Latest stories - Culture, education and youth

Main results of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council

17/05/2013  -  Culture, education and youth / Institutional affairs

The Council adopted conclusions on the social dimension of higher education. It also held, in public deliberation, a policy debate on the link between teaching professions of the highest quality and achieving better learning outcomes.  |VIDEO 1|2|3|4|

• Conclusions on the contribution of quality youth work to the development, well-being and social inclusion of young people
• Conclusions on maximising the potential of youth policy in addressing the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy
• Council conclusions on the social dimension of higher education
• More press releases from the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council

Progress in tackling early school leaving and raising higher education attainment    

11/04/2013  -  Culture, education and youth

A majority of EU Member States have made progress on the Europe 2020 education targets to reduce the rate of early school leaving to below 10% and increase the share of young people with higher education (tertiary or equivalent) qualifications to above 40% by 2020, according to new figures for 2012 released by Eurostat.

• Share of population aged 30 to 34 in the EU27 having completed tertiary education up to 36% in 2012
• Migrant children more likely to end up in poor schools, report says
• More information on early school leaving
• More information on higher education in Europe

Council agrees on Youth Guarantee

28/02/2013  -  Culture, education and youth / Employment and social rights / Institutional affairs

The Council reached a political agreement on the establishment of youth guarantee schemes which aim to ensure that unemployed young people are quickly offered employment or training.  |PHOTOS|VIDEO |

• Main results of the Employment, Social policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council
• Youth Employment: Commission welcomes Council agreement on Youth Guarantee
• Statement by the Commissioner László Andor
• More press releases from Employment and Social Affairs Council
• More information on Youth Employment

Erasmus for All and education for growth and jobs

15/02/2013  -  Culture, education and youth

The EU's education ministers discussed Erasmus for All, the reformed student exchange programme, and the contribution of education to creating jobs and growth.

Youth employment: Commission proposes package of measures    

05/12/2012  -  Culture, education and youth / Employment and social rights

Measures to help Member States tackle unacceptable levels of youth unemployment and social exclusion by giving young people offers of jobs, education and training have been proposed by the European Commission.

Main results of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council

26/11/2012  -  Culture, education and youth / Institutional affairs

The Council took note of the state of play concerning the proposal for a regulation establishing the "Erasmus for All" programme (2014-2020).

Commission presents new Rethinking Education strategy    

20/11/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

The European Commission is launching a new strategy called Rethinking Education to encourage Member States to take immediate action to ensure that young people develop the skills and competences needed by the labour market and to achieve their targets for growth and jobs.

Media and content digitization benefits consumers, but revenues lag behind

25/10/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

Only 6% of film/video, newspapers, magazines and book sales were digital, according to the Joint Research Centre's (JRC) report on "The media and content industries. A quantitative overview".

Commission launches strategy to boost growth and jobs in cultural and creative sectors    

26/09/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

The Commission's new strategy aims to increase the competitiveness and export potential of these sectors, as well as to maximise their spill-over benefits for other areas such as innovation, ICT and urban regeneration.

Report highlights major geographic disparities in education    

14/09/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

Where you live in Europe can strongly influence your education and prospects in life, according to a new European Commission report.

Ageing teachers a challenge for EU education sector    

11/09/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

The report Education at a Glance 2012, compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), identifies several areas in European education that are likely to create challenges in the near future. An ageing teaching force is one of them.

EU Youth Report calls for employment and social inclusion to be top priority    

10/09/2012  -  Culture, education and youth / Employment and social rights

The report, which is produced every three years by the Commission, underlines that the EU and Member States must do more to support young people, who have borne the brunt of the economic crisis.

Report reveals wide fluctuations in cost of higher education and support for students    

10/09/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

Tuition fees are highest in England, where students pay up to £9 000 (around €11 500) per academic year, while nine countries (Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Malta, Norway, UK (Scotland) and Sweden) do not charge fees in most cases.

Commission urges Member States to recognise skills gained outside school and university    

05/09/2012  -  Culture, education and youth / Employment and social rights

The Commission's proposal aims to increase job opportunities in particular for the young unemployed and those with few formal qualifications such as older and low-skilled workers.

Aarhus to be European Capital of Culture in Denmark in 2017

24/08/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

Aarhus beat off the challenge of Sønderborg to represent Denmark. Cyprus is the other Member State in which a city will host the title in five years' time.

Copyright: Commission proposes easier music licensing in the Single Market

11/07/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

The European Commission has proposed measures to modernise collecting societies and put in place incentives to promote their transparency and efficiency. New digital technologies are opening up great opportunities for creators, consumers and businesses alike.

Progress in reducing early school leaving and increasing graduates in Europe, but more efforts needed    

07/06/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

Member States must work harder if they are to meet the Europe 2020 education targets to reduce early school leaving rates to less than 10% and increase the share of young people with degree-level qualifications to at least 40%, according to figures for 2011 released by Eurostat.

More EU efforts needed to tackle youth unemployment, say MEPs

24/05/2012  -  Culture, education and youth / Employment and social rights

Devising a ‘European Investment Plan’ to create new jobs, reallocating EU structural funds to projects for young people, and introducing a ‘European Youth Guarantee’ to ensure that they are not without jobs for more than four months, are among the proposals set out by MEPs in a resolution.

Entrepreneurship education on the increase    

13/04/2012  -  Business / Culture, education and youth

Entrepreneurship education is being increasingly promoted in most European countries, according to a new report published by the European Commission. Half of European countries are engaged in a process of educational reforms which include the strengthening of entrepreneurship education.

Education and training: emphasis on employability

10/02/2012  -  Culture, education and youth

How can education and training support the EU's strategy to promote growth and jobs, and how, in particular, can they contribute to reducing youth unemployment?