
As Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, I have the enormous privilege of spearheading EU action in areas which affect the lives of every European citizen.
I want to develop further policies that will promote a Europe of opportunity and ambition, so that citizens of all ages are equipped with the skills they need to find decent jobs and to lead fulfilling lives.
Secondary schools wishing to enter pupils for the 2010 EU Young Translator Contest can register from today at http://ec.europa.eu/translatores. The registration period for the contest, known as ‘Juvenes Translatores’ (Latin for 'young translators’), runs until 20 October. The online application form is available in all official EU languages. The competition, which is open to pupils born in 1993, will be held on 23 November, at the same time in all selected schools.

In September, the Commission will adopt 'Youth on the Move', an initiative that aims to promote the mobility of students and trainees and to improve the employment situation of young people.
Today, the European Commission has decided to allocate €30.4 million to support higher education projects in the European Neighbourhood countries and Russia. This will enable enhanced networking and joint projects and partnerships between higher education institutions in EU and ENPI countries.

Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner responsible for sport, has congratulated the Spanish football team after their victory in the World Cup final against the Netherlands.
An Italian scientist supported by the European Union's Marie Curie research fund is helping to pioneer a new treatment that could lead to a breakthrough in the fight against brain cancer.
Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou is backing an international declaration calling for more awareness-raising in schools and universities about the importance of language learning and career opportunities for interpreters, translators and other skilled language professionals.
More students than ever went abroad for studies and company placements with EU support through the Erasmus programme in 2008/09. According to new figures released today, almost 200 000 higher education students received grants to study or train abroad. This represents an overall increase of 8.7% on the previous academic year and means that more than two million young Europeans have benefited from Erasmus funding since the programme's launch in 1987. The biggest increase is in the number of students going on company placements – up more than 50% on the previous year. In addition, last year more than 36 000 staff from higher education institutions went abroad to teach or receive training in one of the 31 European countries participating in the Erasmus scheme.

The EU's new role in the field of sport was the focus of talks between Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou and HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, President of International Equestrian Federation (FEI), at a meeting in Brussels on 14 June.