The Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is a political intergovernmental organisation founded in 1949 with its permanent headquarters in Strasbourg, France. Its mission is to guarantee democracy, human rights and justice in Europe. Today it serves 800 million people in 46 states.

 

The Council of Europe aims to build a greater Europe based on shared values, including tolerance and respect for cultural and linguistic diversity. It promotes the use of the European Language Portfolio as a practical means of helping people of all ages and backgrounds to learn more languages and engage with other cultures. The ELP is also a means of presenting language skills, at any level and however acquired, in a clearly understandable way, using a common European system of six proficiency levels.