Charts the recent debates in France in response to the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages that, if ratified and implemented, would grant limited protection to minority regional languages there. Examines the tenor and substance of the debates surrounding the fate of the charter. Argues that much of its opposition rests on France's…

Discusses the need to enhance United States/European Union (EU) commercial and educational cooperation. Differences between US and EU language and trade policies are explored and the importance of plurilingualism in the global economy is examined. The role of the French Language, especially "Le francais des affaires," in facilitating…

Focuses on issues raised in the late 1990's by the debate about the second major piece of language legislation in Catalonia. Catalonia is a region where devolution and language policies in favor of regional language may have reached limits that are not so much imposed by the national state as by demographic developments within Catalonia itself and…

Suggests that in light of the state of many of the minority languages within the European Union, there are numerous policy imperatives and implications that needs to be addressed in relation to further development of European language policy. Outlines briefly what these might involve by highlighting key principles and discussing these from a…

To benefit the European Union(EU) and its citizens, the EU has set education and training(ET) goals to be achieved by 2010 that will reflect the diversity of languages, cultures, and systems that are an inherent part of the identity of its countries and their regions. Diversity is valued, but need for cooperation and mobility in ET is growing. The…