Poliglotti4.eu, the EU co-funded project on multilingualism and language policy, has launched its new website: www.poliglotti4.eu. The website will serve as the on-line reference on the practice of multilingualism in Europe, and feature a Language Observatory gathering and disseminating best practice in language policy and language learning.

Poliglotti4.eu, the EU co-funded project on multilingualism and language policy, has launched its website today: www.poliglotti4.eu. The website will serve as the on-line reference on the practice of multilingualism in Europe, and feature a Language Observatory gathering and disseminating best practice in language policy and language learning.

The on-line Language Observatory will collect and present information on:

- motivators, scope and practice of multilingualism in various sectors of civil society;
- best practice in development and implementation of language policy;
- multilingual tools.

The website also displays the policy recommendations recently published by the EU Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism (CSPM), a body set up by the European Commission in October 2009 to promote multilingualism in Europe in the areas of culture, media and non-formal education. All Poliglotti4.eu consortium partners are also CSPM members.

www.poliglotti4.eu is designed for language learners and teachers, social and public services, civil society as well as policy makers involved in developing language policy.

Navigation will initially be possible in English, subsequently also in French and German. Dynamic content, however, can be uploaded in any language; the Language Observatory itself will indeed act as a test-bed for multilingualism tools.

The Language Observatory is web 2.0 compliant and linked to all major social networking platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many others), making it easier for users to share content available on www.poliglotti4.eu and make it accessible to a wider audience.

"The language observatory will serve as a platform for organisations and individuals interested in all aspects of multilingualism. It will not only offer comprehensive up-to-date information on events, news, publications and the latest research but will also stimulate the debate around language learning and language policies", said Ulla-Alexandra Mattl, Project Manager - Language Observatory (EUNIC in Brussels).

While the Poliglotti4.eu project was awarded EU co-funding until the end of 2012, the Language Observatory will persist in the long term. EUNIC in Brussels, the consortium partner leading on developing the website, will host the Language Observatory for a minimum of five more years after the end of the project. Examples of best practice will thus continue to be uploaded and shared with stakeholders.

Notes for editors

Poliglotti4.eu is a project promoting multilingualism in Europe - the result of the deliberations of the EU Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism. The project will result in the creation of an On-line Observatory, reporting on best practice in language policy and language learning. The observatory will provide policymakers, teachers, learners and civil society organisations with a powerful toolkit for benchmarking and enhancing their activities, in non-formal and informal education and learning sectors. The project is co-funded through the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP).

The nine project partners are: Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE); British Council (BC); Danish Cultural Institute Benelux (DKI); EU National Institutes for Culture in Brussels (EUNIC in Brussels); European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA); European Theatre Convention (ETC); Fundación Academia Europea de Yuste (FAEY); Goethe-Institut Brüssel (GI); Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning (Mercator).

The Civil Society Platform on Multilingualism (CSPM) was set up by the European Commission in October 2009 to promote multilingualism in Europe in the areas of culture, media and non-formal education. Members are non-governmental organisations committed to promoting multilingualism, operating at a trans-national or European-wide level