Eurydice Voice

Welcome to the autumn edition of Eurydice Voice, our quarterly newsletter.

This issue offers an overview on how our work shapes education and youth policies in alignment with the European Commission's new priorities. Let’s start with our "Focus On" interview, where our analysts share some perspectives into their recent and upcoming projects. With passion and dedication, they provide a deeper understanding of how their analyses support policymakers across Europe.

We then move on with the annual Eurydice Heads of Unit meeting hosted by the Portuguese Unit. The two-day event in Lisbon brought together 70 representatives from 40 countries, engaging in dynamic discussions on best practices and the future of the Network.

Check out the videos recorded in Lisbon, and meet a few Eurydice Head of Units : Magdalena Fells from Poland; Robert Rakocevic from France, and Margarida Leandro from Portugal, each sharing their views on the national relevance of Eurydice’s work.

Of course, we cannot skip our strong commitment to youth empowerment, so you will also find an interview with Giulia Paolini, co-author of the newly published report on youth mainstreaming and youth checks.

Additionally, you can have a look at our country news which highlights important national initiatives such as Spain’s drive to enhance literacy and numeracy, and Ukraine’s reforms in vocational education which aim to provide a foundation for recovery. We also advertise the latest eTwinning report, focusing on how the platform supports teachers’ wellbeing.

We hope you enjoy this edition and take some E-YOU Time, maybe drinking a hot chocolate or a cup of tea!

There’s a buzz of excitement in the Eurydice and Youth Wiki offices. The new Commission's priorities and the recent hearings of designated Commissioners have brought a wave of fresh ideas, curiosity, and new analytical perspectives. Read this collective interview which shows you how our work can support Europe.

The beautiful scenario of Lisbon served as a frame for the Annual Meeting of the Eurydice Network Heads of Unit. The event, which took place on the 10th and 11th of October at the University Nova IMS, brought together 70 national representatives from 40 European countries and spanned over two intense days of rich discussions and intense exchange of best practices. Read our Focus On Article on this event.

We are really happy to introduce to you Margarida Leandro, Head of the Portuguese Eurydice Unit, that hosted the 2024 edition of the annual Eurydice Heads of Unit meeting in the beautiful Lisbon. Margarida illustrates in this video what is the most significant added value of our network in supporting education systems and fostering collaboration across Europe.

Get to know better Magdalena Fells, Head of the Polish Eurydice Unit. In Lisbon, she shared her views on how the Eurydice's report are relevant to the Polish national context and gave us some concrete examples on this matter.

And here is Rober Rakocevic, Head of the French Eurydice Unit. During our annual meeting in Portugal, he took a moment to explain to us how Eurydice’s findings encourage countries to share best practices and learn from each other.

The report “Youth mainstreaming, youth impact assessment and youth checks” has been recently published. Following up on the achievements of the European Year of Youth, the report analyses youth mainstreaming practices in 34 European countries. We have asked Giulia Paolini, one of the report’s authors, to answer a few questions regarding the publication.

The 2024 eTwinning monitoring report focused on the impact of eTwinning on teachers’ wellbeing.

How is the school year organised across Europe? Despite some differences, countries show many similarities regarding the structure of their school calendars in primary and general secondary education. In most education systems, the 2025 summer holidays will start in June. But the length of the break varies significantly: from 6 weeks or less in Denmark, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, and some Swiss cantons, to as much as 14 weeks in some regions of Italy. This year for the first time, Eurydice is releasing the school calendars as an interactive web-tool, providing all dates for school holidays at national level and by region or zone.

It provides information on the start of the school year, as well as the timing and length of school holidays.

The interactive academic calendar interactive web tool provides valuable insights into how the academic year is structured, including the start date and the decision-making level responsible for these timelines, as well as the organisation of the year into semesters or other formats. The information is available for 37 countries.

The Eurydice Network's task is to provide reliable information and comprehensive analyses of European education systems and policies. The network drafts descriptions of national education systems, comparative studies devoted to specific topics, indicators and statistics.

Through its work, Eurydice aims to promote understanding, cooperation, trust and mobility at European and international levels. All Eurydice publications are available free of charge on the Eurydice website. The network consists of national units located in European countries and is coordinated by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency.