In 2001 the Council of Europe recommended the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) with a view to enhancing intercultural education, one of its central goals, in the context of foreign language teaching. Sixteen years later a new proposal of the Framework appeared with the aim to adjust the document to better prepare learners for intercultural communication. The article analyzes the perspectives on intercultural competence (IC) in the CEFR (2001, 2017) and stresses the need for a more consistent and up-to-date approach to the concept.