Chapter 9: Internationalisation Policies: A European Network

In 2003, a comparative study was published “of the place occupied by the European Union in the secondary education curriculum” in EU countries (European Parliament, Directorate-General for Research, 2003). Striking findings were that the understanding of the “European Dimension” varied enormously between and even within countries, that there was no “common European knowledge base” in education, and that the countless initiatives were neither visible nor accessible.

One year later in The Netherlands, a national initiative rose to that challenge. After extensive discussions with schools and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the European Platform for Dutch Education launched a network called “Elos” (Europe as a Learning Environment in Schools). A Dutch research institute conducted a feasibility study (questioning schools, the inspectorate, and educational centers in The Netherlands, as well as authorities in other countries and the European Commission) and found that Elos was judged innovative, inspiring, and attainable, provided that sufficient funding and organisational support were available (GION, 2004). With the beginning of the school year 2004–2005, 14 Dutch schools were granted national funding for implementing the Elos concept; in the last year of the pilot program (2007–2008), that number grew to 21 schools and is now still expanding annually. Within the framework of their financial autonomy, all schools invested substantially from their own resources in the Elos development.