Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council. The European schools system in 2012

2012 was a relatively stable year for the European Schools system (ESS) with the ambition to maintain the high quality of teaching whilst trying to continuously control the budget. Indeed, the efficient use of resources, together with the budget allocated proved sufficient for a smooth running of the system in 2012. Some impact of decisions taken in 2011 was already felt and further measures were decided upon in 2012 that should have a positive influence on the ESS in the years to come.

However, the continuously growing number of pupils together with the lack of consensus between the Member States on the cost-sharing issue still constitutes a stark challenge for the system. With some Member States not fulfilling their obligations concerning seconding teachers and providing infrastructure, the EU financial contribution to the ESS budget has yet again increased in 2012, and the situation will most likely aggravate if a sustainable solution to the problem is not found. The Commission is therefore urging the Member States to advance in the debate on the sharing of costs.

In Brussels and Luxembourg major events included the opening of the Brussels IV school in Laeken and the Luxembourg II school in Bertrange/Mamer. However, the number of pupils in the Brussels schools is constantly growing and several of the Brussels schools remain seriously overpopulated. The Commission together with the Secretariat-General of the European Schools have been insisting throughout 2012 to obtain a formal proposal from the Belgian authorities concerning the location of a future fifth school in Brussels.

EUR-Lex: COM(2013)714: Follow the progress of this report through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2013:714:FIN

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