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High-level group issues 'wake-up call' for Member States to address literacy crisis Skills and competences acquired outside school will be better recognised EU Youth Report calls for employment and social inclusion to be top priority Paphos (Cyprus) and Aarhus (Denmark) to be the European Capitals of Culture in 2017 Report highlights major geographic disparities in education Androulla VassiliouCommissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth "We are living a paradox: while reading and writing are more important and relevant than ever before in the context of our digitised world, our literacy skills are not keeping up. We urgently need to reverse this alarming situation. Investments to improve literacy among citizens of all ages make economic sense, producing tangible gains for individuals and for society, adding up to billions of euros in the long run."

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In the spotlight  High-level group issues 'wake-up call' for Member States to address literacy crisis  The European Union needs to overhaul its approach to improving literacy standards, according to a high-level group of experts  set up by European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou to address the issue. One in five 15 year olds, as well as nearly 75 million adults, lack basic reading and writing skills, which makes it hard for them to get a job and increases their risk of poverty and social exclusion. The expert group's chair, HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, a long-time campaigner in the field, describes the report as a "wake-up call about the crisis that affects every country in Europe". The Report.

Skills and competences acquired outside school will be better recognised As part of Europe's strategy for jobs and growth, the European Commission presented a proposal to strengthen the recognition and validation of skills and competences acquired outside school or university. The proposal would increase labour market opportunities in particular for the young unemployed and those with few formal qualifications such as older and low-skilled workers. The proposal would also improve access to higher education, especially among mature students. EU Youth Report calls for employment and social inclusion to be top priority The EU Youth Report has been published and calls for youth employment, social inclusion, health and the well-being of young people to be top priorities in Europe's youth policy. The report, which is produced every three years by the Commission, underlines that the EU and Member States must do more to support young people, who have borne the brunt of the economic crisis. Youth unemployment in the EU among 15-24-year-olds has increased by more than 50% since the onset of the crisis, from an average of 15% in February 2008 to 22.6% in June this year. Latest figures released by Eurostat show that highest rates are in Greece (53.8%) and Spain (52.9%). Across the EU, more than 30% of young unemployed have been jobless for more than a year. Paphos (Cyprus) and Aarhus (Denmark) to be the European Capitals of Culture in 2017 On Friday 14, the Cypriot city of Paphos was recommended for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2017 by an independent selection panel. The other Cypriot city in contention was Nicosia. On 24 August, the independent panel proposed Aarhus (Denmark) to be the other European Capital of Culture for 2017. The formal nomination of both winning cities by the EU's Council of Ministers will take place in May 2013. Report highlights major geographic disparities in education Where you live in Europe can strongly influence your education and prospects in life, according to a new European Commission report. The report, entitled 'Mind the Gap - education inequality across EU regions', highlights significant disparities in education opportunities and results across - and within - Member States.   20 September 2012 Eurydice: Key data on teaching languages at schools in Europe 2012   14 September 2012 Ageing teachers challenge for EU education sector   10 September 2012 Report reveals wide fluctuations in cost of higher education and support for students   03 September 2012 European Heritage Days: 50 countries open rarely seen sites   22 August 2012 Marie Curie Individual Fellowship Applications Break a Record   22 August 2012 Marie Curie Alumna Plays Key Role in Mars Curiosity   24 July 2012 European Institute of Innovation and Technology: Commission appoints 12 new board members   26 September 2012 European Day of Languages , list of events    26 - 28 September 2012 Youth on the Move event : "Living Europe", Bucharest (RO)   28 September 2012 Researchers Night   15 - 17 October 2012 Culture in Motion conference on audience development, Brussels - Register now   18 - 19 October 2012 European Education and Training Forum 2012, Brussels   29 October - 03 November 2012 EuroMed 2012 International Conference - Dedicated on the Documentation and Protection of Cultural Heritage   Open calls  Education and Training, Lifelong Learning Programme: call for proposals 2013. Sub-Programmes and transversal Programme – deadlines: 31 January 2013 (sub-Programmes) and 28 February 2013 (transversal Programme).Jean Monnet Programme – deadline: 15 February 2013  Culture, Funding opportunities 2012: Culture, Funding opportunities 2012: submission deadlines extended for several calls for proposals Culture, call for proposals for European cultural Festivals (Strand 1.3.6) - deadline: 5 December 2012 Call for applications : study visits for specialists and decision-makers in education and training - Deadline : 12 October 2012 Selected projects  Education and Training, Lifelong Learning Programme: Sub-programmes Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig – results of the call for proposals 2012 (EAC/27/11)  Education and Training, Lifelong Learning Programme: Transversal Programme, Key Activities 1, 2, 3 and 4 – results of the call for proposals 2012 (EAC/27/11)  Education and Training, Lifelong Learning Programme: Erasmus University Charter 2007 - 2013: results of the selection 2013  Higher Education, Erasmus Mundus: results of the selection 2012 (call EACEA 42/11) Higher Education, Tempus: results of the 5th call for proposals (call EACEA/25/2011) Youth in action: cooperation with other countries of the world (Action 3.2) - results of the selection 2012 (call EACEA/06/12) Culture: support for literary translations (Strand 1.2.2) - results of the selection 2012 Culture: cooperation projects with third countries (Strand 1.3.5) - results of the selection 2012   CEDEFOP – International qualifications  CEDEFOP - Payback clauses in Europe: supporting company investment in training  EURYDICE - Organisation of school time in Europe (Primary and general secondary education) - 2012/13  EURYDICE - The organisation of the academic year in higher education - 2012/13  Expert Group "Sport, Health and Participation" Report from the 3rd meeting (27 June 2012)  Study on new business models in the audiovisual sector