Languages in specific areas

The European Commission has joined forces with Member State governments, the European Parliament, the European regions and social partners in order to:

• Give citizens the chance of learning two languages in addition to their mother tongue from an early age.
• Create friendlier societies, where different communities and individuals engage in dialogue with one another.
• Strengthen the role of languages in improving employability and competitiveness.

These objectives are the backbone of ‘multilingualism policy’. This section presents the activities the Commission has undertaken in these fields. To achieve its medium to long-term objectives the Commission promotes multilingualism throughout the whole range of its policies and programmes, providing an impulse for Member States, local authorities and social partners to take action at their level.
Languages for business
Language and communication skills are highly demanded by European employers. Moreover, citizens who speak more languages can reap the full benefits of free movement in the EU and can integrate more easily in another country for study or work. How can we improve the language skills of the European citizens and thus make them more employable? More...
Languages in the community
The EU promotes language learning to enhance social integration, cultural understanding –and European integration. Learning languages is an excellent way of getting a better understanding of other people's values, culture and behaviour.
The European Commission has set up the following groups and forums to promote language learning:

• Civil society platform
• Group of Intellectuals
• High-level group on multilingualism.