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The implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee - Trends in EU Member States, impact, EU funding and governance
This European implementation assessment of the 2020 Council Recommendation on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (the 'reinforced Youth Guarantee' or 'RYG') aims to inform the ongoing work of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) on an own-initiative implementation report on the RYG (2025/2184(INI)). The assessment is composed of two parts. The first part ...
Evaluation of Erasmus+ by the European Commission, 2014-2023
In line with the Erasmus+ Regulation for 2021-2027, the European Commission conducted an evaluation covering Erasmus+ actions for the period 2014-2023. It comprises both an interim evaluation of the current 2021-2027 programme and a final evaluation of the 2014-2020 programme. Across both programme generations, the evaluation found that Erasmus+ delivered significant European added value, performing well against key evaluation criteria and effectively achieving its objectives. It yielded substantial ...
European Universities alliances – a model of strengthened cooperation
The European Universities initiative helps establish transnational alliances between higher education institutions to develop long-term structural, sustainable and systemic cooperation in education, with synergies with research and innovation. The initiative aims to promote European values and identity and support higher education institutions in enhancing their attractiveness and international competitiveness. As of January 2025, the European Universities initiative, launched in 2019, includes 65 ...
Erasmus+: More than just students
Erasmus+ is the EU programme for education, training, youth and sports for the 2021-2027 period, established by a 2021 regulation of the European Parliament and the Council. It is a successor to the 2014-2020 programme. Erasmus+ is commonly known as a student learning mobility programme, but it actually consists of a wide array of other actions to bolster the potential of European youth. This paper looks specifically at youth policies within Erasmus+.
Participation in early childhood education and care
The EU has made increasing participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) a key priority, since there are clear benefits from attending quality ECEC, particularly for children who may face additional needs or difficulties. This infographic is based on the Eurydice report 2025, of key data on ECEC in Europe. The data show some progress in expanding access to ECEC services, especially for younger children. However, in most Member States there is still an 'ECEC gap', a time without childcare ...
Academic Freedom Monitor 2024: Analysis of de facto state of academic freedom in the EU - Country overview
Academic freedom is widely recognised as a fundamental value of contemporary higher education and science, and as a prerequisite for well-functioning democratic societies. However, in recent years, major concerns have been expressed by various stakeholders about the state of academic freedom in the European Union. The European Parliament launched an annual EP Academic Freedom Monitor in 2022, to help improve the promotion and protection of academic freedom in the European Union. This report presents ...
Academic freedom is widely recognised as a fundamental value of contemporary higher education and research, and is often presented as a prerequisite for well-functioning democratic societies. However, in recent years, major concerns have been expressed by various stakeholders about the state of academic freedom in the European Union. The European Parliament launched an annual EP Academic Freedom Monitor in 2022, to help improve the promotion and protection of academic freedom in the European Union ...
Union of skills
As the EU is undergoing parallel digital, green and demographic transitions and, at the same time, seeking to hold course on competitiveness, skilled people have become vital. While education and training policies are within the remit of Member States, the EU supports them with guidance, funding and coordination. The European Commission has put forward a new initiative, the Union of skills, to address the existing shortages in terms of both occupations and skills in the EU, and Parliament is to debate ...
STEM education high on the EU agenda
In her political guidelines of July 2024, Commission President von der Leyen proposed a STEM education strategic plan, related to the Union of Skills, a key initiative from 2024 to 2029. The President highlighted not only the lack of qualified teachers in areas linked to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), but also the aim of attracting more girls and women into STEM education and careers.
Children and generative AI
Children are intensive users of digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI – AI that can create new content such as text, images, videos and music – is becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it difficult to distinguish user-generated content from AI-generated (synthetic) content. If not supervised properly, these tools might carry risks for children, whose cognitive capacities are still developing. The need to strengthen generative AI literacy for children, educators and ...