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 The European Commission has more than doubled the number of education and teaching grants available for young people and university staff from countries involved in the 'Arab Spring' uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East. Funding for a further 559 scholarships, on top of the 525 that were already planned for 2011-2012, are being allocated to Southern Mediterranean countries through 'Erasmus Mundus', the international version of the European Commission's Erasmus student and staff exchange scheme.
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 The new Youth Opportunities Initiative calls on Member States to work on preventing early school leaving; helping youngsters develop skills relevant to the labour market; ensuring work experience and on-the-job training and helping young people find a first good job. The Commission is also urging Member States to make better use of the European Social Fund which still has €30billion of funding uncommitted to projects. In addition, the Commission has put forward a set of concrete actions to be financed directly by EU funds. Full details can be found on the Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion site.
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 On 8 December 2011, in her first visit to a Member State to present the European Commission's proposed 'Erasmus for All' and 'Creative Europe' programmes, Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou addressed the annual meeting of German Länder Education and Culture Ministers in Berlin. "If we do not continue to invest in the education of our young people, and in the extraordinary resource that culture represents, we will not be able to create the jobs and the economic growth we so sorely need. Too often in the past, we have declared the importance of education, training and youth – and then failed to back words with resources."
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The opening ceremony of Guimarães 2012 will take place on 21 January, with the participation of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva. In Maribor, the opening ceremony took place from 13 to 15 January in the presence of Commissionner Androulla Vassiliou who raised the European flag. The programme consisted of renowned music, theatre and dance performances.
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 On 28 November 2011, the Council agreed on a new benchmark for learning mobility. It refers to two areas, namely mobility in higher education and mobility in vocational education and training. As for mobility in higher education, the Council set as a target that at least 20 % of higher education graduates in the EU should have had a period of higher education-related study or training (including work placements) abroad by 2020.
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Androulla Vassiliou
 Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth
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"I am very pleased that the Commission is increasing funding for young people and teachers who have been at the forefront of the democratisation process in the Southern Mediterranean. This sends a clear signal of our commitment to their cause."
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