Communication from the Commission - Annual Report from the European Commission to the European Parliament on the functioning of the European School System 2006 {SEC(2007) 1199}
Date: 2007-10-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European school, activity report, educational institution, financing, operation of the Institutions, organisation of teaching

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 1.10.2007 
COM(2007) 543 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Annual Report from the European Commission to the European Parliament on the 
functioning of the European School System 2006 

{SEC(2007) 1199} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Important developments during 2006 .......................................................................... 3 

2.1. 

Overview of the current situation in the European Schools......................................... 3 

2.1.1.  Continued overcrowding in Brussels ........................................................................... 4 

2.1.2.  Further delays in Luxembourg ..................................................................................... 4 

2.1.3.  Other schools – many issues of overcrowding............................................................. 5 

2.2. 

Problem areas ............................................................................................................... 6 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

4. 

Budget and financial reform......................................................................................... 6 

2006 budget.................................................................................................................. 6 

The new Financial Regulation ..................................................................................... 7 

Decision on the 2007 budget........................................................................................ 7 

Freezing of part of the 2006 contribution to the OSG ................................................. 7 

Governance .................................................................................................................. 8 

4.1. 

Conference in Noordwijk and ministerial meeting ...................................................... 8 

4.1.1.  Results of the ministerial meeting: opening up and strengthening the European 

Schooling System......................................................................................................... 8 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

4.5. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

5.3. 

Establishment of the Central Enrolment Authority...................................................... 9 

Communication, information and dialogue................................................................ 10 

Study: the Van Dijk report on four small schools...................................................... 10 

Accreditation .............................................................................................................. 11 

Future challenges for 2007 and beyond ..................................................................... 11 

Future follow-up after the ministerial meeting .......................................................... 11 

Opening of Berkendael/Laeken in Brussels............................................................... 12 

Obligations of the Member States.............................................................................. 12 

ANNEX 1.....................................................................................................................................  

ANNEX 2.....................................................................................................................................  

ANNEX 3.....................................................................................................................................  

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

This  report  focuses  on  the  main  events  and  developments  affecting  the  European 
Schools System and the role played by the European Commission during 2006.  

It has been a year of inspiring developments for the future of the system. The major 
high-level  conference  in  the  spring  of  2006  in  Noordwijk  was  a  milestone  for  the 
reform process that has been ongoing at different levels. It was followed towards the 
end of the year by an informal ministerial meeting that advanced the debate on the 
future  of  the  schools  to  a  high  political  level.  The  Board  of  Governors  of  the 
European  Schools  (BoG)  now  has  the  challenging  task  of  putting  the  political 
intentions into practice. 

However,  everyday  life  in  some  schools  is  still  very  difficult  due  to  overcrowding 
and  the  lack  of  political  will  in  some  host  countries  to  take  the  necessary  urgent 
action  and  make  the  much-needed  investments  in  infrastructure  or,  in  the  worst 
cases, the actual provision of appropriate infrastructure.  

Overall, the Commission is concerned that a number of Member States are not facing 
up  to  their  obligations  as  host  countries  to  European  institutions  and  the  European 
Schools,  both  in  terms  of  providing  infrastructure  and  also  in  terms  of  seconding 
teachers. This has the direct result that the conditions of schooling and the quality of 
everyday life for pupils and school staff are seriously affected.  

The combination of these two issues is indeed endangering the long-term prospects 
for the European Schools. The Commission is well aware that some staff are seeking 
alternative  education  solutions  for  their  children,  often  with  regret,  because  the 
European Schools System cannot always provide them with a satisfactory option for 
their children. The overcrowding problem must be taken very seriously by all parties 
concerned  and  the  Commission  will  not  cease  to  put  pressure  on  the  relevant  host 
countries to urge them to fulfil their obligation 

2. 

IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS DURING 2006 

2.1. 

Overview of the current situation in the European Schools 

The schools continued to be a popular choice for many parents and pupils, bringing 
the  total  number  of  pupils  to  20  582  attending  the  13  schools.  They  are  of  crucial 
importance  for  temporary  staff  as  their  children  will  have  to  continue  education  in 
their  mother  tongue  until  they  return  to  their  home  country.  With  the  accession  of 
two new Member States, Bulgaria and Romania, in January 2007, the diversity and 
demands  on  the  European  School  System  are  ever  increasing.  Detailed  statistical 
information is provided in the Annual Report of the Secretary-General1. 

1 

Ref.: 2912-D-2006-en-1 See http://www.eursc.eu/index.php?id=134. 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
                                                 
2.1.1.  Continued overcrowding in Brussels 

The  restrictive  enrolment  policy  of  2006/2007  meant  that  new  enrolments  were 
directed  to  the  school  in  Uccle,  the  only  school  with  some  remaining  capacity.  A 
large number of families as a result renounced to enrol their children in Uccle, on the 
ground that this would have resulted in unacceptably long commuting times for their 
children. All of the three existing schools in Brussels are now filled to saturation. All 
three schools have far exceeded their nominal capacity, to the detriment of everyday 
conditions  for  the  pupils.  In  April  2006  the  Board  decided  what  language  sections 
will  start  in  Laeken  once  this  school  opens  in  20092.  The  Commission  stressed  on 
several occasions that the Belgian authorities should provide a transitional site close 
to Laeken to be operational for the start of the school year 2007. In July, the Belgian 
State proposed the single option of Berkendael, which is situated on the opposite side 
in  the  south  of  Brussels.  As  a  transitional  site  to  Laeken,  situated  in  the  north,  this 
was  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commission  and  the  parents’  representatives  a  very 
unsatisfactory and incoherent proposal, which risked repeating the experience of the 
2006/2007  enrolment  exercise  that  already  led  to  many  families  opting  out  of  the 
European School System.  

During  autumn  2006,  the  Board  concurred  with  the  view  of  the  Commission  and 
demanded on three occasions that the Belgian authorities supplement their proposal 
for a transitional site. To its regret the proposal was not substantiated. In November 
2006,  the  Board  was  therefore  forced  to  take  a  decision  in  view  of  the  absolute 
necessity  to  have  space  for  new  enrolments  in  September  2007.  The  Commission 
made a statement setting out its position3.  

2.1.2.  Further delays in Luxembourg 

The  premises  of  the  school  of  Luxembourg  I  remain  overcrowded,  particularly  in 
secondary,  where  2134  pupils  are  enrolled  in  eleven  sections  and  despite  the 
progressive  transfer  of  primary  classes  of  eight  sections  to  the  second  school.  The 
urgent need for the provision of a permanent building to accommodate Luxembourg 
II  still  remains.  The  Luxembourg  authorities  indicated  during  2006  that  the  new 
building  will  be  available  only  in  2011.  The  Commission  continues  to  be  very 
concerned  about  the  delays  and  has  raised  this  issue  with  the  Prime  Minister, 
emphasising the need for action without further delay.  

The decision concerning the division of pupils between Luxembourg I and II taken 
by  the  Board  in  2003  continued  to  be  discussed  during  the  year  and  a  round  table 
meeting with all concerned parties took place early in January 2007, initiated by the 
parents’  associations  and  the  Local  Staff  Committee.  The  location  of  the  second 
school  (Bertrange-Mamer)  and  the  split  between  the  two  schools  were  discussed 
during this meeting. 

A  call  for  tender  was  successfully  launched  for  the  running  of  the  canteen  and  the 
cafeteria, which are now operational. 

2 

3 

The composition of the Laeken School will be as follows: FR, EN, DE, IT, NL, and RO and BG (the 
last two as SWALs and language sections at the appropriate time) 
See Annex 1 for the full text of the statement. 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
2.1.3.  Other schools – many issues of overcrowding 

Varese 

In Varese the problem of overcrowding continued and it is extremely disappointing 
that the actual needs of the school were not met in terms of additional infrastructure. 
The  Commission  wrote  to  the  Italian  government  during  the  year  to  ask  for  urgent 
funding and has recently brought up the issue again with the responsible Minister and 
awaits a reply.  

A  procedure  aiming  at  transferring  the  management  of  the  canteen  to  a  parents’ 
cooperative  created  at  the  initiative  of  the  Local  Staff  Committee  of  the  Joint 
Research  Centre  in  Ispra  is  planned  for  2007/08.  The  arrangements  for  such  a 
transfer  need  to  be  approved  by  the  Administrative  Board  of  the  school  during  the 
first half of 2007.  

Frankfurt  

The school population is constantly increasing (7% in 2006) owing to the presence of 
the  European  Central  Bank  (ECB),  which  provides  an  inflow  of  pupils.  Some 
improvements have been made on the present site to meet the needs of new nursery 
classes,  but  the  maximum  capacity  of  the  school  is  almost  reached.  The  ECB  is 
planning to move to new premises on the current Großmarkthalle site in Frankfurt, 
which will influence future decisions concerning the school. 

Alicante 

Alicante saw the first class of Baccalaureate students graduate during the year with a 
success rate of 97.7%. The Spanish authorities approved a new law, still to enter into 
force, which will remove the requirement for a selection test (selectividad) for pupils 
of foreign systems in order to access higher education in Spain.  

The proportion of children of EU staff in the European School in Alicante increased 
slightly last year (36.8%) but remains far from the required 50%4.  

Munich 

Work has been carried out during the year to improve the situation of overcrowding 
in the nursery buildings, but there are still problems of space. The German authorities 
have plans for further building works requested by the school on the existing site, but 
a  new  site  will  have  to  be  sought  in  the  future  to  respond  to  the  needs  of  the 
European School.  

Bergen, Culham, Mol and Karlsruhe 

These  four  schools  were  the  subject  of  an  external  study,  the  “Van  Dijk  report”, 
which was carried out during 2005/06 at the request of the Commission to examine 
the long-term future of these schools. The report recommends the progressive closure 

4 

See reference made in last year’s report, COM(2006) 451 final. 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
                                                 
of the school in Culham considering that its “raison d’être” will disappear with the 
move of the Joint European Torus (JET) to Cadarache in France planned for 2016.  

The schools in Bergen, Mol and Karlsruhe provide schooling for the children of staff 
working at the Joint Research Centres (as does the school in Varese), and the report 
makes proposals relating to the efficient management and cost effectiveness of these 
schools,  recommendations  which  are  supported  by  the  Commission.  However,  the 
Commission  does  not  agree  with  the  recommendation  made  in  the  study  that  the 
language section of the host countries be eliminated.  

2.2. 

Problem areas 

The  Commission  is  very  alarmed  that  certain  Member  States  are  not  facing  up  to 
their obligations as host countries to the institutions in terms of providing adequate 
infrastructure for the European Schools to function properly. There are several issues 
at  stake,  the  most  flagrant  being  the  provision  of  appropriate  infrastructure  in  due 
time, which is proving to be a crucial problem in Belgium but also in Luxembourg 
and Italy. 

This is not the only problem area. The European Commission has initiated a formal 
request for the Belgian authorities to settle their running debt to the system, part of 
which dates back to 1995.  

The  Commission  is  also  very  concerned  about  the  number  of  seconded  teachers’ 
posts  not  filled  by  some  Member  States.  This  has  the  consequence  that  the  vacant 
posts have to be filled by part-time locally recruited teachers, at the sole cost of the 
EU part of the budget and therefore outside the Member States’ rightful contribution 
to the budget. Furthermore, the Commission regrets the timing of some secondments 
of  teachers  which  are  without  consideration  for  the  standard  starting  dates  of  the 
school year, making the integration of the teachers more difficult and the start of the 
school  year  challenging  for  the  pupils  beginning  without  designated  teachers.  The 
Commission has brought this problem to the attention of the Secretary-General of the 
European Schools and addressed several formal letters to the national authorities of 
some concerned Member States. 

3. 

BUDGET AND FINANCIAL REFORM 

3.1. 

2006 budget 

The  contribution  initially  allocated  to  the  European  Schools  by  the  EU  budgetary 
authority in 2006 was €127.126 million. The most recent breakdown of the various 
contributions to the total budget was: 

•  56% from the EU budget;  

•  22.5% from the Member States; 

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
•  6.5% from the EPO5; 

•  the remainder from category II and III pupils’ school fees and other sources. 

The  European  Schools  received  the  total  contribution  allocated  in  2006  and  closed 
their annual budget with a surplus of approximately €12.2 million. 

The  part  of  the  budget  that  is  allocated  to  children  with  special  needs  (“SEN” 
children) has increased by 24% over the last two years. The Commission has stressed 
that the annual report on this topic should include a more qualitative analysis of the 
situation in order to provide solid input for future improvements. In spite of all the 
efforts, it is not always possible to integrate pupils with severe learning disabilities. 
Families have to find an alternative which is more difficult when the mother tongue 
is not a language of the host country. 

3.2. 

The new Financial Regulation 

The  Commission  was  highly  involved  in,  and  gave  considerable  support  to,  the 
preparations  for  the  new  Financial  Regulation  for  the  European  Schools,  which  is 
much  inspired  by  the  regulations  in  place  for  the  institutions  and  adapted  to  the 
specificities  of  the  European  Schools  System.  The  Commission  was  very  happy  to 
see  the  adoption  (with  unanimity  minus  one  abstention  by  Austria)  of  the  new 
Financial Regulation during the year 2006. The new rules have mainly entered into 
force  from  1  January  2007.  The  audit  function  aspects  as  well  as  the  public 
procurement rules will be implemented progressively, on 1 July 2007 and 1 January 
2008 respectively. 

3.3. 

Decision on the 2007 budget 

For 2007, the Commission and the Office of the Secretary-General (OSG) decided to 
make a detailed analysis of the reasons for the recurrent under-spending and surplus 
of recent years. This situation led the Commission to request a contribution for 2007 
at the same level as in 2006: €127.13 million for the existing schools and the OSG, 
and  €2.54  million  for  the  future  school  Brussels  IV  on  the  transitional  site  of 
Berkendael. 

3.4. 

Freezing of part of the 2006 contribution to the OSG 

The EU budget contributes 80% of the funds allocated to the Office of the Secretary-
General (OSG). In December 2005, the budgetary authority decided to freeze 25% of 
that contribution in 2006, to encourage the OSG: 

•  to find solutions to the problem of overcrowding in the European Schools; 

•  to improve the governance and the management of the European Schools.  

5 

For  the  European  School  in  Munich,  the  European  Patent  Office’s  (EPO’s)  share  of  the  budget  is 
similar to that of the Commission’s in the other European Schools. 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
                                                 
The  Commission  transmitted  this  decision  to  the  Secretary-General  and  suggested 
that  its  departments  could  help  the  OSG  to  take  the  measures  requested  and  to 
organise contacts with the European Parliament.  

In  May  2006  the  Commission  and  Parliament  deemed  that  the  measures  requested 
had been taken and thus Parliament released 15% of the contribution. Subsequently, 
the  OSG’s  cooperation  with  the  Commission  on  the  work  of  revising  the  Financial 
Regulation convinced Parliament to release the remaining 10%. 

4. 

GOVERNANCE 

The governance issue was under discussion on a global level in relation to the future 
and the reform of the system but also on a more practical level, for example in the 
creation of the Central Enrolment Authority in Brussels. 

4.1. 

Conference in Noordwijk and ministerial meeting  

Vice-President  Kallas  and  Dutch  Education  Minister  van  der  Hoeven  (holding  the 
presidency  of  the  European  School  System  2005-2006)  both  felt  that  political 
impetus  for  reflection  on  the  future  of  the  whole  system  was  necessary.  They 
therefore  took  the  initiative  to  invite  representatives  from  all  the  Member  States  to 
participate in a conference in May 2006 in the Netherlands. A High Level Group, in 
which  the  Commission  participated  very  actively,  was  put  in  place  to  prepare  the 
options to be discussed at the conference. 

The conference took place on 15-16 of May in Noordwijk with the participation of 
Vice-President  Kallas,  Minister  van  der  Hoeven  and  the  Portuguese  Secretary  of 
State for Education, Mr Pedreira (Portugal took over the presidency of the European 
Schools from August 2006). 

The  conference  enabled  fresh  political  momentum  to  be  given  to  the  discussion  on 
the future of the European Schools. Following this conference a High Level Group, 
composed of conference participants, continued the work by preparing a meeting of 
Ministers responsible for the European Schools from all the Member States. 

Vice-President  Kallas,  as  European  Commissioner  in  charge  of  the  European 
Schools,  and  the  25  ministers  of  the  Member  States  met  on  13  November  2006  to 
discuss  the  European  Schools  reform  process.  The  meeting  resulted  in  a  broad 
consensus  on  the  key  ideas  to  enable  the  system  to  meet  the  challenges  of  an 
enlarged  EU.  A  clear  political  framework  has  now  been  established,  providing 
guidance  for  starting  the  following  phase.  The  Board  of  Governors  has  the 
responsibility to take the concrete steps to achieve the reform. (See Annex 2 for the 
Presidency conclusions.) 

4.1.1.  Results  of  the  ministerial  meeting:  opening  up  and  strengthening  the  European 

Schooling System 

A large majority of EU ministers and the Commission agreed on the need for a more 
flexible concept of the European School System, which could be applied in future to 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
three  types  of  schools:  the  existing  classical  European  Schools6;  national  or 
international  schools  providing  European  education  to  the  children  of  EU  staff  in 
locations where European agencies are about to be founded, which could be entitled 
to  offer  the  European  Baccalaureate  (Type  II  schools);  and  a  third  type  where  a 
Member State decides to take such an initiative independently of the existence of an 
EU agency or institution, at their sole expense (Type III schools).  

Type II and Type III schools will seek to provide a European Schooling based on a 
“common  curriculum”,  with  as  far  as  possible  mother  tongue  education.  This 
common  curriculum  will  comply  with  the  requirements  set  by  the  European 
Schooling  System  regarding  pedagogical  targets,  and  meet  the  demands  regarding 
exams  and  accreditation.  Attainment  contracts  on  pedagogical,  administrative  and 
financial  requirements  should  be  signed  to  guarantee  the  coherence,  quality  and 
accountability of the European Schooling System. 

The participants in the meeting also largely agreed on the need for a reform of the 
governance  aspects  aimed  at  giving  greater  autonomy  to  the  schools,  but  that  this 
should be balanced with greater accountability in pedagogical issues and in aspects 
of management and finance.  

4.2. 

Establishment of the Central Enrolment Authority 

At its meeting of April 2006 in The Hague, the Board of Governors created a Central 
Enrolment  Authority  (CEA)7  to  decide  on  enrolments  in  the  Brussels  European 
Schools. The Board decided that "in order to populate the new sections in Brussels 
IV…  admittance  will  be  strictly  limited  in  the  other  schools".  This  had  become 
necessary  because  of  the  situation  of  overcrowding  in  the  current  schools  and  the 
Board’s  decision  to  accept  Berkendael  as  the  transitional  site  for  and  nucleus  of 
Brussels IV (Laeken). Consequently, the CEA was given the following objectives:  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

To draw up and publish a clear enrolment policy each year which will ensure 
that the objectives stated below will be achieved with maximum fairness and 
transparency; 

To  decide  the  lists  of  pupils  to  be  enrolled  in  each  of  the  Brussels  schools. 
These lists will be proposed by the Directors of each school; 

To  ensure  a  balanced  distribution  of  pupils  between  the  Brussels  schools  in 
global terms and between the language sections and to ensure the optimal use 
of  the  resources  of  the  schools  with  a  view  to  serving  pupils'  needs  and 
ensuring pedagogical continuity. In the initial period a further objective of the 
Policy will be to ensure the filling of Brussels IV; 

6 
7 

There are currently 13 European Schools in seven Member States. 
The CEA is composed of the Secretary-General of the European Schools (Chair), a representative of the 
European Commission (representing the EU institutions), the Directors of the 3 (4) European Schools in 
Brussels, a representative of parents, a representative of the authorities of the host country. Furthermore, 
the Secretary-General elect, 2 (3) parents’ representatives (to ensure the representation of the APEEEs 
of all the Brussels schools), 1 representative of the Brussels Staff Committee and 1 more representative 
from Belgium (to allow the representation of the Belgian Communities) are present as observers. 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
                                                 
(4) 

To ensure that a place is guaranteed in a European School in Brussels for all 
pupils who are children of EU staff seeking admission in Brussels; 

(5) 

To ensure the enrolment of siblings in the same school; 

(6) 

To perform a constant monitoring of the evolution of pupil populations in the 
various language sections and schools. 

The details of the composition and procedures of this Authority as well as its precise 
mandate  were  decided  by  the  Board  during  its  meeting  in  October  2006.  The 
Commission  has  stressed that a degree of flexible intelligence should be applied in 
this  delicate  process  and  that  the  issue  of  SWALs  (students  without  a  language 
section)  in  proportion  to  mother  tongue  pupils  in  each  class  should  be  monitored. 
The  Board  has  also  emphasised  the  importance  of  clear  and  direct  communication 
and  dialogue  with  the  parents  concerned.  The  CEA  took  decisions  regarding  the 
enrolment  in  Brussels  for  the  school  year  2007/2008  according  to  the  above 
mentioned objectives and  decisions of the Board. According to these decisions, the 
new pupils for whom a language section and level is available in Berkendael, will be 
enrolled  in  this  school  (except  for  sibling  of  pupils  already  enrolled  in  another 
European  School  in  Brussels).  If  the  language  section  and  level  is  not  available  in 
Berkendael, the new pupils will be enrolled as far as possible in the school of their 
choice. 

4.3. 

Communication, information and dialogue  

Seeing that there was much activity during the year and so many important decisions 
were  taken  by  the  Board,  the  Director-General  of  DG  ADMIN  sent  no  less  than 
seven direct mail messages to all staff in order to keep them informed. There were 
five  open  cases  handled  by  the  European  Ombudsman  where  the  Commission 
provided explanations or justifications and 19 formal written and oral questions from 
the  European  Parliament.  President  Barroso  discussed  the  topic  of  the  European 
Schools with different Heads of State and Vice-President Kallas discussed the issue 
with Parliament on several occasions and also with staff representatives and a range 
of  other  interested  parties.  The  Commission  departments  met  regularly  with  the 
parents’  associations  and  the  Local  Staff  Committee  in  order  to  ensure  a  clear  and 
direct dialogue. 

Following  the  negative  approach  by  the  host  country  with  the  largest  number  of 
schools,  the  Commission  pressed  in  the  Board  in  November  for  a  letter  to  be 
addressed to the Belgian authorities with a request for a meeting. This would be in 
order  for  them  to  explain,  directly  through  a  dialogue  with  the  families  from  the 
institutions in Brussels, their position concerning their disappointing attitude relating 
to  the  transitional  site.  This  letter  was  sent  by  the  Presidency  in  November.  The 
Board and, in particular, the Commission, is unfortunately still awaiting a response 
from the Belgian authorities. 

4.4. 

Study: the Van Dijk report on four small schools 

The so-called “Van Dijk” study on four small schools in Bergen, Culham, Mol and 
Karlsruhe was presented by the external consultant in 2006 (see heading 2.1.3 “Other 
schools”). The Board of Governors debated this study twice in 2007 and decided that 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
the school in Culham will be progressively closed over seven years. The schools in 
Bergen, Mol and Karlsruhe will be maintained as classical European Schools. 

4.5. 

Accreditation 

The  Board  decided,  with  the  full  support  of  the  Commission,  to  accredit  the 
schooling given in the Parma School in Italy and the Dunshaughlin School in Ireland, 
and an Accreditation and Cooperation Agreement should be signed in 2007 with the 
competent  authorities  of  the  two  schools.  The  Commission  strongly  supports  this 
process. The children of the staff of the European Food Safety Authority located in 
Parma and of the Commission (DG SANCO) in Grange will then be able to receive 
an  European  education  in  line  with  the  education  provided  within  the  European 
School System; at this stage, the schools are not yet entitled to propose the European 
Baccalaureate (accreditation until 5th year secondary level). The Board also decided 
to  approve  the  first  step  of  the  process  with  a  view  to  a  future  request  for 
accreditation  for  the  school  of  Heraklion  in  Greece,  situated  close  to  the  European 
Network and Information Security Agency. 

5. 

FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR 2007 AND BEYOND 

5.1. 

Future follow-up after the ministerial meeting 

The Board of Governors is now acting on the instructions as set out in the Presidency 
conclusions8 following the informal ministerial meeting and is proposing a strategy 
to be discussed in order to move the reform process forward on a practical level. This 
involves  making  proposals  in  order  to  improve  governance  according  to  the 
guidelines  agreed  and  by  so  doing  devolve  more  decision-making  authority, 
including  financial  authority,  to  school  management,  to  be  balanced  by  greater 
accountability, as well as reforming the governance structure to achieve the aims of 
governance at school level and overall governance. 

It  also  includes  moving  ahead  with  the  ideas  of  opening  up  the  European  Schools 
System and analysing the measures and practical implementation regarding Type II 
schools  and  taking  the  necessary  steps  for  their  improvement  and  further 
development. 

Furthermore,  the  European  Baccalaureate  needs  to  be  upgraded  to  international 
standards,  including  aspects  of  organisation,  administration  and  quality  assurance, 
beginning  with  an  expert  external  evaluation  to  be  launched  by  the  Secretary-
General. 

A working group will examine the issue of cost sharing for the teachers seconded by 
Member States to the classical European Schools. The Board will as a consequence 
consider  the  necessary  measures  to  ensure  that  the  allocation  of  the  costs  of  the 
seconded teachers among the Member States would be fair.  

In  order  to  advance  with  the  pilot  project  regarding  “Type  III”  schools,  terms  of 
reference  should  be  elaborated  involving  a  maximum  of  ten  schools.  The  pilot 

8 

See Annexes 2 and 3. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
                                                 
projects  should  ideally  start  in  the  school  year  2007/2008.  These  projects  will  be 
monitored by the Board of Governors and be subject to evaluation every two years.  

5.2. 

Opening of Berkendael/Laeken in Brussels  

The  Board  regretted  that  it  was  in  the  position  of  being  forced  to  accept  the 
transitional school of Berkendael, as the Belgian authorities refused to cooperate and 
provide  a  transitional  site  that  fulfilled  the  necessary  geographical  criteria.  The 
Commission  does  not  dispute  that  the  school  itself  is  an  appropriate  building  but 
continues  to  raise  the  issue  related  to  its  location  and  the  consequences  that  it  will 
have for the families. 

Following  the  decision  under  duress  of  the  Board  in  late  2006,  the  school  in 
Berkendael opened its doors to receive new pupils in September 2007. Therefore it is 
now  urgent  that  the  necessary  structural  alterations  are  made  rapidly  and  that  the 
newly appointed Director acts quickly to prepare the school for welcoming the new 
pupils.  The  current  Directors  in  Brussels  have  played  a  crucial  constructive  role  in 
preparatory  discussions.  The  three  existing  parents’  associations  in  Brussels  are 
taking  on  a  very  welcome  role  of  assisting  the  new  school  in  setting  up  the  school 
transport service, the running of the canteen and other practical matters. According to 
the host country agreement the initial fitting-out of the school is the responsibility of 
the  Belgian  authorities,  which  have  a  chance  to  show  real  political  will  in  making 
this a smooth process.  

5.3. 

Obligations of the Member States 

The Commission will make it a priority to continue to address the issues relating to 
the  non-fulfilment  of  certain  obligations  by  some  host  countries  and  will  take  the 
necessary legal actions, if and when this should appear appropriate.  

EN 

12 

   EN