The Governing Board of the European Centre for Modern Languages met at the ECML premises in Graz on 9-10 October. Turnout was once again extremely high with 32 participants representing 27 of the 33 member states of this Partial Agreement. The Bureau presented the wider Governing Board with a Recommendation for the forthcoming ECML Programme 2020-23 - Inspiring innovation in language education: changing contexts, evolving competences. The Recommendation, which proposes a programme of 9 development projects complemented by 12 capacity-building activities, was judged as innovative, comprehensive and highly relevant to needs in member states. It was unanimously adopted.

As a clear signal of strengthened cooperation between the ECML and language policy within the Intergovernmental Programme, one of the development projects focusing on ways in which migrant and refugee children’s linguistic skills are assessed when they enter school systems – a topic which aligns closely with the wider educational goals of the Council of Europe - will be put forward to the CDPPE for inclusion within the Ordinary Budget. This would allow all 50 states who are party to the European Cultural Convention to take part in project-related activities, such as the central workshop held in Graz.

The Governing Board elected Mr. Steinar Nybøle (Norway) as Vice-Chair and partly renewed its Bureau.