Commission launches public consultation on language learning

Brussels, 11 December 2002

Ten years of significant investment by the European Union in schemes to promote language learning and linguistic diversity culminated in the highly successful European Year of Languages in 2001. The Year generated a great deal of enthusiasm for language learning across Europe.

It made more citizens aware of the benefits of having foreign language skills and gave rise to a wide range of initiatives across Europe at local, regional and national level. The European Commission is determined to ensure that the momentum is maintained.

With a view to giving further impetus to these wide-ranging efforts, the Commission intends to publish an Action Plan in the summer of 2003. The Commission has launched a consultation exercise to draw together the views of a wide section of European society. It is seeking inspiration from language teachers, language learners, decision-makers and all those active in the field on ways to improve language learning and promote linguistic diversity in Europe.

Three key areas have been defined: