Meeting academic needs for mobility students

Só está diposnível o resumoThe European Union (henceforth EU) not only values cultural and linguistic diversity among its members states but also encourages them to promote the teaching of the languages of these member states. A memorandum on higher education published in 1991 by the Comission of the EuropeanCommunities gives priority to the teaching of foreign languages. The document encourages student mobility within the European Union in order to promote contact with different cultures and languages. It further suggests that students should know two languages in addition to their mother tongue. The memorandum states that higher education institutions should require a language qualification both for entering university and when obtaining a degree. In addition, the higher education policy should also make provision for courses to extend or maintain foreign language skills both for students and staff, as well as providing the opportunity to include teaching through the medium of a Community foreign language. Finally, it suggests that lesser-used and lesser-taught language should also be promoted (Commission of the European Communities [1991]: Figueiredo-Silva 2003).The Treaty of Maastricht also emphasises the importance that language planning and language education may have in the economic development of the European Community. However, it does not aim at centralised language planning for language policy at a European level. On the contrary, its policy is decentralised so thet both cultural and the linguistic diversity of each member state can be respected, as stated in the chapter on "Education, vocacional training and youth" article 126