EURYDICE European education information network Keys to understanding Tools for cooperation EDUCATION TRAINING Y O U T H EUROPEAN COMMISSION
/\ network is first and foremost a merging and pooling of knowledge and skills in a joint enterprise. Eurydice, a key instrument in the Socrates programme, is symbolic of this wealth of networking placed at the service of quality European cooperation in the field of education. Information is the undisputed keystone not only of joint consideration of the educational challenges of tomorrow but also of European partnerships and exchanges, of mobility and hence of cooperation of every kind. In this sense, and by reason of the originality of its method of operation, Eurydice is a unique reference instrument in Europe. I he network is much more than the simple expression ofthat diversity of the education systems which characterises the European Union and all the countries associated with it. As they have chosen a common, comparable format of presentation, the Eurydice products provide the "living" foundation essential to the joint consideration and exchange of experience both between policy makers and also between all those involved in the education sphere. As well as being both a special source of information on the education systems and an observatory of their differences, similarities and trends, Eurydice is the instrument which gives a human face to education in Europe.
A UNIQUE NETWORK OF ITS TYPE Two trump cards Eurydice is the European information network on education. It was set up in 1980 with a double aim: to promote exchanges of information and experience between policy makers and, more generally, to provide information to all those involved in the field of education in Europe. Eurydice is unique of its type. It is the only specifically European information tool entirely devoted to education matters. Eurydice holds two trump cards. Its first is the reliability of its sources of information. Its second is the way its information is presented, in the form of comparisons highlighting variety, bringing out convergences where they exist and revealing the whole panorama of the education systems n Europe. Dialogue as the catalyst D The originality of Eurydice is also to be found in its network character Eurydice is organised at two levels - the National Units, established by the Member State Ministries of Education, and the European Unit, set up by the European Commission and responsible for giving central direction to the network and coordinating its activities. Between these two levels, there is a symbiotic relationship which depends on dialogue, exchanges and interaction. This method of operation enables the entire fund of expertise to be drawn on at any time. Central to the "mechanism" is the human dimension which gives Eurydice its flexibility and its value. Greater Europe Eurydice, the network of the European Union, also covers the EFTA countries which are playing a full part in its activities under the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Since 1996, moreover Eurydice has been opened up to the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and will be further opened up to include progressively Cyprus, Malta and the other associated countries.
C HALLENGES TO BE TAKEN UP A new framework Some 15 years after the foundation of Eurydice, Europe has changed. With the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992, decisive steps have been taken in the construction of Europe. The new Article 126 of the Treaty of Union brings education within European purview. It is true that the aim is not to harmonise the various education systems or the legislation of individual Member States. But from now on, one thing is clear - the Member States of Europe are invited to work together on common questions in the field of education. In 1995, the European Parliament and the Council decided to launch the Socrates programme which provides support at all levels for European cooperation in the field of education. Ί Meeting a range of needs On the one hand, European cooperation in education is increasing in breadth and depth. On the other hand, the countries involved in this cooperation are becoming more numerous, with the result that needs increase and become more diversified, and new demands arise for reliable, comparable information. To react to these challenges, the Eurydice network has been able to develop a variety of information tools, from descriptions of the education systems to comparative analyses of them and the production of indicators illustrating the development of education in Europe. Documentary information has been placed at the disposal of the provision of a pro-active, targeted response to the needs of European cooperation in education.
Integration within Socrates Since 1995, Eurydice has been an integral part of the Socrates programme. Consequently, for the first time in its history, the network has a more solid legal foundation. On this occasion, Eurydice's remit was confirmed: the study and observation of the education systems; the collection and computerised management of the information; and dissemination of the results. Also essential is the information from Eurydice which provides a support for various actions under the Socrates programme, in relation to partnerships, mobility, exchanges between teacher training institutions etc. Eurydice is today an instrument of reference in Europe, recognised for the excellence of its products. Eurydice stands for quality information in the service of cooperation. D "ffsss^"
τ HE BASIC TOOLS Eurydos, the backbone of Eurydice The backbone of Eurydice is Eurydos, its database on the education systems in the European Union and in the countries of the European Economic Area. With financial support from the European Commission, this base is updated at regular intervals by the National Units in the network, who provide a guarantee of the quality and reliability of the information. The national education systems are described on the basis of a common table of contents and a common pattern of organisation of the material, an approach which facilitates detailed research on all the Member States in the European Union. The description of the systems is complemented by elements essential to an understanding of the individual national educational situations (bibliography, legislation, directory of institutions, and a glossary of national terms). : Through this database, which covers the various aspects of the education systems, Eurydice guarantees the dissemination of quality information on the countries in the network. It thus has its own stable and systematic working tool which is very useful for preparing a variety of thematic studies across all the countries. Eurydos is a perfect illustration of networking. A collective effort in the true sense of the term, this database is designed to facilitate comparison of information and mutual understanding.
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F ULL AND VARIED NFORMATION Comparative studies: An essential contribution Education in Europe comes in the plural, and the characteristic diversity of its systems and educational approaches constitute its wealth. With the production of a variety of comparative analyses, Eurydice contributes full and varied information which both enables this diversity to be better understood and highlights the common features and trends which are appearing in Europe.This contribution is essential to the quality of European cooperation and to useful exchanges of experience between Member States. A wide range of publications The analyses and comparative documents published by Eurydice are many and varied. These are basic documents describing the structures of the education systems of the countries covered by the network or dealing with particular aspects of the systems (teacher training, language teaching, consultative bodies in education, access to higher education etc.)there are also comparative analyses on the various levels of education (pre-school and primary education, secondary education etc.) or on one specific aspect (organisation of school time etc.). Thanks to its documentary archives of over 12 000 references on education, the European Unit publishes thematic bibliographies on topics of European interest, such as teacher training or the European dimension in education. Food for thought Eurydice is also an instrument at the service of the development of education policy. Thus the development of the systems and their reforms are analysed and common or divergent trends are brought out. Similarly, according to the topic in question, the studies undertaken include information on the results of research and try to make it more readily accessible. The topics dealt with are chosen in the context of the network's work programme which the European Commission presents annually to the Committee on the Socrates programme. In addition, Eurydice is invited to support the work of the successive Council Presidencies in the light of their requirements, by producing docu-
ments as the basis for consideration and discussion by the various groups concerned (the Education Committee, the Senior Officials' meetings, and conferences on specific subjects). The quality of the Eurydice publications is the result of close interaction between the European Unit of the network, as the main editor of the comparative analysis, and the National Units, which provide the necessary basic data and check the accuracy of the processed information. Key data on education Policy makers at the various levels of European cooperation in education have a basic need for reliable, comparable information on education in Europe. The European Unit of Eurydice gives an immediate response to their requirements with the regular production - for the European Commission - of a report entitled Key data on education in the European Union. D This report, which is prepared in close cooperation with the National Units in the network and Eurostat, combines factual information on the education systems and statistical data. The Key data reports are in two parts, a more general statistical section and a section devoted to one specific topic. They include historical information which puts the development of the systems into a dynamic setting and perspective. Starting from the definition of common indicators, Key data is a good effort at popularising the statistics, which are presented in the form of tables, maps and graphs.
A Ν OPEN NETWORK Efficient relays Eurydice aims to be an open, dynamic network. Its extremely valuable information is also made more widely available to all those involved in the world of education. So as to ensure effective dissemination and reach a maximum number of people, priority is given to information and documentation centres in schools and universities and to associations, centres, and national and European relays and bodies specialising in the field of education.the main object is to achieve a multiplier effect on the information at all levels. These publications are presented by Eurydice in an increasing number of languages. Translation is undertaken with particular care so as to ensure once again the quality of the documents..ί The virtues of Internet Another means of contacting a wider public is through Internet. In 1995, Eurydice already had a "home page" on the EUROPA server of the European Commission (code: http://www.cec.lu) and made available via Internet a first document on the structures of the education systems. In the medium term, all publications and also the Eurydos database will be accessible in this way. Partnerships With the passage of time, Eurydice has achieved increasing recognition in Europe. And the network has of course developed working relations with other bodies active in the field of education. With Cedefop, the organisation responsible for information on vocational training, there has always been a close relationship, going from the exchange of information to work on joint productions such as the publication Structures of the Education and initial Training Systems in the European Union. Exchanges of information with the Council of Europe's education division have been developed over the years.the production of the European Education Thesaurus in 1991 and its subsequent development are a tangible mark of the practical cooperation between the Council of Europe and the Eurydice European Unit in particular
European unit of Eurydice Rue d'arlon 15 - Β-1050 Brussels Tel (32-2) 238 30 I I - Fax (32-2) 230 65 62 Units of the Eurydice European Union: Network BELGIQUE / BELGIË Unité Belge d'eurydice (Communauté française) Ministère de l'éducation, de la Recherche et de la Formation Secrétariat Général Cité Administrative de l'état Boulevard Pacheco 19, Bte 0, 7e étage B-I0I0 Bruxelles Belgische Eurydice-Eenheid (Vlaamse Gemeenschap) Ministerie van '-Vlaamse Gemeenschap Departement Onderwijs Arcaden - bureau 3101 B-I0I0 Brussel Ministerium der deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft Agentur Eurydice / Agentur für Europäische Programme Gospertstrasse I -5 B-4700 Eupen DANMARK Eurydice's Informationskontor i Danmark Undervisningsministeriet Frederiksholms Kanal 25 D DK-1220 København Κ BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND Eurydice - Informationsstelle beim Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie Heinemannstrasse 2 D-53175 Bonn Eurydice - Informationsstelle der Länder im Sekretariat der Kultusministerkonferenz Nassestrasse 8 D-531 13 Bonn ELLADA Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs Mitropoleos I 5 GR-I0185 Athens ESPAÑA Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia CIDE-Centro de Investigación y Documentación Educativa Ciudad Universitaria s/n E-28040 Madrid FRANCE Unité d'eurydice Ministère de l'éducation nationale Délégation aux Relations internationales et à la Coopération Sous-Direction des Relations internationales et de la Coopération de l'enseignement scolaire Bureau de l'information sur les systèmes éducatifs et la reconnaissance des diplômes Rue de Grenelle I 10 F-75357 Pans IRELAND Eurydice Unit International Section Department of Education 6th floor - Apollo House Tara Street Dublin 2 Ireland ITALIA Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione Biblioteca di Documentazione Pedagogica Palazzo Gerini Via Buonarroti 10 1-50122 Firenze LUXEMBOURG Unité d'eurydice Centre de Psychologie et d'orientation Scolaire Route de Longwy 280 L-1940 Luxembourg NEDERLAND Eurydice Eenheid Nederland Bibliotheek en Documentatie Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen Postbus 25000 2700 LZ Zoetermeer The Netherlands ÖSTERREICH Bundesministerium für Unterricht und kulturelle Angelegenheiten Abt. l/6b Minoritenplatz 5 A-IOI4Wien PORTUGAL Unidade de Eurydice Ministério da Educação Departamento de Programação e Gestão Financeira (DEPGEF) Av. 24 de Julho 134 Ρ-1 300 Lisboa SUOMI I FINLAND Eurydice Finland National Board of Education RO. Box 380 SF-0053 I Helsinki SVERIGE Eurydice Unit Ministry of Education and Science Drottninggatan 16 S-10333 Stockholm UNITED KINGDOM Eurydice Unit London National Foundation for Educational Research The Mere, Upton Park Slough Berkshire SL I 2DQ United Kingdom Eurydice Unit Scotland International Relations Branch Scottish Office Education and Industry Department Floor I Area B Victoria Quay Edinburgh EH6 6QQ United Kingdom EFTA/EEA Countries: ISLAND Ministry of Culture and Education Eurydice Unit Sölvholsgata 4 IS-150 Reykjavik LIECHTENSTEIN National Unit of Eurydice Schulamt Herrengasse 2 FL-9490 Vaduz NORGE Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs Eurydice Unit RO. Box 8 I 19 Dep. N-0032 Oslo CAT. NUMBER UU1096064ENC
ISBN 2-871 16-239-5 D/1996/4008/8