The CEFR, published ten years ago, has been influential not only in Europe but also in East Asia and the Americas. In this lecture I will explain the reasons for its success, in part by referring to a survey of its use in countries within and beyond Europe, including Japan (Byram and Parmenter, in press).
    The title of the CEFR as a document of 'reference' within Europe has to be understood in the context of the mobility of the working population, the 'guest workers' or migrants of the 1960s and later. The CEFR was to create a common 'base for talking about language learning, teaching and assessment which would be transparent, comprehensive and coherent. It was a document which would support the policies of the Council of Europe (currently consisting of 47 states) which had appeared in 'recommendations'. One question I will discuss is whether the CEFR is in itself a policy document or has been used as such.
    The reasons for the success of the CEFR will be the main focus of my lecture, and I will draw on a collection of articles from Europe and beyond, including Japan (Byram and Parmenter, in press) in the analysis. I will show that one reason for success has been a consequence of a reduced interpretation and a focus on assessment. This overlooks the discussion of methods and purposes, and ignores the concepts of intercultural competence and mediation. This will also lead me to a critique of these two concepts as presented in the CEFR and suggestions for further development.
    In conclusion I will explain the current project of the Council of Europe "Plurilingual and intercultural education", the place of the CEFR in this project, and how this project should remedy some of the limitations of the CEFR

Michael Byram is Professor Emeritus of Education at Durham University, England. He studied French, German and Danish at King’s College Cambridge, and wrote a PhD on Danish literature. He then taught French and German at secondary school level and in adult education in an English comprehensive school. Since being appointed to a post in teacher education at Durham in 1980, he has carried out research into the education of linguistic minorities, foreign language education and student residence abroad. His books include Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence (1997) and he is the editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. He is also an Adviser to the Council of Europe Language Policy Division.