1. CEL/ELC and Facebook

The Conseil Européen pour les Langues/ European Language Council (CEL/ELC) is pleased to draw your attention to its Facebook page, launched shortly before the end of 2014. On this page, you will find announcements and pictures of CEL/ELC events, for instance of our recent Forum in Brussels in December 2014, interesting news on our Special Interest Groups (SIGs), messages from CEL/ELC members, etc. We will also share announcements, articles and information from other Facebook pages in the field of languages, language teaching and learning and multilingualism.

The official CEL/ELC Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/europeanlanguagecouncil

If you are a Facebook visitor, please do not forget to like our page!

2. New composition of the CEL/ELC Board

We are very pleased to announce that at the 16th General Assembly, held on 5 December 2014, five candidates were elected or re-elected to the Board:

·         Anastasia Atabekova, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (Russia)

·         Manuel Célio Conceição, Universidade do Algarve (Portugal)

·         Joanne Pagèze, Université de Bordeaux (France)

·         Erik Uytterhoeven, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)

·         Maria Teresa Zanola, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy)

The Board is now composed of the following members: Maurizio Viezzi (President), Manuel Célio Conceição (Vice-President), Michael Kelly (Secretary), Erik Uytterhoeven (Treasurer), Wolfgang Mackiewicz (Past President), Anastasia Atabekova, Monica Fekete, Irina Khaleeva, Karen M. Lauridsen, Javier Martos, Joanne Pagèze, Frank Peeters, Ruth Tobias, Jolanta Urbanikowa, Piet Van de Craen, Boris Vejdovsky, Maria Teresa Zanola.

3. CEL/ELC Policy Statement

The CEL/ELC drew up a policy statement on the importance of language competence and language diversity in the changing international environment. The statement can be found on the CEL/ELC website.

4. Participation in the Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Participation in the SIGs is open to CEL/ELC members as well as to external partners. If you are interested in participating in a working group please contact the group coordinators:

·         SIG 1: Languages and intercultural careers, coordinated by Michael Kelly and Ruth Tobias

·         SIG 2: Validation, recognition (and evaluation) of informal and non-formal language learning, coordinated by Michael Hammersley and Maurizio Viezzi

·         SIG 3: Multilingualism and multiculturalism, coordinated by Boris Vejdovsky

·         SIG 4: Developing different models for language policies in Higher Education, coordinated by Manuel Célio Conceição and Jolanta Urbanikowa

5. European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML)

The European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) has launched a Call for submissions for its 2016-19 programme, “Languages at the heart of learning”. All information related to the Call and the new programme is now available on the dedicated website: http://call.ecml.at/

———————————–

Conseil Européen pour les Langues / European Language Council (CEL/ELC)

c/o Freie Universität Berlin :: ZE Sprachenzentrum

Habelschwerdter Allee 45 – 14195 Berlin, Germany

E-mail: secretariat-elc@sprachenzentrum.fu-berlin.de

http://www.celelc.org