Remarks by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on the Education and Skills package

Europe is living through a transformation that will define generations to come.

Artificial intelligence is changing how we work and learn.

Disinformation is testing our democracies.

An ageing workforce is putting pressure on our economy and public services.

And, at this moment, one in three European 15-year-olds underachieve in reading and mathematics.

This is not only an education problem. It is a problem for our competitiveness, democracy and even preparedness.

This is why today we put education where it belongs: at the top of the Commission's agenda.

Building on the Union of Skills, our Education and Skills Package has four priorities

First, giving schools the digital tools they can use safely

EVP Virkkunen and I worked together on the European Digital Infrastructure Consortium on Education (EDU-EDIC).

For the first time, participating countries will pool resources to build, test and run European digital tools for schools.

For example, schools will be able to store and share teaching materials securely in the cloud – safe and European made.

Teachers will be able to train together on AI tools that protect pupils' data.

Countries can set the same requirements, test tools together and, if they choose, buy them together.

A European company could then offer the same tool to schools in several countries.

Alongside the EU KIDS Act, we want pupils to know when to use a screen, when to put it aside and how to check what they see online.

From next school year, we will pilot an AI literacy certificate.

Pupils could show, for example, that they can spot a mistake in an AI answer and explain how they checked it.

Second, helping our youth catch up in reading, maths and other basic skills.

Our proposed Council Recommendation asks countries to make basic skills a national priority.

The European School Alliances will bring together schools from two or three countries, their school authorities and an independent expert.

They will choose a skill, set a measurable goal and track progress.

EU funding could pay for reading tutors, extra maths lessons, teacher training and visits to partner schools.

Authorities can then share what works with other schools.

Our third priority is to make teaching a career people want to enter and stay in

Only 8% of teachers are under 30 years, while around 40% are 50 or older.

Most EU education systems already face teacher shortages.

Our EU Teachers Agenda asks countries to cut paperwork, improve working conditions, give teachers clearer ways to progress in their careers and support them in deciding when AI is useful in class.

We propose regular European discussions where teachers' unions and employers can sit down with education authorities to discuss workload, career prospects and planned reforms.

Last, but not at all least, making vocational and technical education a first choice.

Almost 70% of occupations with the most severe shortages rely heavily on vocational skills, including in construction, healthcare, manufacturing and energy.

Eight in ten small and medium-sized businesses struggle to find qualified workers.

Through VET Business Partnerships, companies and training providers would design courses together.

Companies would help pay for shared training centres specialising in one technology, giving smaller firms access to equipment they could not afford alone.

From 2028, the proposed European Competitiveness Fund could support vocational training for the first time.

From early 2027, Sectoral Apprenticeship Clusters would bring employers, training providers and apprentices in the same industry together.

Small firms could share trainers, arrange placements abroad and test ways for apprentices to practice tasks using AI and virtual reality.

Eight in ten recent vocational graduates are in work.

Young people choosing what to study should be able to see which jobs a vocational course leads to and choose that route with confidence.

Delivering this package requires sustained political commitment.

I know we agree on the direction.

Member States have just jointly set very ambitious targets on basic skills.

Getting there by 2030 requires a real, big effort.

I am calling on national governments to put education at the heart of their economic strategies and budget decisions.

The Commission will support them through European funding, practical cooperation and closer monitoring of progress.

This is a generational responsibility.

The decisions we take now will shape Europe's prosperity, its democracy and the confidence people have in their future.

Thank you.