Association of Language Testers in Europe

The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) is a prominent European association established in 1989 by the University of Cambridge and the Universidad de Salamanca. ALTE unites language test providers across Europe and beyond to promote the fair, reliable, and accurate assessment of linguistic ability. Its core mission is to set common standards for language testing, ensuring quality and comparability of language proficiency exams across different languages and countries. ALTE does not create its own language tests but audits and awards its “Q-Mark” quality certification to member organizations’ exams that meet rigorous standards.

ALTE’s activities include organizing courses and conferences on language assessment, operating a quality auditing system for European language examinations, and fostering collaboration between language testing experts, policymakers, and educational institutions. The association has been instrumental in contributing to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), a widely used guideline for language proficiency levels, in cooperation with the Council of Europe since the 1990s.

The association supports linguistic diversity by promoting the recognition of qualifications in a broad range of languages and helping to connect policy, research, and practice in language learning, teaching, and assessment. ALTE also maintains a network of full members and associate members, including language test providers and organizations interested in language assessment quality.

Since its registration in the EU Transparency Register in March 2018, ALTE has been active in lobbying EU institutions to influence language policy and standards in language testing. Its lobbying efforts focus on ensuring that language assessments used in Europe meet high-quality standards and are recognized transnationally, which supports mobility, education, and employment across EU member states.

ALTE’s role as a lobbying entity is to represent the interests of language test providers in EU policy discussions, particularly those related to language education, certification, and the implementation of the CEFR framework. The association’s lobbying activities contribute to shaping policies that affect language testing regulations, quality assurance, and mutual recognition of language qualifications in Europe.

Name: Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)
EU Transparency Register ID: 455322530918-70
First Registered: 23 March 2018
Type: Association of language test providers
Mission: Promote fair, accurate, and comparable language testing standards across Europe
Headquarters: United Kingdom (registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Website: www.alte.org

No related lobbyists found.

Education and Training
Language Policy and Linguistic Diversity
Certification and Quality Assurance in Language Testing
EU Policy on Language Learning and Assessment

ALTE networks with a variety of affiliated organizations including:

Member language test providers across Europe
Institutional affiliates such as LanguageCert
The Council of Europe’s Language Policy Unit (collaboration since the 1990s)
Universities and educational institutions involved in language testing
European language policy stakeholders and research bodies

ALTE’s declared lobbying expenditure in the EU Transparency Register since registration is as follows (approximate):

Year	Amount (€)
2018	10,000 – 19,999
2019	10,000 – 19,999
2020	10,000 – 19,999
2021	10,000 – 19,999
2022	10,000 – 19,999
2023	10,000 – 19,999
2024	10,000 – 19,999

ALTE consistently reports spending in the range of €10,000 to €20,000 annually on lobbying activities at the EU level.

ALTE interacts primarily with the following EU structures:

European Commission (especially DG Education and Culture)
European Parliament committees related to education, culture, and language policy
Council of Europe (non-EU but closely linked to EU language policy frameworks)
Other EU advisory bodies on education and language assessment

Since its registration in March 2018, ALTE has participated in multiple meetings with EU officials and stakeholders related to language policy, education, and certification. Specific meeting details (dates, participants, topics) are recorded in the EU Transparency Register and European Commission meeting disclosures but are not comprehensively listed here. These meetings typically focus on:

Discussions on language testing standards and recognition
Implementation and updates of the CEFR framework
Quality assurance in language certification
Collaboration with EU education policy units