Dynamic Content
Education
The big stage: 50th anniversary of the Commission's traineeship programme
20/10/2010
What do King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Mario Monti, Silvana Koch-Mehrin and Barack Obama's economics advisor Michael Froman all have in common? They were all once trainees at the European Commission. More than 40 000 young university graduates have participated in the Commission's traineeship programme since its launch in 1960. It is the longest running traineeship programme of its kind and the biggest in the world in terms of the numbers annually recruited. The trainees, or "stagiaires" as they are more commonly known, work with the Commission's full-time officials on a wide range of tasks for a five-month period. Some have gone on to become European Commissioners and MEPs, while others became kings and even journalists. The Commission is hosting a conference in Brussels today to mark the 50th anniversary of the traineeship programme, also known as "Le Stage".
Commission wants more universities to offer courses for translators
12/10/2010
The European Commission has launched a new drive to encourage more European universities to offer high-quality courses for students who want to work as translators. As part of this, the Commission is expanding its 'European Master's in Translation' (EMT) university network, which was set up last year in response to a growing shortage of properly qualified translators in the job market. As well as being a network, the EMT is a recognised quality label. To date, 34 European universities have successfully applied to join the network (see link below for list). Universities wishing to use the EMT label have their courses assessed by translation experts, who are mostly members of the existing network. The EMT network meets for its annual conference in Brussels from 11 -13 October.
Sport
Commissioner Vassiliou takes part in press panel on the role of football in cohesion policy and uniting divided communities
06/10/2010
The panel was part of the 8th European Week of Regions and Cities, organised by the Committee of the Regions in Brussels. In her statement, Commissioner Vassiliou said: "We now see that thanks to sport, and particularly football given its popularity, the perception of specific groups can be changed and stigma and discrimination overcome. (…) Events such as today's offer the opportunity to draw attention to some very important football-related projects funded by the Structural Funds in Northern Ireland and Romania. They constitute examples of how European policy-makers can team up with the sport movement and civil society and provide the impetus for social change."
Culture
Commissioner Vassiliou congratulates the Polish cities preselected for the title of European Capital of Culture 2016
14/10/2010
At its meeting in Warsaw yesterday and today, the selection panel appointed to assess the cities applying to be a European Capital of Culture in 2016 examined the many applications and recommended that the following be preselected: Gdańsk, Katowice, Lublin, Warszawa and Wrocław. Once this recommendation has been ratified by Poland, the preselected cities will have to flesh out and complete their applications by the summer of 2011.
Winners of the EU Prize for Literature announced at Frankfurt Book Fair
06/10/2010
The winning authors of the 2nd annual European Union Prize for Literature were announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair today. The prize aims to draw attention to new talents and to promote the publication of their books in different countries, as well as celebrating European cultural diversity. The 11 winning authors were selected by national juries in Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. They will receive their prize from Commissioner Vassiliou during a ceremony Brussels on 18 November.
Commissioner Vassiliou congratulates the cities preselected in Spain for the title of "European Capital of Culture 2016"
01/10/2010
At its four-day meeting in Madrid, the selection panel appointed to assess the cities applying to be a European Capital of Culture in 2016 recommended that the following be preselected from a fiercely competitive field: Burgos, Córdoba, Donostia-San Sebastián, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Segovia and Zaragoza. Once this recommendation has been ratified by Spain, the preselected cities will have to flesh out and complete their applications by the summer of 2011.
