This is an updated text version of a speech given at the 1^st ASEAN English Language Teaching Conference held at the Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, 15-17 March 2018. The theme of the Conference was "Maximizing the Potential in ASEAN Diversities through the English Language". Language education development work undertaken under the auspices of the Council of Europe and the European Union is reviewed and related to this theme. Improvement of the conditions for language learning and intercultural communication has long been a concern in the Council of Europe and work has been undertaken in many areas of language policy, language education, and language assessment. Examples of advances are the formulation of principles for the description of goals for language learning, the elaboration of a comprehensive Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and the production of a model for a European Language Portfolio. Some such initiatives are here illustrated and commented on in light of the theme of the Conference. The point is made that language study of the kind referred to here leads to improved intercultural communicative ability and enhanced learner empowerment and that the approach in question may stimulate similar initiatives, with similar means, in other contexts. In conclusion, it is suggested that the provision of language instruction is particularly efficacious if it can be realized within a theoretical framework that allows both easy comparison between learning targets and transparent evaluation of their attainment.