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The present article seeks to bridge the gap between policy and practice in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). It illustrates how the underlying policies of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) are practically implemented in the language teaching arena, using five pedagogical innovation projects as a backdrop. It then reports on one of the first studies in Europe to offer empirical data on the functioning of this new system. Building on the unique position of the degree in English philology at the University of Jaen, a quasi-experimental investigation with a pre/post-test control group design was conducted throughout the course of the academic year 2005-2006 with Spanish university freshmen in order to determine the possible differential effects of the new ECTS framework. The quantitative data are complemented with qualitative questionnaires which provide interesting insights into the students' perceptions of the implementation of the new system. The results and implications, discussed in a final section, are essential to determine whether the ECTS scheme is working as it should be, whether the Bologna standards can indeed be met by 2010, and whether the EHEA is a feasible reality or an impractical ideal.