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European Education and Culture Executive Agency

EACEA language policy

Use of languages by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency - Ref.Ares(2021)6438491 - 20/10/2021

1. Introduction and key principles

This document contains the principles and rules on language use that EACEA follows when communicating externally. EACEA makes its best effort to ensure that its contact with citizens is effective and efficient.

EACEA seeks to provide visitors to its website with access to key information on programmes and funding schemes managed by EACEA in three languages: English (EN), French (FR), and German (DE). Certain types of documents for applicants, e.g. the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, may be published in all official EU languages.

EACEA supports multilingualism by implementing the rules established by the European Commission on language use, as described in the section below. In addition, EACEA complies with the code of good administrative conduct and the linguistic requirements of the European Court of Justice if involved in cases handled by the Court.

2. Applicable rules

2.1 Code of good administrative behaviour for staff of the European Commission in their relations with the public

Section 4 of the Code states that:

“In accordance with Article 21 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, the Commission shall reply to letters in the language of the initial letter, providing that it was written in one of the official languages”.

This provision also applies to other correspondence such as emails, not only letters. Please note that correspondence covered by the rules stated in sections 2.2 - 2.5 below follows the language provisions of those rules, which may differ from the provisions of the code of good administrative behaviour.

2.2 EACEA website(s)

The main EACEA website (https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu) presents all information in English, and presents certain key information in English, French and German. Each page of the EACEA website can also be viewed in any official EU language by means of the eTranslation widget. The widget has been made available by the Directorate-General for Translation and creates an automatic machine translation of the web page at the user’s request.

The National Policies website (https://national-policies.eacea.ec.europa.eu/), which hosts Eurydice, the Youth Wiki and the Mobility Scoreboard, is made available only in English. However, Eurydice National Units can translate their National Education System descriptions and Eurydice studies into their national language(s). The eligible target languages are all official EU languages as well as Albanian, Bosnian, Icelandic, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Norwegian, Serbian and Turkish.

The Online Linguistic Support (OLS), the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (Epale), eTwinning and the School Education Gateway platforms are accessible in all EU languages.

2.3 Language practice at EACEA for EU grant and procurement management

As of 2021, EACEA publishes all open calls and tenders for actions delegated to it on the European Commission’s Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal (F&TP). For open calls for proposals and – where applicable – invitations to submit a proposal (i.e. calls for Identified Beneficiary Actions), EACEA currently follows the following language practices:

  • The general calls for the Erasmus+ programme and the European Solidarity Corps are published by the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture in the Official Journal in 23 languages. Links to the calls per action are published on the F&TP. Any specific EACEA call notices and invitations to submit which not covered by the respective Programme Guides are published in line with the language requirements of the action.
  • For the Creative Europe programme and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, (short) call notices are published in three or all EU languages in line with the requirements of the actions.

Concerning calls for tenders, contract notices are published in all official EU languages on the F&TP. Procurement documents (e.g. tender specifications) are published by default in English, but translations into any other official EU language can be provided by the Agency upon request within 6 working days.

2.4 EACEA publications

EACEA publications are available in English with the exception of the Eurydice studies mentioned in chapter 2.2.

2.5 EACEA HR

External vacancy notices for Temporary Agents are translated in all official EU languages. Written tests and interviews are conducted mainly in English, and other languages are tested as appropriate. For Contract Agents, selections are run through the database of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), using the EPSO language regime. In both cases, interviews are mainly held in English, and other languages are tested as appropriate. Contracts are issued in English.

3. Contact points

If you consider that EACEA has breached the European Commission’s code of good administrative behaviour in dealing with the public, you can file a complaint. For further information please see the European Commission’s webpage on the code of good administrative behaviour, which also explains how you can complain to the European Ombudsman.

20 OCTOBER 2021
EACEA language policy
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