The European Commission has announced today it will further increase the part of humanitarian funding dedicated to getting children into education in crisis zones around the world. In 2018, 8% of the EU’s humanitarian budget will go to education in emergencies, which is far above the global average of less than 3%.

“The EU is a global leader in supporting education in emergencies. Concretely this means giving children in some of the most difficult situations in the world an opportunity for the future. As I have travelled to many crises zones, from refugee camps to areas devastated by natural disasters, it is always clear that education is much more than a human right or a basic need. It is safety, dignity and a shield against radicalisation. By supporting education we are making the biggest investment we can in the future of the most vulnerable. We are investing in peace.” said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides during a High Level Education Event, organised in the margins of the UN General Assembly 2017 in New York.

The EU’s contribution in 2018 of over €86 million will support access to formal and non-formal education, including life skills and vocational training, recreational activities and psychosocial support for girls and boys in crisis areas around the world. Several EU projects will be focussed on girls; giving them access to education and helping them learn life and vocational skills. Children will also benefit from the provision of school materials and the creation of new learning spaces. Teachers and parents will also be supported and benefit from training.

Commissioner Stylianides has made education in emergencies a priority since the beginning of his mandate, continuing to increase the EU’s financial support to education projects for children affected by crises every year since he took office. EU support allocated to education in emergencies went from 1% of its humanitarian budget in 2015 to 6% in 2017 and will eventually go to 8% in 2018. This aid has reached 4 million children and teachers in 50 countries between 2012-2016.

The EU’s humanitarian aid will be channelled through non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies and International Organisations to reach the most vulnerable.

Background

Today, some 75 million children living in crisis-affected countries and forced displacement lack access to quality education.

By the end of 2016, nearly 4 million boys and girls in 50 countries around the world have benefitted from these in Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.

EU-funded educational activities are tailored to take into account the different needs of children based on their age, gender and other specific circumstances.

In March 2017, the EU launched its largest ever humanitarian programme for education in emergencies. This €34 million Conditional Cash Transfer Programme will enable some 230, 000 refugee children to attend school in Turkey.

For more information

Factsheet on Education in Emergencies

The European Commission’s European civil protection and humanitarian aid

20 September 2017

Yesterday, the European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA) and the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation.

The objective of the MoU, signed by the Executive Director of eu-LISA, Krum Garkov, and the President of Eurojust, Michèle Coninsx, is to promote effective cooperation and the exchange of information, expertise and best practice in the area of ICT activities and services. The MoU will strengthen the existing cooperation in strategic matters, providing added value for both organisations and their stakeholders.

Part of the MoU concerns the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II), referring to the foreseen access rights of Eurojust and the exchange of information relevant to the effective implementation thereof.

According to the MoU, eu-LISA and Eurojust may also assist each other with know-how, best practice and lessons learned in the management of human resources, premises, internal and external audits, finance and procurement.

The Executive Director of eu-LISA, Krum Garkov, emphasised: ‘Signing today the Memorandum of Understanding is an important step in reinforcing the established partnership between our two Agencies. I am certain that close cooperation between eu-LISA and Eurojust is essential for the development of modern and efficient justice systems in Europe. The experience and knowledge we have in Information and Communication Technologies should be shared on a regular basis thus providing added value to both parties and its stakeholders.’

The President of Eurojust, Michèle Coninsx, said: ‘I am very pleased to host this signing ceremony today at Eurojust to formalise our cooperation with such a trusted partner. eu-LISA is responsible for managing huge international databases, such as SIS II, EES, ETIAS, ECRIS-TCN and VIS, allowing us to access vital data to aid with our mission of fighting serious organised cross-border crime.’

Background:
The European Agency eu-LISA manages large-scale information systems in the area of freedom, security and justice. It operates Eurodac, the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) and the Visa Information System (VIS). eu-LISA is responsible for keeping the IT systems under its control fully functional in order to allow continuous and uninterrupted exchange of data between national authorities. eu-LISA ensures that it applies the highest level of information security and data protection to the information it is entrusted with.

In order to allow eu-LISA to accommodate the growing need for integration and synergies between existing and future large-scale IT systems, the Commission presented in June 2017 a legislative proposal to broaden the Agency’s mandate. The proposal foresees eu LISA taking responsibility for development, implementation and operational management of three new large-scale IT systems: the Entry Exit System (EES), the European Travel Information Authorisation System (ETIAS) and the European Criminal Records Information System – Third Country Nationals (ECRIS-TCN).

The seat of the Agency is in Tallinn (Estonia), whilst the operational management is carried out in Strasbourg (France). eu-LISA also has a business continuity site in Sankt Johann im Pongau (Austria) and a liaison office in Brussels.

The European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) was established to stimulate and improve the coordination of investigations and prosecutions and the cooperation between the competent authorities in the Member States. In particular, Eurojust facilitates the execution of requests for international mutual legal assistance and extradition. Eurojust supports in any way possible the competent authorities of the Member States to render their investigations and prosecutions more effective when dealing with serious cross-border crime.

Eurojust’s competence covers various types of crimes and offences, including terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, counterfeiting, money laundering, computer crime, crime against property or public goods, including fraud and corruption, criminal offences affecting the European Community’s financial interests, environmental crime and participation in a criminal organisation.

The seat of Eurojust is in The Hague (Netherlands).

Links:
eu-LISA: http://www.eulisa.europa.eu
Eurojust: https://www.eurojust.europa.eu

Contact:

Photos: © Eurojust

20 September 2017

Yesterday, the European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA) and the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation.

The objective of the MoU, signed by the Executive Director of eu-LISA, Krum Garkov, and the President of Eurojust, Michèle Coninsx, is to promote effective cooperation and the exchange of information, expertise and best practice in the area of ICT activities and services. The MoU will strengthen the existing cooperation in strategic matters, providing added value for both organisations and their stakeholders.

Part of the MoU concerns the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II), referring to the foreseen access rights of Eurojust and the exchange of information relevant to the effective implementation thereof.

According to the MoU, eu-LISA and Eurojust may also assist each other with know-how, best practice and lessons learned in the management of human resources, premises, internal and external audits, finance and procurement.

The Executive Director of eu-LISA, Krum Garkov, emphasised: ‘Signing today the Memorandum of Understanding is an important step in reinforcing the established partnership between our two Agencies. I am certain that close cooperation between eu-LISA and Eurojust is essential for the development of modern and efficient justice systems in Europe. The experience and knowledge we have in Information and Communication Technologies should be shared on a regular basis thus providing added value to both parties and its stakeholders.’

The President of Eurojust, Michèle Coninsx, said: ‘I am very pleased to host this signing ceremony today at Eurojust to formalise our cooperation with such a trusted partner. eu-LISA is responsible for managing huge international databases, such as SIS II, EES, ETIAS, ECRIS-TCN and VIS, allowing us to access vital data to aid with our mission of fighting serious organised cross-border crime.’

Background:
The European Agency eu-LISA manages large-scale information systems in the area of freedom, security and justice. It operates Eurodac, the second generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) and the Visa Information System (VIS). eu-LISA is responsible for keeping the IT systems under its control fully functional in order to allow continuous and uninterrupted exchange of data between national authorities. eu-LISA ensures that it applies the highest level of information security and data protection to the information it is entrusted with.

In order to allow eu-LISA to accommodate the growing need for integration and synergies between existing and future large-scale IT systems, the Commission presented in June 2017 a legislative proposal to broaden the Agency’s mandate. The proposal foresees eu LISA taking responsibility for development, implementation and operational management of three new large-scale IT systems: the Entry Exit System (EES), the European Travel Information Authorisation System (ETIAS) and the European Criminal Records Information System – Third Country Nationals (ECRIS-TCN).

The seat of the Agency is in Tallinn (Estonia), whilst the operational management is carried out in Strasbourg (France). eu-LISA also has a business continuity site in Sankt Johann im Pongau (Austria) and a liaison office in Brussels.

The European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) was established to stimulate and improve the coordination of investigations and prosecutions and the cooperation between the competent authorities in the Member States. In particular, Eurojust facilitates the execution of requests for international mutual legal assistance and extradition. Eurojust supports in any way possible the competent authorities of the Member States to render their investigations and prosecutions more effective when dealing with serious cross-border crime.

Eurojust’s competence covers various types of crimes and offences, including terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, counterfeiting, money laundering, computer crime, crime against property or public goods, including fraud and corruption, criminal offences affecting the European Community’s financial interests, environmental crime and participation in a criminal organisation.

The seat of Eurojust is in The Hague (Netherlands).

Links:
eu-LISA: http://www.eulisa.europa.eu
Eurojust: https://www.eurojust.europa.eu

Contact:

Photos: © Eurojust

This graph highlights the importance of education, indicating that in all EU countries except Finland, the at-risk-of-poverty rate is highest among people with the lowest level of education. The differences on the basis of education are largest in Romania, where 52% of those with primary education only are at risk of in-work poverty, compared with just 1% of those who have completed tertiary education.

Download the full report: In-work poverty in the EU

The ESMA Conference 2017 will be a unique gathering of political decision makers, global regulators and high-profile financial industry leaders. Around 350 participants will discuss the state of European financial markets – including the key issues currently affecting the financial sector such as the MiFID II, FinTech, Brexit as well as the review of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs).

Tuesday, 17 October 2017, 9am – 5pm CET

The Westin Grand Vendôme,

3 Rue De Castiglione, 75001 Paris, France

ESMA invites you to its conference to reflect on the state of Europe’s financial markets together with its key speakers:

• Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for the Euro and Social Dialogue as well as for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union.
• Roberto Gualtieri, MEP, Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), European Parliament
• Ashley Alder, Chair of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)
• Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the London Stock Exchange (LSE)
• Steven Maijoor, Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)

 You can already reserve your seat by registering here.