Knowledge of foreign languages is an asset, if not a requirement, in all professional endeavours of the current globalized world. In Latin America, foreign language learning has consolidated itself as an essential component in the undergraduate and graduate programmes of all tertiary education institutions, and an increasing number of Latin American universities and language institutions use the Common European Framework for language learning, teaching and assessment (CEFR) to inform their syllabi and curriculum design processes. In this paper we set out to explore the reasons why Latin American countries in general and Colombia in particular engage with the CEFR, and the various ways in which this specific context impinges on the adoption and adaptation of this framework. Special emphasis will be put on the impact that the socio-political and economic constraints of Colombia have on the adoption of the framework in both national and European institutions (British Council, Goethe Institut, Alliance Française), as well as on the compatibility of the CEFR with the Colombian national education policies regarding foreign language teaching and learning.