Category Archives: news

What has Language Rich Europe been up to lately?

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Language Rich Europe has had a very busy few months! In this post, LRE Director Simon Ingram-Hill reflects on some of the project’s recent activity.

After the launch events across the 25 participating European countries and regions this summer and the 50+ consultative workshops so far held, there was major LRE media coverage in a number of countries not least Scotland on 26 November about the lack of foreign language competence in UK hurting British business competitiveness.

We have just held our first major international conference at the British Academy with 160 policy makers and high level practitioners, debating key results from the research findings. British Council CEO Martin Davidson then launched the English version to 250 stakeholders of LRE’s CUP publication ‘Trends in Language Policies and Practices for Multilingualism in Europe’.

Other indications of how seriously this project is being taken: the full report is to be published in 19 other languages; we presented LRE to the all-party parliamentary committee on Modern Languages at the House of Lords on 10 December; key recommendations are being formulated for presentation at the European Parliament Brussels on 5 March.

And best? At the Report’s launch Caroline Parker signed a number of songs to much applause reprising her acclaimed performance at the Paralympics 2012 opening ceremony. Sign language by the way is an official minority language in many European countries.

Caroline Parker signs songs

Find out more from Simon Ingram-Hill and the Language Rich Europe website

Language Rich Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina Launch – teaching methodology needs to be improved and standardized at country level

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Maja Hadzimehic, British Council Project Assitant, B&H summarises the LRE launch in her country – along with the Ukraine the only other non EC member country participating in LRE.

Place: Sarajevo, University Campus

Time: 15th October 2012, 10:00

Monday morning on the 15th in Sarajevo started with heavy rain and traffic jams. Thankfully these issues did not stop those who were genuinely interested in how rich Europe is with languages to join the discussion. It also didn’t stop the media making this a highlight of the day.

TV reporters were among the first to come and they started doing interviews with key participants from the moment they registered at the welcome desk.

The audience included academia, business sector representatives, international organization stakeholders, EU integration office officials, and independent language professionals.

We opened the event with a few words on importance of multilingualism in the local and global context in relation to mobility, employability and labour market overall from country director Larisa Hallilovic and after that we started with presentation of results.

Presentation of results was followed by a debate. On the panel we had our local partner representatives – Professors Jasmin Dzindo and Amela Sehovic from the Faculty of Philosophy, Erol Mujanovic an independent economy and labour market expert, as well as Samir Avdibegovic and Aneta Quraishy representing the British Council.

The discussion started with language-related insights and experiences from the business world. The rest of the discussion focused more on implementing standardization in language teaching, testing and continual professional development. It was interesting to note that unlike the discussions in some other countries which focused on the student motivation in language learning, the discussion in Bosnia focused on the teaching side. Overall, everyone agreed that teaching methodology needs to be improved and standardized at country level.

The event prompted about 15 individual radio or TV interviews, on national television, top radio stations and web portals. It was also streamed live as video on EFM Student Radio web portal.  Overall media coverage was impressive and it contributed greatly to impact the launch had.

Example of articles: Radio Sarajevo (in Bosnian), BurchUniversity (in English)

Language Rich Europe launch in the Netherlands

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On 31 May the results of the Language Rich Europe project for the Netherlands and Fryslân were presented in the Geldmuseum in Utrecht. The research showed that in a period of increased language variation, the Dutch government puts more and more emphasis on the importance of the Dutch language. Especially for immigrant languages there is not much room.  In the province of Fryslân, Frisian is an official language and is therefore especially present in the educational domains. There are no formal educational provisions for the other regional languages in the Netherlands. Please read below the whole article about the launch (in both English and Dutch), written by Saskia Benedictus, Research Assistant at Fryske Akademy, our partner organisation in the Netherlands.

Despite the fact that the Netherlands could be more multilingual, there are also some positive examples. The city of Utrecht, for example, presents itself as the ‘multilingual hotspot’, and in Fryslân there is an increase in trilingual primary schools where children are not only taught in Frisian and Dutch, but also in English.

In Utrecht presentations were given by Martin Hope (Director, British Council Benelux), prof. dr. Guus Extra (Professor emeritus in language and minorities, Tilburg University) and Saskia Benedictus (Research assistant, Mercator Research Centre/Fryske Akademy). After the presentations a panel of experts discussed with the public about different statements. The panel members were: Martin Hope, Dr. Jacomine Nortier (Professor at the department of Language Studies, University of Utrecht), Prof. dr. Gerard Westhoff (Professor emeritus didactics modern foreign languages,University of Utrecht and independent educational adviser) and Drs. Tsjerk Bottema (Senior policy adviser languages and media, Province of Fryslân).

One of the issues that was discusses was the exact meaning of the term ‘multilingualism’, since it can have different meanings. Within the Language Rich Europe project, multilingualism is both about individual and about societal multilingualism. Societal multilingualism refers to the presence of several languages in the society, regardless if it is about national, foreign, regional, immigrant  or minority languages.

Prof. dr. Gerard Westhoff introduced the term ‘first aid-language’ which is first aid for meeting people. He meant that in a time of globalisation it is useful to have a lingua franca to be able to communicate. Besides, you also need to speak the languages from the countries and regions within your range, which, in the Netherlands, are German, French, and (in some cases) Frisian. English is much further away.

The focus of the discussions was mainly on the economic value of multilingualism. One of the attendees called this  the ‘Dutch approach’ and indicated that this was just one of the aspects of multilingualism. It is also important to look at multilingualism and identity.

Other issues that were discussed were…

… the importance of databases on language diversity for the development of language policy. In the Netherlands the province of Fryslân is the only province where this kind of data is collected.

… the difference between cities like New York and Melbourne on the one hand and cities like Amsterdam and Berlin on the other. The former two cities are proud of their diversity and see it as a characteristic of the city, while for the other two cities this is not the case. In the Netherlands diversity is always connected with deprivation and special needs.

… the challenge of raising interest and enthusiasm for multilingualism. Policymakers often say that there is no money for multilingualism.

… language policy in the Netherlands is either about Dutch or about Frisian.

… the importance of Germany as trade partner for the Netherlands and the added value of doing business in German (or Dutch) and not having to use English.

In short, there was plenty to discuss. The discussion will not stop here, but will be continued at a series of 3 workshops which will be organised in the Netherlands from September 2012 onwards. We will then look at the Language Rich Europe results for the Netherlands and Fryslân, and also at the results of the other countries to see whether we can learn from each other. We will also formulate recommendations for the further development of language policy and practice in the Netherlands and Fryslân.

On the internet and in the newspapers attention was paid to the presentation of the Language Rich Europe results in theNetherlands:

www.omropfryslan.nl/nijs/te-min-omtinken-ymmigrantetaal
www.eblt.nl/nederlan-taalt-net-nei-taal/
Leeuwarder Courant
Friesch Dagblad

For more photos about the event, please see the British Council Netherlands facebook page.

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Nederlandse versie:

Nederland taalt niet naar taal  

Op 31 mei werden de Nederlandse en Friese resultaten het Language Rich Europe onderzoek gepresenteerd in het Geldmuseum in Utrecht.  Uit het onderzoek bleek onder andere dat in een periode van toenemende taalvariatie de Nederlandse overheid de nadruk op het Nederlands legt; met name voor immigrantentalen is er weinig ruimte. In de provincie Fryslân is het Fries een officiële taal en als zodanig vooral in de onderwijsdomeinen zichtbaar. Voor andere regionale talen in Nederland zijn er geen formele onderwijsvoorzieningen.

Ondanks het feit dat Nederland dus best wat meertaliger zou kunnen worden, zijn er ook een aantal positieve voorbeelden te noemen, zoals de stad Utrecht die zich profileert als ‘multilingual hotspot’ en de toename van drietalige basisscholen in Fryslân.

In Utrecht werden presentaties gegeven door Martin Hope (British Council Benelux), prof. dr. Guus Extra (emeritus Hoogleraar Taal en Minderheden, Universiteit Tilburg) en Saskia Benedictus (Mercator Kenniscentrum, Fryske Akademy). Daarna werd er door een panel en het publiek gediscussieerd aan de hand van verschillende stellingen.

Aan de orde kwam onder andere de vraag wat meertaligheid precies is; de term kan verschillende dingen aanduiden. Binnen Language Rich Europe wordt meertaligheid opgevat in der ruime zin van het woord: het gaat zowel over meertaligheid van de individu als van de maatschappij. Bij meertaligheid in de maatschappij gaat het dan om de aanwezigheid van meerdere talen in de maatschappij, ongeacht of het om nationale, vreemde, regionale, minderheids- of immigrantentalen gaat.

Prof. dr. Gerard Westhoff (Universiteit Utrecht) introduceerde de term EHBO-taal, waarbij EHBO staat voor Eerste Hulp Bij Ontmoetingen. Daarmee bedoelde Gerard Westhoff dat het, in een tijd van globalisering, handig is om een lingua franca te hebben om met mensen te communiceren. Daarnaast betoogde hij dat je actieradius bepalend moet zijn voor de talen die je in ieder geval beheerst. De ‘taalradius’ van een Nederlander omvat dan al snel Duits en Frans en in aantal gevallen ook Fries. Het Engels is dan verder weg.

De focus van de discussie lag op de economische meerwaarde van meertaligheid. Eén van de aanwezigen noemde dit de ‘Dutch approach’ en gaf aan dat dat slechts één aspect van meertaligheid is. Er moet bijvoorbeeld ook gekeken worden naar meertaligheid en identiteit.

Tijdens de discussie werd er ook gepraat over…

… het belang van gegevens over taaldiversiteit voor het ontwikkelen van taalbeleid. In Nederland worden alleen in Fryslân dergelijke gegevens verzameld.

… het verschil tussen steden als New York en Melbourne enerzijds en steden als Amsterdam en Berlijn anderzijds. Eerstgenoemde steden zijn trots op hun diversiteit en zien dat als een karakteristiek van de stad; bij laatstgenoemde steden is dat niet zo. In Nederland wordt diversiteit altijd verbonden met achterstand.

… de uitdaging om mensen te interesseren en enthousiasmeren voor meertaligheid. Beleidsmakers zeggen vaak geen geld beschikbaar te hebben voor meertaligheid.

… het taalbeleid dat in Nederland óf over het Nederlands gaat óf over het Fries.

… het belang van Duitsland als handelspartner voor Nederland en de meerwaarde die het heeft als je dan zaken in het Duits (of Nederlands) kan doen en niet hoeft terug te vallen op Engels.

Kortom, er was genoeg stof voor discussie. Die discussie zal voortgezet worden tijdens de serie van drie workshops die vanaf september in Nederland georganiseerd zullen worden. Aan de hand van de Nederlands en Friese resultaten van het Language Rich Europe onderzoek én de internationale vergelijking die gedaan is, zullen concrete aanbevelingen gedaan worden voor de verdere ontwikkeling van het taalbeleid in Nederland en Fryslân.

Na afloop van de discussie kregen alle deelnemers een exemplaar van de publicatie ‘Language Rich Europe – Trends in Beleid en praktijk voor meertaligheid in Europa (conceptversie)’ met daarin de internationale vergelijking en de Nederlandse en Friese resultaten.

Op internet en in de krant werd aandacht besteed aan de presentatie van de Language Rich Europe resultaten in Nederland:

www.omropfryslan.nl/nijs/te-min-omtinken-ymmigrantetaal
www.eblt.nl/nederlan-taalt-net-nei-taal/
Leeuwarder Courant
Friesch Dagblad

Voor meer foto’s van het evenement, bezoek de British Council Netherlands facebook pagina.

Today’s launch: Basque Country

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Did you know about…

Basquisation

“A special aspect of education in the Basque Country is the linguistic Basquisation of adults. For centuries, the relationship between Basque and Spanish or French was one-way. Many Basque speakers abandoned their language and, either of their own free will or forced by circumstances, they adopted one of the official languages. Since the sixties, the relationship between Basque and Spanish or French has been reciprocal. Basque continues to lose speakers in the French Basque Country, but, at the same time, many Basques whose mother tongue is French or Spanish are learning Basque. Some people who have learned Basque in adulthood have obtained such a command of the language that they have become famous writers in Basque or even members of the Academy of the Basque Language. Currently, as many as 40,000 people are learning Basque or improving their level in the so-called euskaltegis, centres for adult learning and the perfecting of Basque. Without euskaltegis and the enlargement of the Basque-speakers community, the revival of the language (in the sense that this term has been used so far) would have been almost impossible.”

The Basque launch will take place on 12 June at the Sala Arriaga, University of Vasque Country, Bilbao. The speakers at this launch are:

  • Silvia Berny, Director British Council Bilbao
  • Aneta Quraishy, Senior Project Manager, Language Rich Europe
  • Iván Igartua, Director of Research, Department of Culture, Vasque Government
  • Olatz Olaso, Representative EMUN

Today’s launches: Barcelona and Madrid

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Barcelona and Madrid

Did you know that…

“Spain is a multilingual country with the Castilian variety, usually called Spanish, as the official language. Other languages, Galician, Catalan and Basque, are also official in their respective communities and in some other territories that historically were part of their linguistic continuum, such as Valencia and Islas Baleares in the case of Catalan, and the north of Navarra in the case of Basque.

Besides there is a great variety of dialects, such as Andalusian, Canario, Extremeño, Murciano; etc. and others recognized as territorial languages in the European Charter for regional or Minority languages such as Fablas Aragonesas in Aragón, Bable or Asturian in Asturias, Valenciano in Valencia, and Aranés, official language in la Vall d’Arán. The Charter also protects languages as Berber in Melilla, Caló, a non-territorial language used by gipsies, and Portuguese, used in Extremadura and other places along the border with Portugal.”

There are two launches taking place on 7 June 2012 in Spain: one in Barcelona, one in Madrid.

The Barcelona launch takes place in Arts Santa Monica. The speakers at this launch are:

  • Guus Extra, Catedràtic d’Idiomes i Minories de la Facultat de Humanitats, Babylon, Centre d’Estudis de la Societat Multicultural de la Universitat deTilburg
  • James McGrath, director del centre del British Council de Barcelona Bonanova
  • David Sorrentino, Responsable de Comunicació i Màrqueting Regional de British Council
  • Xavier Vila, professor titular de la Universitat de Barcelona
  • Miguel Àngel Pradilla, Professor del Departament de Filologia Catalana de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili

The Madrid launch takes place in a European Commission Building. The speakers at this launch are:

  • Juan Pedro de Basterrecha, Director de Patrocinio y Gestión Comercial, Instituto Cervantes
  • Aneta Quraishy, Project Manager, Language Rich Europe
  • Martin Hope, Director, Language Rich Europe
  • Marta Genís, Directora del Departamento de Lenguas  Aplicadas, Universidad de Nebrija
  • Chris Wyburd, ELT Director,Oxford University Press

There is a third Spain launch taking place in Bilbao on 12 June 2012. More information about that coming soon…

Tomorrow’s launches: Poland and Lithuania

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Poland

Did you know that…

‘Poland has adopted an interesting practice with regard to teaching Polish to immigrants. Bearing in mind that teaching Polish to immigrants is not the same as teaching Polish as a mother tongue, head teachers delegate this task to teachers of foreign languages, for example to teachers of English and not to teachers of Polish.’

The Poland launch will take place on 25 May 2012 at Warsaw Polytechnics. There will be several speakers discussing the findings of the project. These are:

  • Andy Williams, Director British Council Poland
  • Martin Hope, Language Rich Europe Project Director and Data Expert
  • Liliana Szczuka-Dorna, Head of Department of Modern Languages at Poznan University of Technology

Coinciding with the Poland launch is the first part of Lithuania’s launch on 25 May 2012 at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. The invited participants to the very first launch are representatives of the education institutions, companies, and cities researched, as well as the media. Speakers will be:

  • Dr. Julija Moskvina, Institute of Labour and Social Research, Lithuania
  • Dr. Irena Smetonienė, Vilnius University, Lithuania
  • Vilma Bačkiūtė, British Council, Lithuania

Lithuania

Did you know that…

‘Lithuania particularly cares about the status and usage of its state language. As for the rights of ethnic minorities, including the right to preserve their own languages and cultures,Lithuania has taken as many responsibilities as there can be in terms of the protection of minority rights.’

Language Rich Europe research – launching this month

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This month, we are launching our research entitled Language Rich Europe – Trends in policies and practices for multilingualism in Europe (Draft for Consultation).  Our national launches kick off with the Switzerland launch on 23 May 2012. To celebrate this, we are revealing some interesting facts from our research prior to each launch during May and June. The results of our research will be available after the launches on our brand new website.

Switzerland:

Did you know that…

“Approximately 30% of the population has an immigration background, meaning they themselves or their parents immigrated toSwitzerland. Roughly one third of these are naturalised Swiss citizens. The most widely represented languages of origin in order of frequency are: German, French, Italian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Albanian, Portuguese, Spanish, English, Turkish and Tamil (source: 2000 census).

The linguistic integration of immigrants who speak a foreign language is a major focus of current federal policies (including language courses in the regional languages).”

The Switzerland launch will be taking place on 23 May at Université de Berne. There will be several speakers discussing the findings of the project. These are:

  • Language Rich Europe Project Communications Manager, David Sorrentino
  • Language Rich Europe Project Director and Data Expert, Martin Hope
  • Local Data Collector, Prof. Raphael Berthele (Université de Fribourg)
  • Prof. Bruno Moretti (Université de Berne)
  • Christian Levrat, Conseiller national, President of Swiss Social Democrat Party
  • Simon Denoth, Referent da la direcziun RTR, Rumantsch TV
  • Modération: Jessica Gygax, Forum du bilinguism,Bienne

We are publishing a book of the research findings in over 20 languages in December at the international conference at London School of Economics. It will be published by Cambridge University Press.

Stay tuned for more news about the launches! Coming up next: Lithuania and Poland on 25 May 2012…

Latvija po mikroinfarkto – Latvia After Heart Failure

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In a referendum held on Saturday, 18 February the people of Latvia voted by a clear majority – 77.22 % – against Russian being made the country’s second official language. For this post, Vilma Bačkiūtė, our Language Rich Europe Project Manager in Lithuania, collected articles dealing with the referendum from Lithuanian press in Lithuanian. At the end of the blog post, you will find links to English and Latvian articles.

Latvijoje šeštadienį, vasario 18 d. įvykusiame referendume už antrosios valstybinės kalbos statuso suteikimą rusų kalbai balsavo 22,5 % piliečių, prieš – 77,22 %. Viso balsavo 70,37 % gyventojų.

Latvijos referendumas sulaukė ypatingo žiniasklaidos dėmesio ir Lietuvoje. Visi portalai ir dienraščiai akylai sekė nuotaikas kaimyninėje šalyje. Lietuvos apžvalgininkų, politologų, visuomenės veikėjų ir politikų pasisakymai aiškiai pritaria referendumo rezultatams, kurie labai svarbūs visoms trims Baltijos valstybėms.

Ar referendumas sudėjo taškus ant “i”?

Pasak užsienio reikalų ministro Audronio Ažubalio, “Tai yra Latvijos valstybingumo pasiekimas, kuriuo Latvija gali pagrįstai didžiuotis, o mes, lietuviai, ir visos kitos tautos privalome gerbti”.

Politologą, istoriką Antaną Kulakauską „nustebino tai, kad Latvijos gyventojai šį kartą buvo kaip niekad vieningi. Toks procentas balsavusių prieš rusų kalbos statuso pakeitimą gali reikšti tik tai, kad ne tik etniniai latviai, bet ir vietos rusai suprato, kad referendumas yra tik politikų siekis gauti populiarumą.”

Euro parlamentaro Vytauto Landsbergio nuomone, „To tikrai turbūt nesitikėjo iniciatoriai nei Maskvoje, nei Rygoje. Rezultatai, ko gero, yra priešingi, negu laukta. Matomas latvių ir lojalių Latvijai piliečių susivienijimas vietoje laukto suskaldymo į dvi dalis, kur būtų supriešinti latviai ir ne latviai…“

Rimvydas Valatka savo straipsnyje Latviją vadina “nerealiai tolerantiška tautinėms mažumoms valstybe”. Jo nuomone, tai patvirtina faktas, kad Latvijos rusai, nemokėdami latviškai, čia vis dėlto sugebėjo išgyventi pastaruosius 22 metus.

Latvijos Saeimos narys Romualdas Ražukas teigė, jog referendumas buvo nemalonus ir provokuojantis procesas, tačiau jo rezultatus – netikėtai pozityvus. Jo nuomone, iškalbingas faktas yra Rygos gyventojų balsų pasiskirstymas. Latvijos sostinėje gyvena 42 % latvių, tačiau prieš rusų kalbos antrąja valstybine kalba paskelbimą Rygoje pasisakė net 63 %.

Referendumas Latvijoje dar kartą primena, kad valstybių vykdoma kalbų politika gali tapti politiniu ginklu. Nežiūrint to, Baltijos valstybių piliečiai demonstruoja daug brandesnį požiūrį į kalbinius reikalus nei kai kurie politiniai veikėjai. Švedų režisieriaus, žurnalisto ir vertėjo Jono Öhman žodžiais, “Lietuviai, latviai ir estai, kitaip nei dauguma Europos tautų, mano, kad rusų kalba labai naudinga. Po anglų pusė Lietuvos gyventojų rusų kalbai duoda antrą vietą reikalingų užsienio kalbų sąraše. Tai galima paaiškinti netolima Baltijos šalių praeitimi ir, žinoma, dabartimi. Juk Rusija ­­– didelė Baltijos šalių kaimynė. Dabar net jaunimas, kuris nelabai moka rusiškai, nes rusų kalbos dėstymas mokyklose atgavus nepriklausomybę išblėso, dažnai pareiškia norįs mokytis būtent šios kalbos. Tad rusų kalba pamažu grįžta į užsienio kalbų mokymo programą.”

Ko gero situaciją po referendumo Latvijoje tiksliausiai apibūdina Arvydas Juozaitis: “Latvija – po mikroinfarkto. Reikia jai padėti.”

For more information in English, go to:

Latvia’s failed referendum

Lithuanian and Estonian officials issue statement on Latvian language

Kremlin manipulates Russians in Latvia

Lithuanian politicians rejoice in Latvia’s referendum results

Latvians voted “No” on making Russian second state language

Latvians celebrate referendum results and claim they voted against foreign language, not against nation

Rimvydas Valatka: Latvian referendum is not the last echo of Soviet occupation

For more information in Latvian, go to:

Latvijas krieviete: Varu apzvērēt – nekādas etniskās diskriminācijas Latvijā nav


Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää!

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Finland celebrates its independence (from Russia) on 6 December. As a Finn living in Belgium, I will celebrate it today by reflecting for a moment on the language situation in Finland and what it has meant to me.

I grew up in Finland, a Nordic country with nearly 5.4 million inhabitants. Our national languages are Finnish and Swedish. Other language groups recognised in the constitution are three Sami languages, Finnish Romani and the Finnish sign language. At the end of 2010, 4 857 903 (90.4%) people had Finnish as mother tongue, 291 153 (5.4 %) Swedish and 1 832 (0.03 %) Sami (there are three Sami languages spoken in Finland) (Statistics Finland, 18.3.2011). In addition to these, there are of course other foreign language groups, out of which Russian is the largest. In Finnish comprehensive school, pupils learn at least Finnish, Swedish and English. Därför pratar ja också svenska. I don’t, however, get to practise my Swedish very much in Finland because the Swedish speaking Finns, finlandssvenskorna, are a small minority and as a rule speak very good Finnish. In spite of the fact that Swedish is an official language in Finland, most people speak much better English than Swedish. My first foreign language was English, too, which I started learning at the age of nine. Swedish and German came only later.

While Swedish language is only spoken by a small minority, it has retained its historically strong position. In comparison, the situation of the Sami has been far from ideal. As the coordinator of pre-school education of Sami language in Utsjoki community in Northern Finland puts it: “In the past it was forbidden to speak Sami at school. To make up for past suppression, the authorities of Norway, Sweden and Finland now make an effort to build up Sami cultural institutions and promote Sami culture and language. Still, the work has only just started.” (The Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity website). Luckily, several projects, such as the one in Utsjoki, are now running to enhance the language learning of the Sami such as this minority language pre-school education project.

I feel that as a Finn, I’ve been privileged with regard to access to education. The quality of the Finnish education has also been noted abroad, even more so after the good results in the PISA research. I will not analyse the reasons behind this in depth, but I think that at least the small group sizes, individual coaching and a freedom of choice, even at reasonably young age must all contribute to a good quality of education. At university level, if you want to, you can even choose minor subjects that have nothing or very little to do with your main subject (at least at first glance). That gives a very broad look on things.

Now, living in Belgium, I have also learned Dutch (or Flemish, as some might say). Here the language question is still very actual and even problematic. Belgium has now finally, after 541 days of negotiations, appointed the next Prime Minister, the French-speaking Elio Di Rupo, who will take the oath of office today (that’s the latest news anyway!). And, to end on a lighter note, today we also celebrate Sinterklaas in Belgium. Multiple languages, multiple reasons to celebrate!