The opening up of the European Schools : a system at the crossroads

• Main Author: Gutierrez-Peris, Didac
• Published: University College London (University of London) 2014
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.747806

Since 1957 European Schools have provided primary and secondary education to the children of civil servants working for the European Communities. Under an intergovernmental umbrella, these schools have implemented a specific educational framework with a highly supranational vocation. For the first time in 2009 the system adopted a reform to open up this type of schooling and the European Baccalaureate to other pupils across Europe. The process involved different institutional actors with separate motivations. This thesis is a policy analysis of the consequent opening up of the system, presented primarily as a documentbased study. It builds on previous academic research about the evolution and European essence of the system. The thesis shows that the breadth of the opening up is determined by the structure of the system, the decision-making power held by each stakeholder, the ideological vision of the member states and the European institutions, and the economic costs. The 2009 reform provides the legal opportunity to spread, expand and popularize European schooling, but the system is already facing new challenges that could jeopardize this opportunity. The system is at a crossroads. Only a much more committed attitude from the stakeholders can deliver the desired results. The originality of this study lies in providing a coherent and concise assessment of the process, the outcome and the implications of the opening up of European Schools. The principal contribution is to explain why the reform happened. The evolution of European Schools is an example of the increasing global debate on legitimizing European politics. The thesis also reflects on the relation between education and social attitudes towards the European integration project.