Citation
(2004), "Commission adopts action plan for languages", Education + Training, Vol. 46 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2004.00446aab.010
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Commission adopts action plan for languages
Commission adopts action plan for languages
The European Commission has adopted an action plan for 2004-2006, aimed at promoting language learning and linguistic diversity. The plan is based on making better use of existing education and training programmes to support a series of measures. They are to:
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finance a study, to be published by September 2005, on teaching languages to very young children;
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use more language assistants in primary schools;
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pay for international projects to create language-learning material for infant and primary schools;
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launch an internet portal, by 2006, to advise people about available language teaching and the advantages of speaking several languages;
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support the publication of an updated inventory of regional and minority languages in the EU;
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finance the fine tuning of a European linguistic-skill indicator; and
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integrate multilingualism as a theme eligible for EU support in the context of town-twinning projects.
In a separate report Euro-MPs have called for the EU to pay more attention to minority languages in anticipation of the EU's enlargement from 15 to 25 members later this year. The report, by Italian MEP Michl Ebner, seeks recognition for regional and minority languages in the new EU constitution and aims to secure funding for the promotion of linguistic diversity. The report calls on the Commission to compile a feasibility study on the creation of a European Agency for Linguistic Diversity and Language Learning. It also backs an EU programme on linguistic diversity, including regional, minority and sign languages, together with money to promote acceptance of multilingualism. An estimated 40 million people in the EU use a regional or minority language regularly, in addition to the official language(s) of their country.