the European language portfolio is a concept that was developed by the Council of Europe the concept has three sections there's a language passport which summarizes the linguistic identity and the language learning and Intercultural experience of the owner there's the language biography which is an accompaniment to reflective teaching and learning encouraging Learners to set their own learning targets reflect on different dimensions of their learning and then there's the dossier in which the ELP owner keeps examples of his or her work maybe finished work maybe work in progress I began by saying that the European language portfolio is a concept because the Council of Europe didn't develop a single portfolio model sensitive to the different cultural and educational Traditions across its member states it rather elaborated a set of principles and guidelines that Define the European language portfolio and invited the competent authorities in the different member states to develop their own portfolios observing those principles and guidelines but at the same time doing what was necessary in terms of design to make the portfolio something that could take root in their environment the European language portfolio is together with the common European framework the last most recent offering of the Council of Europe towards the development of language teaching and learning across the member states the common European framework has at its Center the definition of six proficiency levels in second and foreign languages and the European language portfolio is a sort of implementation tool for the framework crucial to its operation is the learner cumulative self assessment and that self assessment summarized from time to time in the language passport but driving along the process of goal setting monitoring learning and evaluating its outcomes in the language biography that self assessment is conducted against the common reference levels of the common European framework work the common European framework developed through the 1990s and the concept of the European language portfolio developed in parallel with it there were pilot projects in 15 member states of the Council of Europe and in three international non-government organizations from 1998 to 2000 and the European language portfolio was launched generally across Europe in the European year of languages1 the Council of Europe intends that the European language portfolio will serve two functions on the one side a pedagogical function supporting the development of language learning skills and the capacity of Learners to set their own learning targets reflect on their learning and evaluate the worth of their learning outcomes in this pedagogical function the European language portfolio continues a long tradition of commitment on the part of the Council of Europe to the idea of learner autonomy which feeds in into education for Democratic citizenship on the one side and lifelong learning on the other on the other hand the second function of the European language portfolio is a recordkeeping an informative function a reporting function in other words on the basis of a European language portfolio an individual language learner and user can show what she or he can do in the languages that he or she knows apart from the mother tongue by this time there are more than 60 different European language portfolio models that have either been validated by the committee that serves that purpose in Strasburg or else are in process of revision subject to further examination and validation the Council of Europe's work in modern languages is developed at a policy level by the language policy division in Strasburg the language policy division was therefore responsible for the work that produced the common European framework it was responsible for the development of the concept of the European language portfolio and it coordinated the pilot projects at a European level language policy division is also responsible for other projects in language planning language education curriculum development uh and and that sort of thing the implementation of policy especially as regards language teaching and learning is undertaken by the Council of Europe's second instance which is the European Center for modern languages in grat it conducts within the framework of four-year programs projects that use seminars and follow-up events to explore issues having to do with good practice and reform in language teaching and learning so that although the language policy division in Strasburg developed the European language portfolio as concept and presides over the further development of language portfolios as models to be submitted for validation and accreditation it falls to the European Center for modern languages in gats to implement projects for tracking the implementation of European language portfolio in different member states and also promoting teacher training uh in the use of the portfolio