The Party of European Socialists (PES) welcomes the presentation of the Education and Skills Package by European Commission Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, giving member states, schools and teachers the tools to reverse the decline in basic skills and make teaching an attractive profession again.
Through years of campaigning, our political family has fought for free, quality and inclusive public education as a right for every child, whatever their background. We championed the European Child Guarantee, so that no child in Europe is left behind because of poverty. In the PES 2024 European election campaign we pledged free quality education and training for all young people, a widened Erasmus+ accessible to all and major investment in digital education. Today, our family turns that commitment into a European plan for our schools.
The matter is urgent. According to the latest PISA results, around one in three 15-year-olds in the EU underachieve in reading and mathematics, and one in four in science. Students’ social background still weighs far too much: only 15% of disadvantaged 15-year-olds performed well in at least one of these subjects.
This package addresses the situation with four priorities. First, a proposed Council recommendation on reversing the decline in basic skills, helping schools scale up what works, including through new Erasmus+ European School Alliances. Second, a proposed Council recommendation on an attractive teaching profession, the EU Teachers Agenda. Third, the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium on Education, through which member states are jointly building shared digital foundations for European education for the first time. Fourth, a European Strategy on vocational education and training, making VET more agile, more strategic and better connected with employers.
For too long, teachers have been asked to do more with less. Around 40% of Europe’s teachers are aged 50 or over, and only 8% are under 30. Nearly all EU countries face persistent teacher shortages, and only 15% of teachers feel valued by society. The Teachers Agenda responds with more attractive working conditions, better career progression, and stronger teacher education and professional development, including relief from administrative tasks. It also calls for a stronger dialogue with teachers and their representatives, including regular meetings with the European social partners in education.
The package also tackles Europe’s dependence on non-EU platforms in the classroom. Access to safe and reliable AI tools should not depend on what families can afford. The new Consortium will develop trusted European AI tools for schools, with learners’ data protected by design and not exploited commercially, and the Commission will pilot an AI Literacy Certificate for pupils from the 2027/2028 school year.
PES President Stefan Löfven said:
“A child’s future should never depend on their parents’ income or their postcode. Today, with a progressive Executive Vice-President leading the way, Europe is putting it into practice. This package is a decisive step and an opportunity, and it must now be matched by investment in our teachers and our public schools. Spending on education and skills is still below pre-pandemic levels. Our children deserve better. Our teachers deserve better. We will not stop until every young person leaves school with the skills and the confidence to build the future they choose.”
The PES strongly supports Executive Vice-President Mînzatu’s efforts to reverse the decline in basic skills, value Europe’s teachers, and give every child a fair start. The two proposed recommendations now move to the Council, where member states must turn them into real change in every classroom. This package shows once again that with progressive leadership, the European Union can make education a ladder of opportunity for all, not a privilege for the few.
