At its meeting in Brussels on 12-13 June, the Bureau of the Steering Committee for Education discussed several key Council of Europe initiatives aimed at enhancing quality education across Europe.

One of the main highlights of the meeting was the advancement of the European Space of Citizenship Education, which aims to create a comprehensive framework for quality citizenship education in Europe and a European area of cooperation between member states committed to democratic values and principles.

Another significant development was the discussion on setting up a Centre for Preventing and Countering Education Fraud. This new body will focus on identifying, monitoring, and combating fraudulent and corrupt practices in education, with a special focus on ensuring the integrity and credibility of academic institutions and their credentials.

Other items on the agenda included ways that the Council of Europe can advance automatic recognition of academic qualifications through a standard-setting instrument and the organisation of the 2025 European Year of Digital Citizenship Education.

The Bureau also held an informal meeting with members of the Education Committee of the Council of the European Union (EDUC) in order to strengthen cooperation in the field of education between the Council of Europe and the European Union. 

The meetings in Brussels underscored the collaborative efforts of member states in addressing common challenges and leveraging opportunities to promote democracy and human rights through education and was instrumental in preparing the Plenary session of the Committee, which will take place in October in Strasbourg.