FLC OF A WDB CLBED IN RESPONSE TO A CLRNC GIVEN BY A FOREIGN AIRSPACE CTLR. THEY WERE SUBSEQUENTLY ADVISED THAT THEY HAD NOT YET BEEN CLRED TO THE HIGHER ALT AND THAT THEY WERE TO REMAIN AT THE LOWER ALT. THE RPTING FLC WERE CONFUSED SINCE THE PHRASEOLOGY GIVEN THEM GAVE THEM TO BELIEVE THEY WERE IMMEDIATELY CLRED TO THE HIGHER ALT.

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IN CRUISE AT FL280; AFTER ATC HDOF FROM MAASTRICHT CTL TO REMMES CTL; WE CHKED IN WITH REMMES; RPTING OUR FLT LEVEL (FL280). REMMES ACKNOWLEDGED; CLRED US DIRECT TO 'VMP' AND ASKED FOR OUR REQUESTED FLT LEVEL (FL310). WE ACKNOWLEDGED THE DIRECT ROUTING AND GAVE OUR REQUESTED FLT LEVEL. THE CTLR THEN STATED 'ROGER; MAINTAIN FL310.' WE REPLIED 'LEAVING FL280 FOR FL310.' CLBING THROUGH FL300; THE REMMES CTLR STATED '...MAINTAIN FL310;' THEN SAID WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED TO FL310; BUT WERE INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN FL280. WE WERE CERTAIN THAT WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO FL310 AND HAD EVEN READ BACK THE CLB INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CTLR. THE PROB SEEMED TO HAVE OCCURRED DUE TO NON STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY ON THE PART OF THE CTLR; HEAVILY FRENCH-ACCENTED ENGLISH; AND OUR ACCEPTANCE OF A CLRNC FROM THE CTLR THAT WE REGARDED AS VALID AND DID NOT CHALLENGE. IN EUROPEAN OPS; THERE IS A VARIANCE IN PHRASEOLOGY THAT MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO CTLRS IN EACH COUNTRY. COMBINE THIS WITH A VARIETY OF ACCENTS; BLOCKED XMISSIONS; PERIODIC POOR XMISSION QUALITY DUE TO BADLY OUTDATED EQUIP; AND THE SENSE THAT EVERYTHING FUNCTIONS LIKE OUR ATC SYS IN THE UNITED STATES (IE; STANDARDIZED PROCS; PHRASEOLOGY; ETC) AND YOU HAVE A RECIPE FOR POTENTIAL ERRORS TO OCCUR WHEN AND WHERE THEY'RE NOT EXPECTED.