Nikolina Tsvetkova
Department of European Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Sofia University
E-mail: ntsvetkova@phls.uni-sofia.bg
Abstract: Today’s challenges on national, European and global levels require that young people develop corresponding skills and competences. As pointed out by Karvounaraki et al. (2018), encouraging the development of common European values and consolidating European identity through communicative processes among the representatives of a new generation of EU citizens is of paramount importance. These new citizens are to be capable of working within and across various national, European and global cultures by using multiple languages. In view of the intensified mobility and intellectual exchanges of teachers, scholars and students across national and disciplinary borders it is necessary to understand some of the mechanisms in place which enable such dynamics. This article presents a study of relevant theoretical sources as well as of EU and national documents regarding language and educational policies with a specific focus on the transition between secondary and tertiary education. The research design includes analysis of examples from Bulgaria to shed light on how to ensure systematic and coherent development of plurilingual and intercultural competence in educational practices.
Key words: intercultural competence, multilingualism, plurilingual competence, mobility, internationalization, Europeanization of education, transition between secondary and tertiary education