Press Releases
Education
Commissioner Vassiliou to visit Morocco, 23-26 June
22/06/2012
Androulla Vassiliou visits Morocco on 23-26 June. During her visit she will meet Minister for Culture Mohamed Amine Sbihi, Secretary General for Higher Education Abdelhafid Debbarhi, and the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Yousef Amrani.
Vice-President Kroes and Commissioner Vassiliou enhance cooperation between research and innovation
20/06/2012
An agreement bringing together the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) ICT Labs and the EU's Future Internet public-private partnership will be signed on 21 June in the presence of Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for Digital Agenda, and Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth. The aim of the agreement is to build stronger synergies between research, innovation and education.
Progress in reducing early school leaving and increasing graduates in Europe, but more efforts needed
07/06/2012
Member States must work harder if they are to meet the Europe 2020 education targets to reduce early school leaving rates to less than 10% and increase the share of young people with degree-level qualifications to at least 40%, according to figures for 2011 released by Eurostat
"Member States need to focus on reforms and step up their efforts to implement comprehensive strategies against early school leaving. Equipping young people with the right skills and qualifications will help Europe to fight youth unemployment."
Androulla Vassiliou
European Business Forum on Vocational Training - how to meet the employability challenge
06/06/2012
At the first "European Business Forum on Vocational Training" on 7-8 June in Brussels (Conference Centre, Charlemagne Building), companies, policy-makers and experts will discuss companies' approaches to skills development, which is crucial for competitiveness. Among the issues addressed will be skills gaps and the relevance of training to labour market needs; new trends in competence development and work based learning; and obstacles and incentives to take on apprentices.
"This is the start of a new process involving businesses more directly in the policy debate. Policy-makers need to work with employers to identify how we can best ensure that young people and adult workers have the skills needed"
Androulla Vassiliou...
Culture
EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture/Mies van der Rohe Award – exhibition in the Berlaymont
12/06/2012
A touring exhibition featuring models of the 45 buildings shortlisted for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture/ Mies van der Rohe Award is taking place at the European Commission's headquarters building, the Berlaymont, in Brussels. The exhibition, organised by the Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, runs to 14 June.
Grand Prix winners of EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards announced
04/06/2012
The winners of the public choice award and six 'Grand Prix' laureates in the 2012 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards were announced at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, in the presence of Androulla Vassiliou, and Plácido Domingo, the world-renowned tenor who is President of Europa Nostra.
"I would like to thank all the winners for their energetic commitment to protecting our cultural heritage and Europa Nostra and the juries for their sterling work"
Androulla Vassiliou.
Frequently Asked Questions: European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/ Europa Nostra Awards
01/06/2012
The prize celebrates excellence in cultural heritage work in Europe, raising visibility of this among professionals, decision-makers and the general public. It also aims to promote high standards and high-quality skills in conservation practice, to stimulate cross-border mobility among heritage professionals and to encourage heritage-related projects throughout Europe.
Read more Q&A's
Commissioner Vassiliou visits Guimarães (Portugal) European Capital of Culture 2012
01/06/2012
On 2-3 June, Androulla Vassiliou visited Guimarães (Portugal), this year's European Capital of Culture with Maribor (Slovenia). The Commissioner was officially welcomed to the city by mayor António Magalhães and the President of the Guimarães Foundation, João Serra. Her visit starts with a presentation on 'Guimarães 2012' by executive director Carlos Martins, and the Commissioner also opened the 'Flatlund Edux' exhibition at the Vila Flor Cultural Centre and attend a performance by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra.
Sport
EURO 2012: Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner responsible for sport, sends message to fans and teams
07/06/2012
On the eve of the opening of the EURO 2012, Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner responsible for sport, has sent this message to football fans and the teams competing in the tournament, "This is the moment that millions of football fans all over Europe have been waiting for. Many thousands of supporters will be in Poland and Ukraine to cheer on their teams.
Multilingualism
Eurobarometer: 98% say language learning is good for their children, but tests highlight skills gap
21/06/2012
Almost nine out of ten EU citizens believe that the ability to speak foreign languages is very useful and 98% say that mastering languages will be good for the future of their children, according to a new Eurobarometer opinion poll on EU citizens' attitudes towards multilingualism and foreign language learning.
"This Eurobarometer shows that multilingualism and language learning matter a great deal to people and that is something we should rejoice in"
Androulla Vassiliou
