Communication from the Commission - Annual Report from the European Commission to the European Parliament on the functioning of the European School System in 2007
Date: 2008-06-24
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European school, activity report, educational institution, educational reform, financial management, financing, operation of the Institutions, organisation of teaching

EN 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 24.6.2008 
COM(2008) 378 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Annual Report from the European Commission to the European Parliament on the 
functioning of the European School System in 2007 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 

Annual Report from the European Commission to the European Parliament on the 
functioning of the European School System in 2007 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

2007  has  been  a  year  of  intense  reform  activity  for  the  future  benefit  of  a  more 
efficient and open European School system. At the same time, on a practical level the 
deficiencies of the current system have become even more apparent, combined with 
an unacceptable degree of negligence on the part of some Member States in meeting 
their obligations under the terms of the Convention signed by all Member States as 
part  of  the  intergovernmental  co-operation  which  forms  the  basis  for  the  European 
School system as such.  

The first-ever discussion at ministerial level concerning the reform of the European 
Schools, which was held at the end of 2006, led to the setting up, in 2007, of several 
working  groups  that  focused  on  setting  out  realistic  options  for  the  future 
development of the system.  

The need for the European School system to evolve is recognised by all stakeholders. 
The opening up of the system to a wider range of accredited schools (so-called "type 
II" schools), agreed at ministerial level, is meant to respond to the challenge facing 
countries that host EU agencies and other EU establishments in terms of being able 
to offer European schooling. Furthermore, the possibility - also agreed at ministerial 
level  -  of  enabling  EU  countries  which  do  not,  as  such,  host  EU  Agencies  or 
establishments  to  offer  the  European  curriculum  to  a  broader  audience  (so-called 
"type  III"  schools)  should  become  even  more  tangible  once  the  first  pilot  project 
takes place. The foundation for the actual deployment of both school types II and III 
was laid in 2007. 

On  a  more  practical  day-to-day  level,  the  problems  related  to  overcrowding  in 
several European Schools continued to be very worrying in 2007; these problems not 
only  created  major  concerns  for  the  pupils  in  the  overpopulated  schools,  but  also 
forced restrictions of enrolment policy to the detriment and frustration of new pupils 
and  their  families.  In  Brussels,  the  Commission  had  to  require  specific  evacuation 
exercises to be carried out in order to evaluate the safety aspects of certain schools. 

All of this has a very negative effect: the Secretary-General of the European Schools 
estimates  that  more  than  400  pupils  in  Brussels  alone  have  chosen  alternative 
solutions  to  the  European  Schools  due  to  the  restrictions  on  the  choice  of  school 
caused  by  overcrowding.  Despite  this,  the  Belgian  government  announced  in 
September  2007  that  the  availability  of  a  fourth  permanent  European  School  in 
Brussels  would  be  delayed  by  at  least  one  year:  a  move  which  is  in  contradiction 
with  its  obligation  and  with  the  previous  commitments  made  regarding  the 
overpopulated schools. 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
Also, some other Member States are not fully meeting their commitments under the 
Convention. For example, in 2007 several issues were once again raised as regards 
not  only  the  shortage  of  detached  teachers,  most  notably  from  the  UK  and  Ireland, 
but also the generalised dramatic decrease in the overall number of detachments. The 
lack of detached  teachers is adding to the  financial  burden  on  the  EU  contribution, 
and is thus borne indirectly by all Member States.  

2. 

IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS IN 2007 

2.1. 

Overview of the general situation in the European Schools 

The European School system continued to grow throughout 2007 and there are now 
14  schools  in  seven  countries,  with  a  total  of  more  than  21  000  pupils.  Below  is  a 
brief account of the situation in the different locations1.  

2.2. 

Brussels 

The  situation  in  Brussels  continued  to  be  critical  and  the  Brussels  I  (Uccle)  and  II 
(Woluwe)  schools  were  close  to  or  above  their  maximum  capacity.  Brussels  III 
(Ixelles)  saw  some  slight  relief,  but  continued  to  take  in  pupils  well  above  its 
nominal  capacity2.  September  2007  saw  the  opening  of  Brussels  IV  in  temporary 
premises in Berkendael. The restrictive enrolment policy that was applied in Brussels 
for  the  school  year  2007/2008  meant  that  all  enrolments  (except  siblings  of  pupils 
already  enrolled  in  Brussels  I,  II  and  III)  for  the  sections  and  levels  opened  in 
Berkendael  were  redirected  there.  This  concerned  the  English,  French,  German, 
Italian and Dutch sections from nursery up to third primary. This restriction, which 
was regrettable and caused inconvenience to a number of parents who were unable to 
have  a  free  choice  of  their  preferred  school,  did  nevertheless  succeed  in  stabilising 
the overpopulation, even if the reduction was not significant.  

According to the Secretary–General of the European Schools, more than 200 parents 
who received the offer of a place in Berkendael decided not to enrol their children. 
This brings to 400 the estimated numbers of potential pupils outside the system as a 
result  of  the  restrictive  enrolment  policy  during  the  last  two  years.  More  than  50 
appeals of more than 100 families were lodged with the Complaints Board, showing 
the general level of frustration experienced by many parents. 

Despite the relatively limited number of children (160 instead of the estimated 550), 
the  opening  of  Berkendael  took  place  in  a  constructive  and  positive  atmosphere. 
Feedback from parents of enrolled children is very positive and the Commission is 
confident  that  the  school  in  Berkendael  will  prosper  to  the  benefit  of  the  enrolled 
pupils. 

1 

2 

For detailed statistics on school population and language sections please see the Annual Report of the 
Secretary General: 2912-D-2006-en-2 
Nominal capacity is the capacity for which the school was constructed. Maximum capacity is including 
additional  arrangement  such  as  pre-fabricated  buildings  placed  on  the  school  premises  (without 
enlarging the common facilities such as playgrounds canteens etc. 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Furthermore, the Commission is well aware of the difficulties that many parents are 
experiencing  due  to  the  location  and,  for  some  of  them,  what  they  judge  the 
excessive geographical distance of the transitional/ site of Berkendael and the plans 
for  enrolled  pupils  to  move  subsequently  to  Laeken.  The  announcement  by  the 
Belgian authorities, in September 2007, that the school in Laeken will be delayed for 
at least one year due to budgetary reasons caused further complications. Indeed, this 
has had a very negative effect on the planning options for the years to come and has 
reinforced the uncertainties and worries. The Board  of  Governors has expressed its 
deep disappointment with the action of the Belgian government, which runs counter 
to  the  formal  undertakings  given  previously  at  the  highest  level  by  the  then  Prime 
Minister Verhofstadt. Furthermore, the Board of Governors pointed out that it needs 
sufficient  infrastructure  by  September  2009  to  accommodate  the  number  of  pupils 
that are anticipated.  

The Commission is very concerned about the overall situation in Brussels on several 
levels.  In  particular,  the  Commission  regrets  the  current  lack  of  longer-term  vision 
concerning  the  enrolment  possibilities,  as  a  consequence  of  continued  uncertainties 
about the availability of all needed infrastructures. It furthermore stresses that, due to 
the overcrowding, it has launched a parallel request for a safety exercise and fire drill 
to  be  carried  out  in  the  Brussels  I,  II  and  III  schools  to  check  the  evacuation 
capacities and the access for emergency service vehicles during rush hours.  

Work of the Central Enrolment Authority in Brussels 

The  Central  Enrolment  Authority  met  on  more  than  15  occasions  and  managed, 
following  the  mandate  of  the  Board  of  Governors,  to  achieve  more  than  1  700 
enrolments  in  Brussels  for  the  school  year  2007/20083.  The  Secretary-General 
reported on the results to the Board of Governors in October 2007 and concluded that 
the Central Enrolment Authority had fulfilled its mandate.  

During  the  October  2007  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Governors,  the  Commission 
requested  that  the  membership  of  the  Central  Enrolment  Authority  should  be 
enlarged  to  include  a  representative  of  the  interest  group  of  parents  with  children 
who were not yet enrolled in the European Schools. The Commission was isolated in 
its  support  for  this  request  in  the  Board  of  Governors4,  which  voted  against  the 
proposal.  However,  the  Commission  did  obtain  agreement  that  a  representative  of 
parents of future pupils will be able to attend the meetings when the enrolment policy 
for 2008/09 is discussed. 

Complaints  persisted  concerning  the  legal  redress  system  set  up  by  the  European 
Schools rules, whereby parents are not allowed to lodge an appeal against decisions 
refusing the enrolment of their children, once those are confirmed by the Complaints' 
Board of the European Schools.  

3 

4 

For details on the enrolment policy 2007/08 see: 512-D-2006-en-7 on   
http://www.eursc.eu/index.php?id=2 
The Board of Governors consists of voting representatives from the 27 Member States, the Commission 
and,  for  some  questions,  a  representative  from  the  parents  associations  and  a  representative  from  the 
Staff Committee of teachers. A representative of the European Patent Office in Munich is present and 
votes for issues concerning Munich.  

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
2.3. 

Luxembourg 

In  Luxembourg,  the  two  schools  continued  to  co-exist  on  the  Kirchberg  site.  The 
Luxembourg II pedagogical village welcomes only nursery and primary-level pupils 
in  the  eight  language  sections  that  are  currently  in  place,  while  all  the  secondary 
pupils  go  to  the  Luxembourg  I  site.  Preparations  continued  for  the  opening  of  the 
permanent location for Luxembourg II at Bertrange/Mamer, scheduled for 2011. The 
timing  of  the  opening  of  the  permanent  site  is  indeed  crucial,  as  overcrowding  is 
already a problem. As a consequence, a restrictive enrolment policy for children of 
non-EU  staff  is  unavoidable  and  no  new  contracts  with  companies/organisations 
were signed during the year. 

On  18  December  2007,  the  Luxembourg  authorities  adopted  legislation  authorizing 
the  construction  of 
transport 
infrastructure and the relevant budgets.  

the  second  European  School, 

the  necessary 

The  Parents'  Associations  prefer  a  division  by  age  group  rather  than  by  language 
section between Luxembourg I and II. However, the decision taken by the Board of 
Governors in October 2003 still stands, and the Luxembourg authorities are not in a 
position at this late stage to change the architectural plans, which are at an advanced 
state of development.  

Other schools 

Alicante 

The school in Alicante has now been open for seven years and has seen an increase 
in  the  number  of  children  of  EU  staff,  who  now  make  up  almost  40%  of  the  total. 
The  school  has  come  to  the  end  of  its  start-up  phase,  with  the  second  year  of 
Baccalaureate students celebrating a 100% success rate. 

Bergen  

The  school  in  Bergen  has  experienced  a  decrease  in  population  and  now  numbers 
approximately 550 pupils. The school consequently faces the challenge of organising 
small  groups  and  class  sizes  in  an  efficient  way.  The  school  is  also  faced  with  the 
challenge of phasing out the German and Italian language sections. Despite this, the 
school is represented in the pilot group for the drafting of attainment contracts as part 
of the reform exercise. 

Culham 

In  April  2007  the  Board  of  Governors  decided  on  the  gradual  closure  of  the 
European School in Culham over a 7-year period, starting in 2010. This is due to the 
future move of the Joint European Torus (JET) to Cadarache (France) in 2016. The 
UK is looking into different possibilities to maintain a school in future and to adapt 
its  curriculum  to  deliver  the  European  Baccalaureate  (future  type  III)  within  the 
British national system. The Commission is strongly encouraging this initiative in the 
interest of pupils and staff. 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
Frankfurt 

The number of pupils in the school in Frankfurt continued to increase, and there are 
now  serious  problems  concerning  the  school's  expansion.  Given  that  the  European 
Central  Bank  is  due  to  relocate  within  Frankfurt,  the  possibility  of  benefiting  from 
this  momentum  and  providing  a  more  convenient  space  for  this  growing  school  is 
crucial.  However,  during  2007,  the  German  authorities  have  given  no  definite 
indication  of  what  may  happen  in  future.  This  issue  has  to  be  a  major  priority  for 
2008. 

Karlsruhe 

In 2007 the school population stabilised after several years of falling pupil numbers. 
This is mainly due to the international companies located in the area (children of EU 
staff  represent  approximately  15%.)  .  The  school  receives  continuing  and  welcome 
financial  support  from  the  authorities  of  the  City  of  Karlsruhe  and  of  the  Land 
Baden-Württemberg. In addition, the City contributed up to 50% for the construction 
of a new building for the canteen, with the other 50% being collected from sponsors. 
Construction work was started at the end of 2007. The gradual closure of the Italian 
and Dutch sections of the school is underway. 

Mol 

The school in Mol asked for an English-speaking section to be created. This proposal 
was  approved  by  the  Board  of  Governors  in  early  2008.  The  school  will  report  on 
developments  in  the  other  language  sections,  since  some  of  them  appear  to  be 
dangerously  close  to  the  threshold  for  closure.  The  school  will  also  report  on  the 
trend  in  the  proportion  of  staff  members'  children  attending  the  school  (currently 
accounting for around 20%).  

Munich 

The school population in Munich continues to increase, and infrastructure is a serious 
ongoing concern. After the installation of the new nursery section, the old one was 
demolished  to  be  replaced  by  a  new  canteen,  an  entrance  hall  and  additional 
laboratory and office space. Additional space in the form of three-storey containers 
has been requested in order to provide more temporary accommodation. 

Varese 

In  Varese  the  overriding  difficulty  for  the  school  continued  to  be  the  problem  of 
inadequate  infrastructures.  The  Secretary-General  of  the  European  Schools  and 
Commission Vice-President Kallas urged the Italian authorities to grant the school a 
supplementary  budget  in  2006.  Unfortunately,  the  authorities  failed  to  do  this  in 
2007,  despite  a  petition  signed  by  more  than  1 200  parents.  Instead,  the  customary 
contribution for maintenance was reduced.  

On an organisational level, the issue of administering the school canteen separately 
from  the  organisation  of  the  school  itself  continued  to  be  the  subject  of  debate. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  year  a  solution  was  finally  found  by  the  parents  creating  a 
cooperative that will receive financial support for a number of years. The Board of 
Governors accepted this solution by written procedure at the beginning of 2008.  

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
2.4. 

Host countries' obligations 

As was indicated in the 2006 Annual Report, the Commission's main concern is the 
failure of some Member States to respect certain of their obligations as defined in the 
Convention on the European Schools5.  

As  described  under  title  2.2,  the  announcement  by  the  Belgian  authorities  in 
September  2007  that  the  permanent  site  for  the  fourth  European  School  in  Laeken 
would be delayed by at least one year, and the subsequent lack of clarity about the 
future,  are  the  most  illustrative  examples  of  this  failure.6  The  situation  of  current 
overcrowding, combined with the added uncertainty, is clearly unacceptable. 

Another example is the case of Varese and the lack of facilities. Although the school 
is facing unacceptable constraints and conditions, the Italian authorities have so far 
shown  no  willingness  to  resolve  the  situation  during  2007,  despite  the  formal 
contacts  made  by  the  Secretary-General  of  the  European  Schools  and  by  Vice-
President Kallas.  

More  generally,  the  problem  of  non-detachment  of  teachers  from  certain  Member 
States  was  exacerbated  in  2007.  In  order  to  fill  the  vacancies  resulting  from  the 
insufficient detachment by Member States, teachers are recruited locally instead. The 
financial  consequence  is  that  the  cost  of the  teachers  concerned  is  transferred  from 
the Member States' budget to the EU part of the budget (which, of course, originates 
from all the Member States including those which already respect their obligations). 
The  most  alarming  example  was  the  United  Kingdom  announcing  in  a  letter  in 
October 2007 that it had unilaterally decided to cap the number of teachers detached 
to  the  European  Schools  to  20-25  posts  per  year.  This  falls  far  short  of  the  actual 
need.  

Another  example  of  insufficient  fulfilment of  obligations  became  evident  when  the 
Commission  decided  to  take  formal  legal  action  against  Belgium  for  several 
outstanding  debts  related  to  the  costs  of  furniture  and  equipment  at  two  Brussels 
schools, some of which dated back more than 10 years. In the meantime these costs 
had had to be covered by the Commission's financial contribution.  

Following several years of dialogue with the Commission and the European Schools' 
Secretariat on this issue, during which Belgium had constantly maintained that it was 
working  to  find  an  appropriate  solution,  in  October  2006  the  Belgian  Minister  of 
Finance formally rejected the commitment to cover these costs. Therefore, taking the 
view  that  this  was  in  contradiction  with  the  basic  rules  of  the  EC  Treaty,  the 
Commission sent a letter of formal notice to the Belgian authorities in October 2007, 
to be answered within two months. The Belgian authorities asked for more time and 
then  sent  a  negative  reply  at  the  end  of  February  2008.  Further  action  is  being 
considered. 

5 
6 

Official Journal L 212 of 17.8.1994, p. 3-14. 
Letter  of  10.9.2007  from  Deputy  Prime  Minister  and  Minister  of Finances  Mr  Reynders  to  Mr  Ryan, 
Secretary General of the European Schools. 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
                                                 
3. 

BUDGET AND FINANCE 

3.1. 

2007 budget 

The budget initially allocated by the EU budgetary authority to the European Schools 
in 2007 was € 129.66 millions. The total  budget provision was € 242 millions. The 
most recent breakdown of the various contributions to the total budget was: 

55 % from the EU budget; 

22.7 % from the Member States; 

6.4 % from EPO7 

The remainder in the form of school fees from companies with agreements with the 
schools and from children of non-EU staff and other sources. 

The  European  Schools  claimed  and  received  98.24%  of  the  total  contribution 
allocated in 2007 (€ 127.38 millions) and closed  their annual budget with a surplus of 
approximately € 7.6 millions.  

The  part  of  the  budget  that  is  allocated  to  children  with  special  needs  (“SEN”)  has 
increased  by  36%  over  the  last  three  years.  The  Commission  has  stressed  several 
times that the annual report on this topic should include a more qualitative analysis 
of  the  situation,  in  order  to  provide  substantive  input  for  future  improvements.  In 
spite of these efforts, it is not always possible to integrate pupils with severe learning 
disabilities.  

3.2. 

Financial Regulation 

The  new  Financial  Regulation  entered  into  force  on  1  January  2007.  This  is  an 
important  step  forward  in  terms  of  governance,  accountability  and  improved 
efficiency  and  transparency  of  the  internal  control  management  system.  In  April 
2007, the Board of Governors approved the creation of an internal audit function in 
the office of the Secretary-General which started operating in July. In December, a 
presentation  of  the  audit  working  plan  for  the  next  three  years  was  made  to  the 
Administrative and Financial Committee. 

4. 

GOVERNANCE AND REFORM 

4.1. 

Follow-up to the ministerial meeting – Work on reform 

In  2007  the  Commission  constantly  pushed  for  the  reform  process  to  advance. 
Several  working  groups  were  active  during  the  year,  and  the  Steering  Committee8 
actively motivated Member States to keep up the process of reform and reflection.  

7 
8 

European Patent Office 
Consisting of the outgoing, the current and the incoming Presidencies of the European Schools, plus the 
Commission and the Secretary-General. 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
                                                 
4.1.1.  Working group on cost–sharing 

The  working  group  on  "cost-sharing"  presented  a  preliminary  report  during  2007. 
This  report  deals  with  the  complex  issue  of  how  the  costs  are  to  be  redistributed 
between  Member  States  in  order  to  make  the  overall  system  more  equitable.  The 
working group has so far defined an equitable contribution from Member States as a 
contribution based on the number of children from the same country in the European 
Schools.  The  issue  is  urgent  since  the  UK  is  currently  limiting  the  number  of 
detachments  of  teachers  to  the  schools  pending  the  outcome  of  the  reform  on  this 
specific topic that will lighten their financial burden. The lack of UK detachments is 
creating considerable practical problems for many schools.  

In the light of the preliminary report presented by the working group, the Board of 
Governors felt that there is a need to further refine the practical options available and 
to carry out an impact analysis.  

A  high-level  political  endorsement  of  the  future  solution  in  2008  will  be  crucial  to 
this sensitive aspect of the reform. In this context the Commission is also working on 
a method for defining the contribution from the EU budget for the children of staff in 
the future accredited schools. 

4.1.2.  Working group on accreditation 

The  working  group  on  accreditation  has  concluded  that  the  present  accreditation 
process is satisfactory to fulfil the need for an accredited school close to a service of 
the  Commission,  an  EU  Agency  or  other  body  (type  II)  and  of  national  schools 
seeking accreditation without the presence of an EU Agency or other body (type III 
schools).  It  has  also  defined  a  provisional  solution  for  awarding  the  European 
Baccalaureate  in  accredited  schools  pending  the  outcome  of  the  external  study  to 
evaluate the European Baccalaureate which is planned for 2009. 

Furthermore, the group has outlined the terms of reference of a pilot project for type 
III  schools.  The  aim  of  the  pilot  will  be  to  evaluate  the  capacity  of  the  system  to 
absorb  type  III  schools.  Seven  Member  States  have  declared  an  interest  and,  if  the 
Board of Governors so decides, they will be invited to present a document of intent. 
The  current  accreditation  and  cooperation  agreement  will  be  amended  to  allow 
quality  controls  every  two  years  (instead  of  every  year)  and  will  entail  a  three-
pronged  control  procedure  consisting  of  self-assessment,  the  national  evaluation 
programme and inspections related to the accreditation process. All costs of the pilots 
will be borne by the Member States.  

The  Board  of  Governors  endorsed  the  working  group's  conclusions,  which  even 
include  a  temporary  solution  for  the  pupils  in  the  accredited  school  in  Parma.  The 
school  has  now  asked  for  accreditation  for  year  6  to  be  granted  retroactively  from 
September 2007.  

In  its  efforts  to  find  a  conclusion  to  the  legal  debate  on  the  type  III  schools,  the 
working group proposed to the Board of Governors that there should be a technical 
revision  of  the  1984  European  Baccalaureate  Agreement.  This  proposal  was 
endorsed. 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
4.1.3.  Working group on attainment contracts 

The working group on attainment contracts launched a pilot project in 2007 in three 
European  Schools:  Bergen,  Munich  and  Brussels  I  (Uccle).  In  October  2007,  the 
three pilot schools were asked to reflect on what the implementation of an attainment 
contract would mean in practice for their school.  

The working group is continuing the discussion on the definition and the content of 
an  attainment  contract,  the  level  of  school  autonomy  and  the  role  of  central 
governance.  The  group  has  concluded  that  the  budget  and  the  annual  school  report 
should be referred to in the attainment contract. 

Although not all aspects are finalised yet, it is clear that there is a need for structural 
changes  within  the  schools.  Therefore,  the  current  composition  and  tasks  of  both 
existing and new school councils and committees are being studied.  

The  role  of  central  governance  and  the  pedagogical  and  financial  autonomy  of  the 
schools are going through a process of clarification. Once the concept and the level 
of  autonomy  are  clearly  defined,  it  will  be  possible  to  draw  up  reporting  and 
evaluation methods and criteria. 

4.2. 

Accreditation activities 

The school in Heraklion was given a favourable audit during the year and is about to 
sign the accreditation agreement for the nursery and primary cycles.  

Due  to  the  opening  of  the  European  Chemicals  Agency  in  June  2007  in  Helsinki, 
Finland launched the procedure for the accreditation of a school there and has made 
the  necessary  changes  in  its  national  law.  France  has  also  launched  the  process  of 
accreditation for a school in Strasbourg. The Board of Governors welcomed both of 
these  projects.  The  progress  made  in  the  Working  Group  on  Accreditation  and  the 
consequent  approval  by  the  Board  of  Governors  has  made  it  possible  for  the 
accredited school in Parma to apply for accreditation for year 6.  

4.3. 

Communication, dialogue and information 

The Commission continued to emphasise the information and communication aspects 
involving  parents  and  staff.  No  fewer  than  seven  messages  to  staff  were  issued  in 
order to keep them informed of the latest developments. Regular information is put 
on  the  relevant  homepage  and  on  Vice-President  Kallas'  website.  The  Commission 
also took great care to meet parents associations and staff representatives to discuss 
current issues in preparation for the Board of Governors' meetings.  

The  Commission  received  and  replied  to  several  official  questions  tabled  by  the 
European  Parliament  on  the  subject  of  the  schools;  it  met  numerous  individual 
parents and corresponded in writing with a large number of them on practical issues. 
the  Interparents 
The  Commission  also  attended 
association,  newcomers  to  the  Commission,  and  also  information  meetings  with 
parents  of  future  pupils  etc.  Several  articles  providing  practical  information  were 
published in the EC's in-house weekly newspaper "Commission en Direct". 

information  meetings  with 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
President  Barroso  discussed  the  issue  of  the  European  Schools  with  many 
counterparts and in particular with the relevant Belgian authorities. The request made 
one  year  ago  to  the  Belgian  authorities  to  come  to  an  open  meeting  with  staff  to 
explain  their  policy  on  the  fourth  school  in  Brussels  remained  unanswered,  even 
though the matter has been raised in the EU-Belgium task force. 

4.4.  Work  of  the  Presidencies  of  the  European  Schools  in  2007  –  Portugal  and 

Finland 

In August 2007, the Portuguese presidency of the European Schools handed over to 
the Finnish presidency. The 2006-2007 school year under the Portuguese Presidency 
was  a  period  of  decision-making,  with  the  agreement  on  political  guidance  at  the 
ministerial  meeting  in  November  2006,  aimed  at  improving  governance,  and  the 
subsequent adoption of an action plan by the Board of Governors in January 2007.  

The Finnish Presidency has had the responsibility for leading the subsequent labour-
intensive phase of the reform process, involving the elaboration of practical measures 
to make the reform a reality.  

In  December  2007,  Vice-President  Kallas  met  Mrs.  Sari  Sarkomaa,  the  Finnish 
Minister of Education, and they had a very fruitful discussion on the way forward for 
the reform process. They agreed on the importance of a high-level political impetus 
to consolidate the progress made so far.  

5. 

FUTURE OF THE SYSTEM – MINISTERIAL MEETING  

Sweden  will  hold  the  next  presidency  of  the  European  Schools  as  from  mid-2008. 
The year 2008/09 will be crucial for the practical implementation of the reform. The 
events  of  2007  have  shown  that  the  status  quo  is  no  longer  an  option,  and  that  the 
current system has many deficiencies in terms of governance and efficiency that need 
to be remedied.  

The challenges of intergovernmental co-operation have been severely put to the test 
in 2007 by all the current difficulties described in this report, namely overcrowding, 
insufficient political will on the part of some Member States and the enlargement of 
the system. 

The  Board  of  Governors  discussed  the  reform  issues  at  an  extraordinary  board 
meeting in March 2008 with the aim of presenting the results at ministerial level in 
June 2008.  

The Commission has pushed strongly for this reform, which is indispensable for the 
survival of the system. The issue of governance remains the essential element of the 
reform, in order to improve the overall efficiency of the system. 

From  the  Commission's  point  of  view,  the  reform  needs  to  succeed  and  to  succeed 
quickly;  it  needs  political  support  at  the  highest  level  in  order  for  the  European 
School System to continue to be viable. 

EN 

11 

   EN