The activity is promoted and coordinated by the European Commission but managed, on a decentralized basis, by the National Agencies implementing the Lifelong Learning Programme. In Italy, the National Coordinating bodies are:

• the Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali
• the Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca

The competences and tasks for the management and technical assistance are organised as follows:

• for the vocational area: Agenzia Nazionale LLP – Programma Settoriale Leonardo da Vinci (Roma)
• for the educational area: Agenzia Nazionale LLP – Programmi Settoriali Comenius, Erasmus, Grundvig e Visite Preparatorie (Firenze)
  
  

The European Language Label aims at fostering linguistic competences of the European citizens through awarding of particularly innovative projects in the field of language teaching and learning. The main aims are:

• to promote language teaching and learning as a lifelong activity;
• to inform teachers/trainers, learners on the opportunities offered by the development of knowledge and use of foreign languages;
• to foster the implementation of innovative and transferable projects concerning languages;
• to awaken people to the added value get through knowledge, awareness and respect of linguistic and cultural diversity.

For the vocational field, the European Language Label is open to:

• vocational structures of local and regional bodies, trade unions and employers’ associations (including the chambers of commerce);
• vocational training centres
• languages school
• research centre
• enterprises (particularly SMEs)
• schools and universities (only vocational oriented projects focused on professional language)
• Not-for-profit organisations, voluntary bodies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
  
  

• Innovation concerning didactics, tools, methods, target group
• Capacity to involve all the human resources of the projects
• Added value as regards national and European context and common linguistic didactics
• Motivation of learners, teachers and trainers
• Originality and creativeness comparing to what is already available on market and the realised experiences
• European dimension, with particular care to intercultural aspects and respect of linguistic diversity
• Transferability of achieved results and tested good practises to others contexts and countries

In each Member State the European Language Label is awarded by an Evaluation Committee. The task of the Committee is to select projects according to their suitability to the requirements set at European level and to the European priorities; each country may envisage additional criteria or specific priorities for the selection procedure.

In Italy, there are two different Evaluation Committees for the selection of projects referred to the vocational area and to the educational one.

The Evaluation Committees are composed by experts of the vocational and educational area, representatives of the Foreign Cultural Institutes, language trainers and/or teachers, representatives of the LLP National Agencies.

The European Language Label may be awarded to every kind of initiative carried out within the field of language teaching and learning, apart from the nature of the responsible organisation.

Potential applicants to the European Language Label , within the vocational area, are those projects (already finalized or close to the finalization of their activities) dealing with language teaching and learning and which mainly focus on microlanguages or languages strictly connected to the labour market needs. Winners can use the Label and the relating logo within their premises and on the promoting material concerning the project awarded.

All the projects awarded with the European Label will receive a certificate signed by the European Commissioner for the Multilingualism and by the national coordinating Ministers (Ministro del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali e Ministro dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca).