EU newsflash
- On 15 September, President von der Leyen delivered her second State of the Union address to the European Parliament: ‘Strengthening the soul of our union’.
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Spotlight on education and youth
The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented and multidimensional challenges to education systems and the youth sector. In the 2020–2021 academic year, we saw the largest global disruption to education in history. In most EU Member States, schoolchildren were affected by COVID-19-related school closures, and education experts expressed serious concerns about the impact on their education and well-being. During physical school closures, home resources and parental involvement are of key importance. However, these benefits are not available equally to all children, which exacerbates educational inequalities. On top of this, the COVID-19 crisis highlighted gaps in the preparedness of EU Member States in terms of digital education infrastructure.
This crisis, therefore, offered a unique opportunity for EU Member States to evaluate their education systems and motivated many students and educators to discover new and innovative ways of organising teaching and learning activities. There are valuable lessons to be learnt from both policy responses and best practices across Europe.
While teaching content and the organisation of education and training systems are the responsibility of the Member States, action at the EU level aims to contribute to the development of accessible and inclusive education and training by supporting cooperation, the exchange of good practice, frameworks, research, recommendations and other tools. The 2021–2027 digital education action plan presented by the European Commission sets out a long-term vision for digital change in education and training in the EU. Its two main priorities are to foster a high-performing digital education ecosystem and enhance digital skills and competences for the digital age.
Marking the start of a new academic year, this edition of our newsletter features publications related to EU action in the field of education and youth, along with publications on other interesting topics.
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The European Commission has been working for over a year to build one of the broadest portfolios of vaccines that are safe, effective and affordable. These represent our best chance to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. This factsheet provides the latest updates on the EU vaccine portfolio. |
Available in all the official languages of the EU
If you have a particular interest in the Erasmus+ programme, you can also consult the Erasmus mobility statistics 2014–2019 data set. It provides raw data for Erasmus+ mobility for students (study exchanges and work placements) and staff (teaching assignments and staff training), along with information on various aspects, such as age, gender and subject area. |
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Crisis effects and policy recommendations |
This publication examines the unprecedented and multidimensional challenges to the education systems and youth sector that the COVID-19 pandemic posed. It also reveals the EU’s lack of preparedness in terms of crisis management and digital education responses, and concludes with valuable lessons that will lead us towards the common goal of building more resilient education systems that are responsive and adaptive to future crises. |
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Critical perspectives on challenges ahead |
This study offers an in-depth exploration of pressing themes for European educators and policymakers in the 21st century. These themes include learner mobility, citizenship education, and the role of digital and virtual learning. Mobility programmes, in particular, may generate benefits in terms of employability, reduced social inequalities and more open, responsible and environmentally aware European citizens. |
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Teaching and learning in a digital age |
This annual publication offers an evaluation of education and training systems across Europe. It brings together the latest data, technical reports and studies, as well as examples of policy measures from different EU Member States. This is Volume 1 of the latest edition, offering a cross-national and thematic analysis. You can also read Volume 2, which includes the 27 individual EU Member State reports. |
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This report focuses on the social and economic resilience that might be achieved by well-designed and well-targeted investment in education. It also discusses the implications of the COVID-19-related school lockdowns in early 2020 for individuals (students, teachers and parents) and for educational institutions and systems, and suggests that, if not tackled adequately during the recovery stage, the immediate adverse consequences – such as interrupted learning and skills formation, exacerbated educational inequalities and rising dropout rates – could lead to high social and economic costs in the long term. |
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This study examines the attitudinal or emotional climate at school in terms of students’ perceptions of well-being, determined by school-related factors and the experiences gained through their involvement in school life. Research has long suggested that these play a vital role in improving students’ motivation and effort, engagement with learning and academic achievement. Yet, there is little research offering consistent estimates of the quality of school life aspects across EU education systems and analysing their predictive value for different outcomes of schooling. This study aims to fill this gap. |
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Preventive approaches to anxiety and depression: European platform for investing in children |
The World Health Organization estimates that about 25 % of the world’s population experiences a mental health problem at some point in their life. In about half of the cases, development of symptoms starts before a child’s 14th birthday. It is therefore important to develop evidence-based interventions that can help address mental health issues in children. The objective of this research note is to summarise the findings presented by existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of interventions aimed at preventing the development of anxiety and/or depression in children. |
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Research and innovation |
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Every month, the Research*eu magazine brings you the results of EU-funded research and innovation. This month’s special feature focuses on European philosophy, which continues to exert an immense influence on the way modern societies function. |
Available in English
(Individual article also available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish on the CORDIS website)
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As announced in February 2021, the Commission has mobilised an additional EUR 90 million under the health emergency preparedness and response authority incubator for research and development to tackle the threat of COVID-19 variants. This Horizon Europe-funded programme is supporting vaccine and therapeutic trials to boost prevention and treatment. You can find out more in this factsheet. |
Available in English
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2021 edition |
This annual publication offers a selection of key indicators for the European Union and its individual Member States, drawing from the rich collection of Eurostat’s data. It contains intuitive visualisations, innovative data presentations and concise text, so that users can rapidly obtain an understanding of differences between EU Member States. |
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Tackled but not tamed. Special report No 09, 2021 |
Disinformation is a serious concern in organised societies. Social media and new technologies have increased the scale and speed with which false or misleading information can reach its audiences, whether intended or unintended. This special report by the European Court of Auditors concludes that, although the EU action plan against disinformation is broadly on track and there is evidence of positive developments, it has not delivered all its intended results. The report includes recommendations to improve the coordination and accountability of EU actions against disinformation. |
Available in all the official languages of the EU except Irish |
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Recent EESC achievements: 2021 edition |
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is a powerful voice for civil society in challenging times. It has played an active role in shaping policies related to the ad hoc response to COVID-19 and to overcoming the crisis. In parallel, it has maintained a long-term, forward-looking approach, working to prepare economies and societies for the post-COVID-19 reality. This publication presents some of its recent actions and initiatives that have made a difference, and have had an impact on shaping Europe. |
Available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish |
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The impact of Brexit on EU and UK foreign affairs |
Brexit brings significant challenges for the EU and Britain alike in a host of foreign, security and defence areas. Both the EU and the United Kingdom now need to reconfigure their individual, regional and global ambitions based on their reputation, responsibility, resources and relevance. This publication analyses the impact of Brexit on EU and UK foreign affairs. |
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The role of law enforcement and other authorities |
Encouraging hate crime reporting
The role of law enforcement and other authorities
This publication examines the reasons victims do not report bias-motivated incidents and the barriers that they face when reporting incidents through national crime reporting systems. By mapping existing practices that have a bearing on the victim’s experiences when reporting bias-motivated violence and harassment, it aims to provide evidence to support national efforts to encourage and facilitate reporting – and ultimately assist Member States in delivering on their duties with regard to combating hate crime. |
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Under the European Green Deal, the EU biodiversity strategy has committed to planting at least 3 billion additional trees in the EU by 2030. A roadmap in the EU forest strategy outlines how the Commission will facilitate the achievement of this pledge. Find out more in this factsheet. |
Available in all the official languages of the EU |
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Workshop on accessibility at the European Week of Regions and Cities
The Publications Office of the European Union is a proud partner of the upcoming 19th EU Week of Regions and Cities that will take place online from 11 to 14 October 2021. The office will contribute to the event’s programme by presenting a workshop on accessible digital publishing during the final day on 14 October, 11 AM to 12 PM. The session will introduce the comprehensive online package of the Publications Office on creating accessible digital publications. The #EURegionsWeek 2021 is now open for registration, so create a profile to join in and register for the workshop on accessible digital publishing.
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Book your place at the EU Open Data Days 2021
The first ever EU Open Data Days, organised by the Publications Office of the European Union, is gathering steam. This unique event, scheduled to take place online from 23 to 25 November, is now open for the registration of participants. The EU Open Data Days will embrace two main events: EU DataViz 2021, a conference on open data and data visualisation, on 23 and 24 November, followed by the finale of the EU Datathon 2021, the annual open data competition, on 25 November. Book your place and make the most of a dedicated networking platform intended to inspire creative dialogue both before and after the event! The EU Open Data Days are free and open for everyone to attend.
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