Press Releases
Education
EU high level group calls for targeted funding to boost use of new technologies in higher education
22/10/2014
The European Union's High-Level Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education publishes its report today on 'new modes of learning and teaching in universities'. The group, chaired by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, makes 15 recommendations (Annex 1) highlighting the need for better targeting of resources to promote the development and use of more flexible digital learning and teaching methods in higher education.
Fees and grants for students widely differ across Europe
17/10/2014
Levels of student tuition fees, grants and loans continue to highlight stark differences across Europe, according to a report published today by the European Commission's Eurydice network. The report, covering 33 European countries, reveals that fee systems have remained relatively stable across the continent, despite some notable exceptions. Germany is the only country to recently abolish tuition fees, despite introducing them only in 2007.
Massively expanded EU Code Week
10/10/2014
European Code Week 2014 kicks off on 11 October: over 1500 events bringing the digital world to life – across the EU and countries from Norway to Turkey.
Commissioners Vassiliou and Geoghegan-Quinn welcome Nobel Prize for Chemistry award to EU-funded researcher
08/10/2014
The Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2014 was today awarded jointly to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy". While Professors Betzig and Moerner work in the US, Professor Hell is German and works at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen and the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to European Research Council grantees
07/10/2014
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2014 has been awarded with one half to John O´Keefe and the other half jointly to May‐Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser, for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain. Both May‐Britt Moser and Edvard Moser are recipients of European Research Council (ERC) grants, and all three have participated in EU-funded research projects.
Culture
Matera to be 2019 European Capital of Culture in Italy
17/10/2014
The selection panel of independent experts responsible for assessing the Italian cities competing to be European Capital of Culture in 2019 has recommended that Matera should be awarded the title.
Winners of 2015 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) for pop, rock and dance music unveiled
14/10/2014
The winners of the 2015 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA), celebrating the best new pop, rock and dance acts in Europe which have achieved cross-border chart success, were announced today by the European Commission and Eurosonic Noorderslag, the European music conference and showcase festival.
Patrick Modiano, Nobel Prize for Literature: Statement by European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou
09/10/2014
'I warmly congratulate Patrick Modiano on his recognition by the Academy as the 2014 Nobel Prize laureate in literature.'
EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards: Horta Museum honoured
09/10/2014
An award ceremony will take place at the Horta Museum in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, on 10 October (17.30) to celebrate its success in the 2014 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards.
Winners of 2014 European Union Prize for Literature announced at Frankfurt Book Fair
08/10/2014
The winners of the 2014 European Union Prize for Literature were announced today at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The award recognises the best new and emerging authors in Europe. This year’s winners are: Ben Blushi (Albania), Milen Ruskov (Bulgaria), Jan Němec (Czech Republic), Makis Tsitas (Greece), Oddný Eir (Iceland), Janis Jonevs (Latvia), Armin Öhri (Liechtenstein), Pierre J. Mejlak (Malta), Ognjen Spahić (Montenegro), Marente de Moor (The Netherlands), Uglješa Šajtinac (Serbia), Birgül Oğuz (Turkey) and Evie Wyld (United Kingdom).
Sport
The European Commission and UEFA sign partnership agreement
14/10/2014
In Brussels today the European Commission and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) are signing a cooperation agreement covering the next three years.
EU tech captures the movements of Pelota and Gaelic Football, Hurling and Camogie sport heroes
07/10/2014
Five Basque Pelota players and four Gaelic Football, Hurling and Camogie athletes are in Oxford's Vicon studios this week. High-tech motion capture technologies watch their every move, as part of the EU-funded project RePlay. Exceptional HD footage produced will be available for cultural and sport organisations.
Sport Commissioner congratulates EURO 2020 cities
22/09/2014
Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner responsible for sport, has congratulated the cities and football associations selected to host the EURO 2020 football championships.
"I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to London and the other 12 cities that have been selected to host the games in the EURO 2020 Championship. With the demands on host nations growing significantly, the decision to organise 'a EURO for Europe' in 2020 was one that we fully support. This will give many smaller associations the opportunity to host European Championship matches and bring top-level sports events to a broad range of locations. It will not only provide a showcase for a number of EU cities and beyond, but also demonstrate how the EU can work together to ensure the safety and well-being of fans, as well as their mobility between the different venues in the different countries.
New milestone in the fight against match-fixing
18/09/2014
The European Commission today welcomes a new milestone in the fight against match-fixing, with the launch of the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.
Commissioner wishes Tour de France 'bonne chance'
04/07/2014
On Saturday 5 July, the 101st Tour de France cycling race will start in Britain, with the first 'Grand Départ' leg running from Leeds to Harrogate.
Multilingualism
European Day of Languages
25/09/2014
In the EU28 in 2012, English was still the most commonly studied foreign language at lower secondary level1, with 97.1% of pupils learning it, far ahead of French (34.1%), German (22.1%) and Spanish (12.2%). The importance of English as a foreign language in the EU is also confirmed by its leadership in nearly all Member States.
European Day of Languages: diversity's in our DNA
25/09/2014
A European-themed cocktail bar in Budapest, multilingual concerts in Zagreb and Vilnius, a 'speak' dating session in Prague, a travelling exhibition in Paris featuring translations of Homer's Odyssey and mini-language courses at libraries in Berlin: these are just some of the events planned tomorrow and over the next week to celebrate the annual European Day of Languages and linguistic diversity.
'Juvenes Translatores': Winners of EU Young Translator Contest announced
05/02/2014
The names of the winners of the European Commission’s annual EU Young Translator 'Juvenes Translatores' contest for secondary school pupils are published today. More than 3 000 teenage pupils from 750 schools sat the contest and their papers were marked by the Commission's in-house translators.
Commission highlights benefits of foreign language skills for UK students and business
13/09/2013
More needs to be done to encourage British students to study languages at A Level and university, according to the European Commission.
Juvenes Translatores contest: Commissioner Vassiliou presents awards to Europe's best young translators
10/04/2013
The 27 teenage winners of the Commission’s annual Juvenes Translatores contest for young translators will receive their trophies from Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, in Brussels on Thursday 11 April.
Youth
Youth Employment Initiative: Commission and Member States meet to speed up implementation of €6bn euro dedicated fund
09/07/2014
Experts from the European Commission and Member States are meeting in Brussels on 11th July to accelerate the programming arrangements and practical implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative at a special seminar organised by the Commission. The aim of the seminar is to work jointly on the programming of measures financed by the Youth Employment Initiative so that all eligible Member States can start receiving the funds as soon as possible.
Youth employment: overview of EU measures
08/05/2014
On the eve of the European Youth Event in Strasbourg (9-11 May), here is an overview of EU measures to help to tackle youth unemployment in the EU.
What is the current situation?
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Youth unemployment levels are alarming: almost 5.4 million young people under 25 are unemployed in the EU-28 (March 2014). This represents an unemployment rate of 22.8%, i.e. more than one in five young European job-seekers cannot find a job; in Greece and Spain it is more than one in two.
Youth Guarantee: Making It Happen conference
08/04/2014
The European Commission will host a conference in Brussels on 8th April to discuss progress towards tackling youth unemployment through the Youth Guarantee and how EU countries are implementing the scheme. The "Youth Guarantee: Making it Happen" conference will be opened by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. Speakers include European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor and Director General of the International Labour Organisation Guy Ryder.
'Cyprus needs to better prepare its young people for work'
20/03/2014
Ensuring that young Cypriots have the skills employers are looking for is vital if the country is to reduce its youth unemployment rate, which has increased from 9% in 2008 to more than 40% today among under 25s. The need to address the 'skills mismatch' will be the focus of a speech by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, at the European University Cyprus Forum on Youth and Employment tomorrow (21 March).
Vassiliou backs Lithuanian EU Presidency's push for education and youth
04/09/2013
Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, will visit Lithuania on 5-10 September to support the Lithuanian EU Presidency’s push to ensure that quality education and opportunities for young people are at the top of the political agenda.
MEDIA
New European film strategy aims to boost cultural diversity and competitiveness in digital era
15/05/2014
European films represent nearly two thirds of releases in the EU but account for only one third of ticket sales. While the number of films produced in Europe increased from around 1100 in 2008 to 1300 in 2012, most European films are shown only in the country where they were made and are rarely distributed across borders. A new EU strategy on 'European film in the digital era', launched by the European Commission today, seeks to address this challenge by highlighting the need to make the most of new methods of distribution to enhance cultural diversity and competitiveness.
Bosnian film director Tanović to receive EU 'Prix MEDIA' at Cannes
14/05/2014
The Oscar-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanović is the winner of the 2014 European Union 'Prix MEDIA', awarded to the best new film project eligible for support from the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. Tanović will receive the award from Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner responsible for culture, during a ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival in France on Saturday 17 May (11am, Café des Palmes, Palais des Festivals). Press release in Bosnian
Cannes to screen 21 films backed by Creative Europe MEDIA fund
12/05/2014
More than 20 films directed by some of the biggest names in European cinema and supported by the EU's Creative Europe MEDIA programme will be screened at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival (14-25 May), including seven films in competition for the top prize, the Palme d'Or.
Fantastico! Vassiliou congratulates Sorrentino after La Grande Bellezza scoops Oscar
03/03/2014
European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has congratulated Italian director-screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino whose MEDIA-backed epic La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at last night's 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood.
MEDIA and Creative Europe in limelight at Berlinale
05/02/2014
Nearly 30 films supported by the European Union's MEDIA fund have been selected for the official programme of the Berlin International Film Festival (6-16 February). The films, which include four in the main competition have received €2.2 million in EU funding to date.
