Background Information
As it is now well known, a global economic downturn started in 2007 with turmoil in the American real estate sector. It worsened in 2008 with the global financial crisis which affected the European economies and public finances. The education sector, one of the largest public expenditures in EU 27 countries, is currently exposed to social conflicts notably related to revisions of its national budgets.
The ETUCE has developed specific policies and actions in response to the crisis. This special page presents the
latest information and the ETUCE action on the impact of the crisis in the education sector.
Council of Ministers of Education, Presidency of the EU stresses the importance of maintaining the public investments in education
- The Key messages to the Spring European Council on the European youth pact and European cooperation in the youth field issued by the Council of Ministers of Education (19 February 2009) state notably that "It is precisely in times of economic difficulty that the key strategic importance of sustaining open and efficient, high-quality education and training systems - as a means of enhancing future competitiveness while fostering social cohesion and active citizenship - must continue to be emphasised".
Download the document here.
- The Presidency Conclusions of the Brussels European Council (19/20 March 2009) reiterate the priority to give to investments in education and research (point 16)
Download the document here
- The Ministers of Education had an informal meeting under the Czech Presidency (Prague, 23 March 2009). They issued a statement further to this meeting entitled " Eight Key Points for the Recovery of Europe from the Perspective of Ministers Responsible for Education". The documents notably point out the requirement to "Effectively using the existing resources and maintaining or increasing investments into education and training".
Download the document here.
ETUCE/ETUI 5th High Sevel Seminar : the impact of the economic crisis on social dialogue in education, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 20-22 September 2009
This year's ETUCE High Level Seminar for EU 12 countries, organised jointly with the ETUI, will be devoted to the appropriate response to give to the crisis from a teachers' trade-union point of view. The seminar will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on 20-22 September 2009.
For more information on this event, please contact the ETUCE Secretariat.
New ETUCE Project : Assessing the impact of the crisis over the education sector
In September 2009, the ETUCE will launch a new project aiming to assess the impact of the current financial and economic crisis over the education sector. The project's period will run for one year, with funding from the European Commission (DG Employment and Social Affairs). The project will consist of two surveys (November 2009 and May 2009), one working seminar at mid-term (April 2010) and a follow-up Conference in September 2010. The European Federation of Employers in Education (EFEE) as well as external experts will be invited to present their views at the working seminar and follow-up conference.
For more information on this project, please consult the latest ETUCE newsletter here.
ETUCE Statements
The ETUCE and the EI Pan-European Structures issued two statements over the respective situations in Romania and Latvia.
The ETUCE has issued a statement over the situation in Hungary and a statement on the temporary layoff of teachers in Finland in 2009.
Euro-demonstrations
The ETUCE and its member organisations participated in the Euro-Demonstrations organised by the ETUC under the motto “Fight the crisis: put people first!” in Madrid, Brussels, Berlin and Prague from 14 to 16 May 2009.
See the special page on the Euro-Demos here.
Documents from member organisations
ETUC website
The ETUC has published a special page on the crisis. You can consult it here.
