Irish and Scottish are only primary pupils in EU not required to learn a foreign language

The ‘Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe 2012’ report states that just 4pc of Irish pupils in primary school learn a foreign language, which is usually French. This compares with 100pc of children in Austria and Italy, for example, where it is compulsory.

Children in the EU are starting to learn foreign languages at an increasingly early age, with most pupils beginning when they are between six and nine years old, says the report. A majority of countries or regions have lowered the starting age for compulsory language learning in the past 15 years and some even offer it in pre-school. The German speaking community in Belgium, for instance, provides foreign language learning for children as young as three.

The report highlights that an increasing number of pupils now learn two languages for at least a year during compulsory education. On average, in 2009/10, 60.8pc of lower secondary education students were learning two or more foreign languages - an increase of 14.1pc compared to 2004/05. During the same period, the proportion of primary education pupils not learning a foreign language fell from 32.5pc to 21.8pc.

English is the most taught foreign language in nearly all of the 32 countries covered in the survey (27 Member States, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey) – a trend that has significantly increased since 2004/05. In lower secondary and general upper secondary education, the percentage of students learning English exceeds 90pc.Only a very small percentage of pupils (less than 5pc, according to the report) learn languages other than English, French, Spanish, German and Russian.

"Linguistic and cultural diversity is one of the European Union's major assets," says Androulla Vassiliou, commissioner for education, culture, multilingualism and youth. "Language learning facilitates communication between peoples and countries, as well as encouraging cross-border mobility and the integration of migrants. I am happy to see that even our youngest citizens are being exposed to the joys of discovering foreign languages. I also encourage people to look beyond the most widely-used languages so they can appreciate Europe's incredible linguistic diversity."

Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe 2012 is a joint Eurydice/Eurostat publication, produced in close cooperation with the European Commission.