ELP stands for European Language Portfolio. The European Language Portfolio was developed and piloted by the Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, from 1998 until 2000. The first official ELP was launched on a pan-European level during the European Year of Languages (2001).
 

The idea of the ELP is to provide language learners with a tool to record and present their language competences and give evidence of their language learning and cultural experiences. The ELP remains the learner’s property.
Each ELP consists of three obligatory parts:

· Language Passport
· Language Biography
· Dossier

The Language Passport gives an overview of the individual's proficiency and skills in different languages, which its owner regularly updates. It provides users with a special self-assessment grid where the individual describes his/her language competencies according to common criteria accepted throughout Europe (CEFR)
 

The Language Biography describes the owner's experiences in each language and is designed to guide the learner in planning and assessing his/her learning process and progress. It encourages the learner to stage what she or he can do in each language.
 

The Dossier is a kind of repository, in which the learner collects various materials (written texts, audio and video files, etc.) that illustrate his or her language achievements or experiences recorded in the Language Biography or Passport.
 

ELP models
More than 90 ELP models have been validated so far, as a single model could not answer the needs of different types of learners in various learning contexts.
Main issues that each ELP model considers include
· learner’s age,
· social or educational characteristics of learners (vocational training, level of general education, disabled learners, etc.)
· format (paper or electronic model)

The ELPBVI addresses the specific needs of blind and visually impaired adults.