European Day of Languages

On 26 September, Europe will be celebrating its linguistic diversity. Organised annually since 2001 by the Council of Europe, the European Day of Languages aims to encourage language learning among all age groups and to emphasise the importance of linguistic diversity. Each year, the EU spends over € 30 million on language learning.

On the eve of the European Day of Languages, Ján Figel’, European commissioner in charge of Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, commented: “As a Slovak proverb says, “The number of languages you speak is the number of times you are human”. Since the poll published today shows that the younger the respondent is, the likelihood of speaking a foreign language increases, I am convinced that today’s young generation will fully contribute to enriching Europe’s multilingual society”.

On this year’s European Day, the European Commission is publishing the results of a Eurobarometer survey which was conducted last June and which focuses on knowledge of languages among European citizens.