25th Anniversary of Eurydice
Brussels, 13 October 2005

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure for me today to address you all present here at the 25th
anniversary seminar of the Eurydice network. I was delighted to accept the
invitation to attend and speak, because Eurydice really does make an
impressive contribution to a better mutual understanding of our education
systems and policies.

We need well educated and highly skilled citizens for our economies and also
for the social and political success of Europe. These are challenging times for
education systems throughout Europe. The Lisbon strategy has brought
education to the forefront and the Bologna process is reforming higher
education systems radically in terms of their structure.

This is creating increased demand for comparative studies and indicators. To
identify and coordinate successful strategies for our ambitious projects, we
need up-to-date and reliable information and, in this respect, Eurydice is one
of the fixed stars to guide our navigation.

In a close creative partnership between the Commission and the Member
States, Eurydice has demonstrated its ability to report on common problems
faced by education systems throughout Europe. At the same time, it has
pointed out their diversity both within and between countries.

While respecting the full responsibility of Member States for education,
Eurydice is helping the EU to improve the quality of its education systems.
Your organisation supports the Commission in its efforts to trigger a Europe
wide movement for reform. Things like adapting education systems to
today’s changing conditions can be achieved better and faster when efforts
are coordinated across the continent.

One example of the high–quality information made available by Eurydice is
the 2005 edition of the report Key Data on Education in Europe which over
the years has become its flagship publication. For the very first time, the
report combines various kinds of information sources. Information from
Eurydice itself and Eurostat statistics are complemented by contextual data
from PISA 2003 and other international surveys to provide a multi
dimensional view of how education in Europe is developing.

Indeed, this latest Eurydice edition of Key Data has broken fresh ground in
integrating a wealth of reliable data: it offers better insight into what
education systems plan to achieve, it identifies how educational policies are
implemented, and it points out how these affect pupils and students, teachers
and school headmasters.

The experience developed by the Eurydice network, its deep knowledge of
education systems and policies and its grasp of the kind of information
needed to enlighten policy–making and public debate come to the fore in the
comments on each indicator.

As a whole, the content of Key Data highlights certain general—and very
welcome—trends. Let me list a few:

• more and more children benefit from pre–primary education: almost
  everywhere in Europe, over 60 % of children aged 4 attend a pre–primary
  institution;
  – increasing numbers of students are enrolled in tertiary education: total
  student enrolment rose by 16 % between 1998 and 2002;
  – the number of graduates in scientific and technological fields is growing
  every year;
  – the organisation and management of education systems in the new EU
  Member States and in the EU–15 are very similar;
  – inequality of access to computer facilities and to Internet in schools is
  declining.

A series of forthcoming proposals for a Recommendation on the quality of
teacher training and Communications on adult education and equity –which I
plan to submit to the College in 2006 – will strengthen policy development
and consensus building around crucial issues for the achievement of the
Lisbon goals.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As you know, multilingualism is – for the first time – explicitly included in
the brief of a European Commissioner—and I have the honour to be that
Commissioner. For this reason, I was particularly interested to read the
Eurydice report entitled Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in
Europe. With its 40 or so indicators, the report provides a very clear picture
of policies implemented in this important area.

I also look forward to reading the report on the provision for Content and
Language Integrated Learning, which I understand will be published at the
end of the year.

The issue of multilingualism is central for the present and the future of our
Union. As you all know, the EU is unlike any other multinational
organisation under this respect, because it is legally bound to communicate
with its citizens in a language they understand.

For the future, I believe that an intelligent language policy can help create a
genuine sense of European citizenship among all Europeans. The more
citizens speak foreign languages, the more Europe’s many languages will be
bridges, rather than barriers. I intend to publish shortly a Communication
setting out my strategy in this field and proposing new actions for
implementation both by Member States and by the Commission.

Indicators are far from the only output of Eurydice. It also publishes
qualitative comparative studies on topics high on the European political
agenda. It is clear that the Union, after the recent referenda, has to multiply
its efforts to win the hearts and minds of its citizens, especially those who are
younger and will help shape our future.

Citizenship education is therefore crucial. Eurydice has appropriately
encouraged debate and reflection on this subject in two recent surveys, the
first on citizenship education itself and the second on school–based measures
for integrating immigrant children into mainstream education wherever
possible.

The survey shows that education systems have taken measures to adapt to the
new reality which is that Europe is increasingly multicultural and
increasingly mobile. I was interested to read that:

• Immigrant children of compulsory school age are generally entitled to
  education on the same terms as nationals, irrespective of their status;
  and that:

• The intercultural approach for the benefit of all pupils is a part of almost
  all curricula.

The survey also points to areas for possible improvement; it shows, for
example, that Citizenship education is a component of initial teacher
education in only two-thirds of countries.

Another aspect of Eurydice which I would like to stress is that it is a dynamic
network. All Units in each of the 31 countries covered by the network are
involved in all activities, providing a uniquely comprehensive overview of
European education systems.

Eurydice is a network underpinned by solidarity. Each National Unit and
situation is different in terms of systems and resources. The Network
nevertheless manages to achieve common ambitious targets, with the same
attention paid to all countries.

On behalf of the European Commission, I would like to thank the Eurydice
Network and the National Units for their support and work over all these
years. We are also indebted to the highly skilled and professional team at the
European Unit for its co-ordinating of the Network. Collectively, you can
take pride in your remarkable achievements.

There is no doubt that the kind of information you provide will be not less
but increasingly needed in the future. Our appreciation for your work is also
reflected in the Commission plan to increase the financial support to both the
European and National Units in the coming year and even more so after 2007
under the future lifelong learning programme. Similarly, I hope that Eurydice
will benefit from additional financial support at national level.

For all these reasons, it is a pleasure for me to pay tribute to Eurydice on the
occasion of its 25th anniversary. I would like to express my very best wishes
for the future success of the Network and for a stimulating and thought-
provoking seminar.

Thank you for your attention.