought  a  wide  range  of  languages  with  them:  it  is 
estimated  that  at  least  175  nationalities  are  now  present  within  the  EU’s  borders10.  Due  to 

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Report from the European Parliament with recommendations to the Commission on European regional 
and  lesser-used  languages  —  the  languages  of  minorities  in  the  EU  —  in  the  context  of  enlargement 
and  cultural  diversity  (A5-0271/2003);  European  Parliament  resolution  on  integrating  immigrants  in 
Europe through schools and multilingual education (2004/2267(INI); European Parliament resolution 
on a new framework strategy for multilingualism (2006/2083(INI). 
http://coropinions.cor.europa.eu/CORopinionDocument.aspx?identifier=cdr\educ-iv\dossiers\educ-iv-
022\cdr6-2008_fin_ac.doc&language=EN 
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/documents/opinions/avis_en.asp?type=en  
COM(2005) 356; COM(2007) 184. 2006/962/EC. 
COM(2003) 449, Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004-2006; 
COM(2005)  596,  A  new  framework  strategy  for  multilingualism.  See  also  the  Report  on  the 
implementation of the Action Plan, COM(2007)554. 
Eurostat, Europe in Figures: Eurostat Yearbook 2006-2007, Luxembourg 2007. 

and 

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these  and  other  factors,  the  life  of  Europeans  has  become  more  international  and  more 
multilingual. 

While this increased linguistic diversity is a source of benefit and richness, without adequate 
policies,  it  presents  challenges.  It  can  widen  the  communication  gap  between  people  of 
different cultures and increase social divisions, giving the multilingual access to better living 
and working opportunities while excluding the monolingual. It can prevent EU citizens and 
companies from fully exploiting the opportunities offered by the single market, and possibly 
blunt  their  competitive  edge  abroad.  It  can  also  be  an  obstacle  to  effective  cross-border 
administrative  cooperation  between  Member  States  in  the  EU  and  the  efficient  working  of 
local services, e.g. hospitals, courts, job centres, etc.  

The current challenge is to minimise the obstacles that EU citizens and companies encounter 
and to empower them to take advantage of the opportunities presented by multilingualism. It 
is also to show that languages can work as an asset for the benefit of the European society as a 
whole. 

3. 

OBJECTIVES 

This  communication  concentrates  on  people:  their  ability  to  use  several  languages,  their 
opportunity  to  access  culture  and  participate  as  active  citizens,  to  benefit  from  better 
communication,  inclusiveness  and  wider  employment  and  business  opportunities.  The  main 
objective  is  therefore  to  raise  awareness  of  the  value  and  opportunities  of  the  EU's 
linguistic diversity and encourage the removal of barriers to intercultural dialogue.  

A  key  instrument  in  this  respect  is  the  Barcelona  objective  -  communication  in  mother 
tongue  plus  two  languages.  More  effort  is  needed  towards  achieving  this  objective  for  all 
citizens. 

Concrete measures are also needed for a large part of European society, which is still missing 
out on the advantages of multilingualism, e.g. those who are monolingual or still struggle with 
their  first  foreign  language,  school  dropouts,  senior  citizens  and  other  adults  no  longer  in 
education.  New  learning  solutions  are  called  for  to  reach  these  specific  groups  through 
edutainment,  the  media  and  technologies,  but  also  suitable  translation  and  interpretation 
services. More work is necessary to facilitate language learning for adults and young people 
in vocational education and training (VET), which should be adapted to their personal needs 
and learning styles. 

A  concerted  effort  is  required  to  ensure  that,  within  existing  resources,  multilingualism  is 
‘mainstreamed’ across a series of EU policy areas, including lifelong learning, employment, 
social inclusion, competitiveness, culture, youth and civil society, research and the media. The 
following  chapters  outline  key  aspects  of  this  inclusive  approach  aimed  at  widening  the 
scope of multilingualism to social cohesion and prosperity, i.e. to foster successful companies, 
including  SMEs,  competitive  business  and  trade,  employability,  and  integration,  wellbeing 
and leisure in one's daily life and surroundings. 

4. 

MULTILINGUALISM FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE AND SOCIAL COHESION 

Each of the many national, regional, minority and migrant languages spoken in Europe adds a 
facet to our common cultural background. It should be shared to foster dialogue and mutual 

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respect. There are areas in the EU where citizens successfully combine speaking a regional or 
minority  language  with  the  national  language  and  score  well  in  foreign  languages  too. 
Multilingual  people  are  a  precious  asset  because  they  act  as  the  glue  between  different 
cultures. 

4.1. 

Valuing all languages 

In the current context of increased mobility and migration, mastering the national language(s) 
is  fundamental  to  integrating  successfully  and  playing  an  active  role  in  society.  Non-native 
speakers  should  therefore  include  the  host-country  language  in  their  ‘one-plus-two’ 
combination. 

There are also untapped linguistic resources in our society: different mother tongues and other 
languages spoken at home and in local and neighbouring environments should be valued more 
highly. For instance, children with different mother tongues — whether from the EU or a third 
country  —  present  schools  with  the  challenge  of  teaching  the  language  of  instruction  as  a 
second  language11,  but  they  can  also  motivate  their  classmates  to  learn  different  languages 
and open up to other cultures. 

With a view to allowing closer links between communities, the Commission's advisory group 
on multilingualism and intercultural dialogue12 developed the concept of a ‘personal adoptive 
language’, which could usefully benefit from a further reflection13. 

4.2. 

Overcoming language barriers in the local environment 

A basic feature of citizenship is that people living in a local community can benefit from the 
services  available  and  are  able  to  contribute  to  the  life  of  their  neighbourhood.  Tourists, 
foreign  workers  or  students,  and  immigrants  often  come  to  local  communities  with  limited 
proficiency  in  the  national  language.  To  ease  access  to  services  and  ensure  a  smooth 
integration,  some  communities  make  basic  necessary  information  available  in  different 
languages  and  rely  on  multilingual  people  to  act  as  cultural  mediators  and  interpreters.  In 
particular,  metropolitan  areas  and  tourist  resorts  in  Europe  have  gained  considerable 
experience in coping with the needs of foreigners who do not speak the local language. The 
Commission  attaches  great  importance  to  this  and  will  support  the  dissemination  of  good 
practices in this area14. 

To  facilitate  cross-border  provision  and  reception  of  services,  the  Points  of  Single  Contact, 
which  will  be  established  on  the  national  level  by  the  end  of  2009  under  the  Services 

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COM(2008)  423  final,  Green  Paper.  Migration  &  mobility:  challenges  and  opportunities  for  EU 
education systems 
To  mark  the  2008  European  Year  of  Intercultural  Dialogue,  the  Commission  set  up  a  Group  of 
Intellectuals  for  Intercultural  Dialogue  chaired  by  Amin  Maalouf  to  define  multilingualism’s 
contribution; see: http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/archive/languages_en.html for its report. 
"A  language  which  should  be  learned  intensively,  spoken  and  written  fluently  (…)  Learning  that 
language would go hand in hand with familiarity with the country/countries in which that language is 
used, along with the literature, culture, society and history linked with that language and its speakers." 
Outlook 
http://coropinions.cor.europa.eu/CORopinionDocument.aspx?identifier=cdr\educ-iv\dossiers\educ-iv-
022\cdr6-2008_fin_ac.doc&language=EN 

Committee 

Opinion 

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the 

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Directive15,  will  be  encouraged  to  provide  necessary  information  in  different  languages  to 
service providers from other Member States as well as to recipients of services. 

An area which deserves particular attention is legal translation and interpretation16. Given the 
increasing  professional  and  personal  mobility  of  EU  citizens  between  Member  States, 
growing  demand  for  such  support  is  likely,  as  the  number  of  cases  involving  persons  with 
limited skills in the court’s language increases.  

The Commission will make strategic use of relevant EU programmes and initiatives17 to bring 
multilingualism closer to the citizen: 

•  run  awareness-raising  campaigns  on  the  benefits  of  linguistic  diversity  and  language 

learning for intercultural dialogue 

•  monitor  citizens’  language  skills  through  the  Language  Indicators  and  Eurobarometer 

surveys  

•  together  with  the  Member  States,  exchange  good  practices,  train  and  network  legal 
interpreters and translators and develop specific translation tools to access documents in 
order to improve access to justice 

The Member States are invited to: 

•  make  efforts  in  order  to  have  Points  of  Single  Contact  under  the  Services  Directive 

working in several languages to facilitate cross-border provision of services 

•  facilitate  access  to  targeted  courses  of  the  host  country's  language(s)  for  non  native 

speakers 

5. 

MULTILINGUALISM FOR PROSPERITY 

Languages  can  be  a  competitive  advantage  for  EU  business.  Multilingual  companies  prove 
how linguistic diversity and investing in language and intercultural skills can be turned into a 
real  asset  for  prosperity  and  a  benefit  for  all.  Some  European  languages  are  widely  spoken 
around the world and can be a valuable communication tool for business. 

The Business Forum for Multilingualism18 made recommendations to boost competitiveness 
and  improve  employability  through  better  management  of  linguistic  diversity.  The  Forum 
pointed  out  that  emerging  markets  such  as  Brazil,  Russia,  India  and  China  are  increasingly 
important for EU companies and adequate language skills are needed to compete there. The 

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Directive 123/2006/EC on services in the internal market (OJ L 376, 27.12.2006, p. 36). 
COM(2008) 329, Towards a European e-Justice Strategy. 
The accompanying Staff Working Paper: Inventory of Community actions in the field of multilingualism 
gives an overview of the existing actions and programme supporting multilingualism. 
Companies work better with languages, July 2008 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/news/news1669_en.htm  

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challenge,  therefore,  is  to  root  multilingualism  in  all  strategies  aimed  at  developing  human 
capital19.  

5.1. 

Languages and competitiveness 

A  Commission  study  on  the  impact  on  the  EU  economy  of  shortages  of  foreign  language 
skills  in  enterprise20  estimated  that  11%  of  exporting  EU  SMEs  may  be  losing  business 
because of language barriers. Although English has a leading role as the business language of 
the world, it is other languages that will provide EU companies with a competitive edge and 
allow them to conquer new markets. Better language skills are an asset across all activities, 
not only for sales and marketing. All companies interact with different categories of service 
providers and upstream suppliers. However, in many cases, businesses — SMEs in particular 
— lack the know-how and the resources to incorporate languages into their business plans.  

Multicultural  workforces  need  adequate  training  in  the  language  of  their  company,  but 
companies  need  to  go  further,  and  find  creative  ways  of  using  the  language  resources  that 
exist, but are often hidden, in their multicultural workforces.  

As  the  Business  Forum  stated,  companies  and  business  associations  could  usefully  develop 
strategies  to  improve  language  skills  for  different  functions.  Such  language  management 
strategies would also have a positive impact on the ‘language industry’ providing translation 
and  interpretation  services  and  multilingual  technology.  It  would  also  be  in  their  interest  to 
invest in language training and, together with national, regional and local authorities, set up 
private-public  partnerships  providing  assistance  for  the  business  community,  in  particular 
SMEs, to fund language courses and develop other methods of improving language strategies. 

5.2. 

Languages and employability 

Linguistic and intercultural skills increase the chances of obtaining a better job. In particular, 
command  of  several  foreign  languages  gives  a  competitive  advantage:  companies  are 
increasingly  looking  for  skills  in  a  number  of  languages  to  conduct  business  in  the  EU  and 
abroad.  Those  mastering  more  languages  can  choose  among  a  wider  range  of  job  offers, 
including  jobs  abroad:  lack  of  language  skills  is  reported  as  the  primary  barrier  to  working 
abroad21.  There  is  empirical  evidence  that  skill  in  several  languages  fosters  creativity  and 
innovation:  multilingual  people  are  aware  that  problems  can  be  tackled  in  different  ways 
according to different linguistic and cultural backgrounds and can use this ability to find new 
solutions. 

Mobility  schemes,  such  as  those  supported  by  the  Lifelong  Learning  and  Youth  in  Action 
Programmes, should be made widely available to EU citizens22. Studying or working abroad 
is one of the most effective ways of learning other languages and making contact with other 
cultures. Erasmus students ranked the improvement of language skills as the foremost benefit 

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See COM(2008) 394, Think Small First. A Small Business Act for Europe 
CILT, Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise, 2007, 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/key/studies_en.html. 
COM(2007)  773  final,  Mobility,  an  instrument  for  more  and  better  jobs:  The  European  Job  Mobility 
Action Plan (2007-2010). 
Making 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/doc/2008/mobilityreport_en.pdf  

opportunity 

learning 

mobility 

2008 

July 

all, 

for 

an 

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of their period abroad. Education and training curricula should make the most of exchanges, 
partnerships and E-twinning with schools in other countries.  

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The Commission will: 

•  promote mobility among students, apprentices, workers and young entrepreneurs  

•  disseminate the results of an ongoing study on the link between language skills, creativity 

and innovation 

•  create  a  permanent  platform  for  exchange  of  best  practice  for  companies,  gathering 
relevant  information  from  the  business  community,  social  partners,  trade  organisations, 
chambers of commerce, trade promotion organisations, schools and education authorities 

The Member States are invited to: 

•  value and further develop language skills acquired outside the formal education system 

•  encourage  trade  promotion  organisations  to  develop  specific  programmes,  in  particular 

for SMEs, that include language training 

•  supplement EU mobility schemes with specific support at national and local level 

6. 

LIFELONG LEARNING  

So far, it is mainly students in general education who have benefited from progress towards 
the  ‘mother  tongue  plus  two’  objective,  while  very  limited  language  provision,  if  any,  is 
offered in vocational education. Given the smaller number of young people entering education 
and  the  goal  to  reach  all  citizens,  increased  focus  is  now  needed  on  updating  adults’ 
competencies throughout their lives. At the same time, a wider range of languages should be 
made available to enable individuals to learn the languages they are more interested in. 

6.1.  More opportunities to learn more languages 

Two previous Commission communications23 set strategic goals and priorities to teach a wide 
range  of  languages  effectively  and  from  an  early  age.  These  remain  valid  and  should  be 
pursued. Although most Member States increased language learning provision in primary and 
secondary education between 1999 and 2005, this largely involved English24. In nearly half of 
the Member States, students still do not have the opportunity to study two languages during 
compulsory  schooling25,  and  the  situation  is  worse  for  those  in  VET26.  Languages  are  often 
perceived as a difficult subject and an important factor in failure at school. An effort is needed 
to motivate students and adapt teaching methods to their needs. The value of passive language 
knowledge should be further explored, and appropriate language learning methods enhanced 
to allow understanding and basic communication across different languages. 

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26 

COM(2003) 449, Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004-2006; 
COM(2005)  596,  A  new  framework  strategy  for  multilingualism.  See  also  the  Report  on  the 
implementation of the Action Plan, COM(2007)554. 
M.  Strubell  et  al.,  The  diversity  of  language  teaching  in  the  European  Union,  2007  (Report  to  the 
European Commission, DG EAC) http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/key/studies_en.html. 
Eurydice,  Key  Data  on  Teaching  Languages  at  School 
http://www.eurydice.org/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/showPresentation?pubid=049EN.  
Cedefop Thematic Overviews, 
http://www.trainingvillage.gr/etv/Information_resources/NationalVet/Thematic/.  

in  Europe,  2005  Edition, 

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Students  in  VET  should  have  access  to  practice-oriented  language  provision,  tailor-made  to 
their occupation and relevant to their future employment. Universities should equip students 
with strong language skills regardless of their fields of specialisation.  

Adults are more likely to be monolingual, especially if they have relatively low qualifications 
and job positions. They often point to lack of time and motivation as the main reasons for not 
learning  languages,  followed  by  a  need  for  more  flexible  provision.  A  specific  challenge  is 
therefore  to  strengthen  language  provision  for  adults27.  Language  learning  outside  formal 
education  should  make  increased  use  of  the  media,  new  technologies,  cultural  and  leisure 
activities. 

Efforts are still needed to increase the number of languages taught, particularly in relation to 
the  choice  of  second  foreign  language,  bearing  in  mind  local  conditions  (border  regions, 
presence of communities speaking different languages, etc). The organisational challenges of 
widening the choice of languages could be met by using new technologies (distance teaching 
on  the  internet,  videoconferencing  in  classrooms  and  virtual  exchanges)  and  by  networking 
between schools  and education  providers, partnerships with local stakeholders and twinning 
with foreign institutions. 

6.2. 

Effective language teaching 

in  Council  Conclusions  on 

The  Commission  has  recently  adopted  a  Communication  on  European  cooperation  on 
schools28 and welcomes the recognition of the key role of teachers in enhancing language and 
intercultural  competences29  and  on 
intercultural  skills 
multilingualism30. In particular, allowing teachers to spend time abroad has been identified as 
essential for them to improve fluency in the languages they teach and hone their intercultural 
skills31. Teacher mobility is currently very low due to: difficulties in accessing the teaching 
profession abroad, lack of career incentives, or even career penalties, and, last but not least, 
rigid mechanisms for bilateral and multilateral exchanges, which combine to discourage most 
teachers from applying32. 

The trend of the past five years has been to advance the introduction of language learning in 
primary  education,  while  content  and  language  integrated  learning  has  gained  ground, 
especially  in  secondary  education.  In  many  settings,  languages  are  taught  by  non-language 
specialists  who  are  not  always  fluent  in  the  language  they  teach  and  they  should  receive 
adequate training in language teaching methods.  

More recently, two other characteristics of language training have gained attention. Teachers 
of  the  national  language  are  increasingly  confronted  with  classrooms  where  students  have 
different mother tongues, and would therefore benefit from training in the techniques required 

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32 

Innovative  projects  in  this  area  are  funded  by  the  Lifelong  Learning  Programme  and  the  European 
Social Fund 
COM(2008) 425, Improving competences for the 21st Century: An Agenda for European Cooperation 
on Schools 
http://www.eu2008.si/en/News_and_Documents/Council_Conclusions/May/0521_EYC1.pdf  
http://www.eu2008.si/en/News_and_Documents/Council_Conclusions/May/0521_EYC-
MULTILIN.pdf.  
P. 
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/key/studies_en.html. 
Williams,  Strubell  et  al.,  Detecting  and  Removing  Obstacles  to  the  Mobility  of  Foreign  Language 
Teachers, 2006, http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/key/studies_en.html.  

Languages 

Cultures 

Franklin 

(LACE) 

Europe 

and 

al., 

in 

et 

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to  teach  their  own  language  as  a  second  or  foreign  language.  In  the  case  of  lesser-used 
languages, where a lack of teachers is reported, schools often rely on untrained staff. Action is 
required to support them and develop their teaching skills. 

The Commission: 

•  will use EU programmes to support teaching of more languages through lifelong learning, 
teacher  and  student  mobility,  language  teacher  training,  school  partnerships,  and 
research and development of innovative methods adapted to different target groups.  

•  will draw up an inventory of best practice in language learning and teaching in the field of 

multilingualism and make it available to the Member States 

The Member States are invited to: 

•  provide  genuine  opportunities  for  all  to  master  the  national  language(s)  and  two  other 

languages  

•  make  a  wider  range  of  languages  available  to  learners  to  allow  individual  choice  and 

match local needs in the languages that can be learned 

•  enhance the training of all teachers and others involved in language teaching 

•  promote  mobility  among  language  teachers  to  enhance  their  language  and  intercultural 

skills 

7. 

THE MEDIA, NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND TRANSLATION 

Using languages and other communication tools is an important part of the skills set required 
in today's globalizing Europe. Everybody must have the chance to communicate efficiently in 
the enlarged EU. This does not only affect those who already are multilingual but also those 
who are monolingual or linguistically less skilled.  

The  media,  new  technologies  and  human  and  automatic  translation  services  can  bring  the 
increasing  variety  of  languages  and  cultures  in  the  EU  closer  to  citizens  and  provide  the 
means  to  cross  language  barriers.  They  can  also  play  an  important  role  to  reduce  those 
barriers  and  allow  citizens,  companies  and  national  administrations  to  exploit  the 
opportunities  of  the  single  market  and  the  globalising  economy.  Notably  the  Framework 
Programme  for  Research  and  Development  and the  Media  Programme  support  such  efforts. 
The  media  have  great  potential  to  promote  intercultural  dialogue  by  conveying  a  more 
complex representation of our society, allowing for many different voices. The media can thus 
also  be  a  great  source  of  informal  language  learning  through  ‘edutainment’  and  subtitled 
films.33 

Faced with the globalising online economy and ever-increasing information in all imaginable 
languages, it is important that citizens access and use information and services across national 

33 

Study  on  the  needs  and  practice  of  the  European  audiovisual  industry  in  respect  of  dubbing  and 
subtitling, http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/media/overview/evaluation/studies/index_en.htm.  

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the 

through 

language  barriers, 

and 
internet  and  mobile  devices.  Information  and 
communication technologies (ICT) need to be language-aware and promote content creation 
in multiple languages. This overall goal is supported by i2010 — the policy framework for the 
information  society  —  one  of  the  objectives  of  which  is  to  create  a  Single  European 
Information  Space  by  ensuring  seamless  access  to  ICT-based  services  and  improving 
conditions for the development of rich, multilingual content. 

Dialogue  with  citizens  is  an  interactive  process.  In  this  area,  the  EU  institutions  have 
developed  the  use  of  technology  which  allows  interpretation  in  several  languages  in 
combination  with  communication  with  distant  places  and  with  the  wider  public.  The  tools 
available on the market are mainly video-conferencing, internet chats, and web streaming of 
conferences and events. Investment in further development and use of such technology should 
be encouraged.  

Human  and  automatic  translation  is  an  important  part  of  multilingualism  policy.  Both  can 
facilitate the exchange of information between national authorities and improve cross-border 
administrative  cooperation.  For  instance,  the  Internal  Market  Information  System34  (IMI)  is 
being developed to allow Member States to exchange information in all official EU languages 
and therefore, support the administrative cooperation obligations under various pieces of EU 
legislation35. Automatic translation is also used to provide more transparency regarding public 
procurement opportunities and in the procedures of the European Patent Office. 

Finally,  human  translation  is  also  of  course  a  major  way  of  accessing  other  cultures.  As 
Umberto  Eco  said,  ‘The  language  of  Europe  is  translation’.  Europe’s  cultural  heritage 
includes masterpieces written originally in different languages, but common to us all thanks to 
a  long-standing  tradition  of  literary  translation  which  should  be  strengthened  so  as  to  make 
works  written  in  other  languages,  especially  lesser-used  languages,  available  to  a  wider 
audience. The Commission will explore ways of optimising synergies between initiatives and 
programmes  supporting  translation36,  with  a  view  to  facilitating  access  to  our  common 
cultural heritage and to support the development of a European public sphere. 

The Commission will: 

•  support subtitling and the circulation of European media productions  

•  support projects developing and disseminating language and communication technologies 

•  hold  a  conference  on  the  role  of  translation  in  promoting  openness,  understanding  and 

dialogue between cultures 

•  together  with  Member  States  extend  the  scope  of  IMI  to  more  regulated  professions  and 

support the administrative cooperation requirements of the Services Directive 

34 
35 

36 

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/imi-net/index_en.html 
For instance, Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of 
professional  qualifications  (OJ  L  255,  30.9.2005,  p.  22)  or  Directive  2006/123/EC  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  12  December  2006  on  services  in  the  internal  market  (OJ  L  376, 
27.12.2006, p. 36). 
Such as, for instance, the Culture programme. 

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The Member States are invited to: 

•  work  with  stakeholders  to  promote  multilingualism  through  the  media  —  notably  by 

supporting film subtitling — and the circulation of cultural works in Europe 

•  stimulate  and  encourage  further  development  and  use  of  new  technologies  supporting 

multilingualism  

8. 

THE EXTERNAL DIMENSION OF MULTILINGUALISM 

Multilingualism’s contribution to intercultural dialogue is increasingly recognised in the EU's 
external  relations37.  Linguistic  diversity  is  not  unique  to  the  EU  and  our  experience  of 
respecting  diversity  and  promoting  language  skills  could  be  turned  to  good  account  in  our 
relations with other countries. In this respect the European Parliament has drawn attention to 
the fact that some EU languages, referred to as European world languages38, are spoken also 
in  a  great  number  of  non-Member  States  in  different  continents;  those  languages  constitute 
therefore an important link between peoples and nations of different regions in the world. 

The  core  objective  of  this  external  dimension  is  to  fully  realise  the  potential  of  those  EU 
languages  spoken  in  third  countries,  promote  the  teaching  and  learning  of  EU  languages 
abroad and of non-EU languages in the EU through exchanges of expertise, good practice and 
joint  stakeholder  groups.  In  the  framework  of  joint  declarations,  concrete  steps  in  this 
direction have already been undertaken with non-EU countries. 

The Commission will: 

•  develop  partnerships  and  enhance  cooperation  on  multilingualism  with  non-EU  countries, 
taking  account  of  the  opportunities  offered  by  those European  languages  which  have  a 
worldwide coverage 

•  promote the teaching and learning of all EU languages abroad 

The Member States are invited to: 

•  further enhance networking and cooperation among relevant institutes to better promote EU 

languages abroad 

37 

38 

Agreed Conclusions of the third Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Culture Athens, 29 – 
30 May 2008; Presidency Declaration at the Conference New Paradigms, New Models — Culture in the 
EU External Relations, Ljubljana, 13 -14 May, 
http://www.mzz.gov.si/si/zunanja_politika/kulturno_sodelovanje/nove_paradigme_novi_modeli_kultur
a_v_zunanjih_odnosih_eu/.  
The European Parliament acknowledged “the strategic importance of European World Languages as a 
communication  vehicle  and  as  a  means  of  solidarity,  cooperation,  and  economic  investment”  and, 
therefore, recommended this concept to be “one of the main political guidelines of European policy on 
multilingualism”  -  European  Parliament  resolution  on  a  new  framework  strategy  for  multilingualism 
(2006/2083(INI). 

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9. 

IMPLEMENTATION 

Multilingualism policy has a wide range of stakeholders, at local, regional, national and EU 
level. The Commission will pursue structured dialogue with five strands:  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

It will work together with Member States through the Open Method of Coordination 
within the Education and Training 2010 process and aim to reinforce multilingualism 
in the new strategic framework for cooperation after 2010. To this end, it will expand 
the remit of the Working Group on Languages to cover all aspects of multilingualism. 

It will create a platform with the media, cultural organisations and other civil society 
stakeholders  to  discuss  and  exchange  practices  to  promote  multilingualism  for 
intercultural dialogue. 

Building on the Business Forum, it will set up a permanent framework for cooperation 
with the relevant stakeholders. 

It  will  gather  and  disseminate  good  practice  and  systematically  promote  synergies 
between the latter three fora. It will review progress regularly, for instance by holding 
an EU language conference every second year. 

It will mainstream multilingualism in relevant EU policies and take the actions listed 
above. 

10. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  Commission  invites  Member  States  and  the  other  EU institutions  to  endorse  the  cross-
cutting  policy  framework  for  multilingualism  presented  in  this  communication  and  to 
implement it at the most appropriate level. 

In partnership with Member States, the Commission will carry out a global review in 2012.  

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