EU and multilingualism Seminar Supporting Multilingual Classrooms 14

EU and multilingualism Seminar: Supporting Multilingual Classrooms 14 th April 2016 Vítězslav Zemánek, European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic

What is multilingualism? • several languages spoken within a geographical area • a person’s ability to master several languages • a policy requiring an organisation to use several languages for communication

EU official languages over time

The legal basis Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union • Citizens have a right to address the official EU bodies in any of the EU’s official languages and to receive a reply in that language. Council Regulation No 1/58 • Regulations and other documents of general application shall be drafted in the official languages.

Role of interpreters and translators Interpreters: ± 1 000 Translators : ± 4 300

Promoting multilingualism – language competences • Article 165 TFEU: Union respects cultural and linguistic diversity of the Member States and supports teaching and dissemination of the languages of the Member States; • 2002: Barcelona European Summit conclusions - goal: 2 foreign languages • 2014: Council conclusions on multilingualism and the development of language competences • Erasmus+: On-line linguistic support • European Commission initiatives: European Day of Languages (together with Council of Europe), Juvenes Translatores, European language Label

European Day of Languages 26 September Event in Prague: „Speak Dating“

Juvenes Translatores 2015 -2016 • Winner for the Czech Republic: Miroslav Řehounek, Gymnázium Třinec

Thank you for your attention! vitezslav. zemanek@ec. europa. eu