Education

The Education Department of the Council of Europe supports member States in shaping policies, legislation and practices that promote democratic, quality, inclusive and corruption-free education systems. This work draws on the Council of Europe's legal and policy instruments, as well as a wide range of guidelines, tools and resources.

The Council of Europe Education Strategy 2024-2030 “Learners first – Education for today’s and tomorrow’s democratic societies” aims at renewing the civic and democratic mission of education, enhancing education’s social responsibility and responsiveness, and advancing education through a human rights-based digital transformation. Placing learners at the centre the long-term vision of the Education Strategy is that all learners will be able to exercise their rights as active citizens in European democratic societies.

The Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU) oversees the Council of Europe’s programmes in the field of education and advises the Committee of Ministers on education issues.

Our programmes focus on promoting : 

• Citizenship and Human rights education – to help individuals to acquire the attitudes, skills, values, critical understanding and knowledge required to participate in democratic society, both online and offline;
• Inclusive and quality education for all;
• Plurilingual and intercultural education to support individuals in their participation in democratic societies and their societal integration;
• Whole-school approaches to democracy – equipping educators, parents and students with resources to build democratic school cultures;
• Academic freedom, artificial intelligence, ethics, transparency and integrity in education (through the ETINED Platform), and the recognition of higher education qualifications (including refugees qualifications) through  the implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC).
• Digital transformation in education, including digital citizenship education History Education to set standards, collect and analyse data through the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE), surveying public education institutions, teachers and students, and informing national reforms, provide practical resources for history classes, and support teachers to develop multiperspectival approaches, critical thinking, and resilience against disinformation.

These objectives will be achieved by the numerous carefully structured projects including but not limited to the European Space for Citizenship Education, the Council of Europe’s Student Rights Charter, the Centre for Preventing and Countering Education Fraud, the Road Map 2027-2031 for strengthening digital citizenship education, the Compass for AI and Education.

 More about the Education activities
 

Democratic institutions and Freedoms

We pursue a comprehensive approach to strengthening democracy and fighting backsliding line with the commitment of the Heads of State and Government states at the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavík in May 2023. 

• Our intergovernmental committee on democracy (CDDEM)  addresses democratic developments and challenges with reference to the Reykjavík Principles of Democracy*, identifies normative gaps and proposes action to strengthen democratic institutions and freedoms, support electoral processes and democratic participation, as well as protect civic space. 
• A dedicated unit in the department builds engagement with civil society that contributes to the Organisation’s mission, and coordinates the partnership with the Schools of Political Studies, helping to train the next generation of democratic leaders.
• The World Forum for Democracy, held annually in Strasbourg, serves as a sounding board for innovative initiatives to renew and strengthen democracy throughout the world.
• The work of the Committee on media and information society (CDMSI) focuses on freedom of expression in the information age and the safety of both online content users and media professionals and other content creators, proposing standard-setting instruments and policy measures to prevent and address offline and online threats to freedom of expression and information, including those signalled by the Platform for the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. 
• The Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression helps Council of Europe member States strengthen policies, legislation, and capacities on freedom of expression, media, and access to information in line with European standards. Working with governments, regulators, judiciary, law enforcement, media actors, civil society, and international partners, it provides advice, capacity building and awareness-raising on media freedom and pluralism, media literacy, information integrity, countering and building resilience to disinformation, journalist safety and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), support to public service media and regulators, and alignment of laws with European standards and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
• Promoting democratic values and civic engagement through culture and heritage, are the tasks of the Committee on culture, heritage and landscape (CDCPP). The Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes continues to fortify the potential of Cultural Routes for fostering cultural cooperation, sustainable territorial development, and social cohesion. 

Youth

The mission of the Council of Europe’s youth sector is to inspire and empower young people across Europe to live by and champion human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. By boosting young people’s access to rights, expanding their knowledge, and supporting their competence development, it creates conditions for young people to become active and confident shapers of democratic life. Beyond this, it is committed to ensuring young voices are genuinely heard and valued in decision-making at every level.

At the heart of this effort is an innovative co-management system that brings together young Europeans and public authorities in a unique space for shared reflection and co-decision-making. Made up of 30 representatives of youth NGOs and networks an Advisory Council of Youth brings the voice of young Europeans. The European Youth Centre, present in Strasbourg and Budapest, provides a platform for co-creation, enabling young people to pilot initiatives, develop skills, and engage with policymakers to advance democratic citizenship in practice. The European Youth Foundation provides financial and educational support for European youth activities.

The 10^th Council of Europe Conference of Youth Ministers has endorsed a Resolution on the Council of Europe Reference Framework on a Youth Perspective. This reference framework on the integration of a youth perspective is an innovative instrument for strengthening democracy through youth participation, and for developing just and inclusive policies that benefit both current and future generations.

The main pillars of the Council of Europe’s Youth Sector:

• European Youth Centres in Strasbourg and Budapest are co-creation youth spaces for democratic citizenship; 10,000+ youth leaders shape over 200 multilateral activities annually. The Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres creates a network of democracy hubs (currently 15 centres in ten member States).
• The European Youth Foundation (EYF), supported by all member States, channels €4M+ annually into international youth-led projects — such as a special call for Ukraine for youth affected by war (since 2022).
• The Co-management System, is an innovative practice of participatory democracy where young people and governments co-decide policies, funding and programme on an equal footing – no other international Organisation reaches this standard of genuine youth participation.
• Youth Perspective – with the Reykjavik Declaration, the Council of Europe is spearheading a novel approach by adding the integration of a Youth Perspective in the Organisation’s intergovernmental and other deliberations, as well as strengthening further youth participation in decision-making in democratic life.

 More about the Youth activities

 European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML), Graz, Austria

The ECML promotes excellence in language learning and teaching, acting as a catalyst for reform in language education at the levels of policy, teacher education and classroom practice.  The Centre develops innovative resources for language professionals and organises in-country capacity building.

 Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes, Luxembourg

Currently, 49 certified Cultural Routes crisscross over 60 countries in Europe and beyond, promoting intercultural dialogue, cultural democracy an appreciation of European of cultural heritage and identity based on diversity.  The Partial Agreement is composed of 43 States, including 41 member States of the Council of Europe. The European Institute of Cultural Routes, set up with support of the government of Luxembourg, facilitates the implementation of the programme.

   European Audiovisual Observatory 

European Audiovisual Observatory collects and distributes information about the audiovisual industry in Europe. This Partial and Enlarged Agreement with its own budget aims at promoting greater transparency and a clearer understanding of the functioning of the audiovisual industry in Europe from an economic and legal point of view. 

 European Cinema Support Fund (Eurimages)

Eurimages promotes cultural co-operation and diversity by supporting quality full-length films produced by professionals from different European countries and Canada. More than 60 co-productions have won prestigious awards.

 Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE) 

OHTE provides an opportunity to share good practices and experiences between the member States of the enlarged partial agreement and reinforce co-operation in the field of history education at the European level.

 Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card

Over four million young people have a European Youth Card, which contributes to their social, cultural, educational and economic mobility. The card gives advantages/discounts on transport, accommodation, language courses and cultural activities.