European Day of Languages 2023

The European Day of Languages (EDL) on 26 September is a well-established opportunity to raise awareness about language learning and linguistic diversity. Many language and cultural institutes, associations, universities and schools take part in various events and activities organised throughout the EU.

• Check out the list of  #EDLangs events to see what is happening in your country throughout September and October. 

The main event will be an online conference on 26 September - “Teaching language skills at the heart of the European Education Area” , from 12:00 to 14:00 (Brussels time).

•  This year we will focus on EU tools to help language teachers boost their capacity, notably Erasmus + and the European School Education Platform.
• We will celebrate the European Year of Skills since multilingualism is one of eight key competences needed for personal fulfilment, a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, employability, active citizenship and social inclusion.
• We will connect with some of the European Day of Language events taking place across the European Union (EU) Member States. Young people, teachers and other participants will tell us how they feel about languages and how they influence their life.

The event will be opened by Mr Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for Budget and Administration and Ms Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission.

We will hold a panel discussion with experts on multilingualism, teachers and representatives of the Spanish presidency of the Council and the European Commission.

We will discuss

• the main results of the 2023 Eurydice Key Data on Teaching Languages in Europe
• the role of language training in initial teacher education and continuous professional development
• resources available at European level, in particular for teachers
• languages as a life skill – their role in many different professions

The discussions will be interpreted into English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. You can also follow the event on social media on Erasmus+ on Twitter.

Stay tuned for the detailed programme of the conference!