Starting August 1st, Lithuania takes over the presidency of the European School Network
On August 1st, Lithuania starts the presidency of the European School Network. This is the first time Lithuania is leading this system. Lithuania took over the one-year presidency from neighbouring Latvia.
“We viewed Lithuania’s presidency of the European Schools as an important commitment to contribute to the strengthening and expansion of this unique educational system. The European Schools have been in existence for more than 70 years, and I hope that during Lithuania’s presidency, they will only grow stronger and carry out their mission even more effectively to provide high-quality, multilingual, multicultural, and inclusive education in a rapidly changing world,” said Raminta Popovienė, Minister of Education, Science, and Sport.
During Lithuania’s presidency, the main focus will be on strengthening linguistic and cultural diversity in the European Schools. There are also plans to share Lithuania’s best practices in the field of artificial intelligence, and to strengthen educational support and inclusion within the European School Network.
In addition, various events and conferences for teachers organised as part of the presidency will aim to raise awareness of the European School system.
In June, a formal ceremony marking the handover of the presidency was held at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, during which Andreas Beckmann, Secretary-General of the European School Network, congratulated Lithuania.
During the event, the logo for Lithuania’s presidency of the European Schools, inspired by the works of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, was presented. “This brilliant Lithuanian artist, composer, and painter said that ‘a person comes into the world with the sun’. These words serve as the motto of Lithuania’s presidency, reflecting the goal of nurturing every student’s innate brilliance, uniqueness, and thirst for knowledge,” said Rūta Stanaitienė, Lithuania’s representative on the Board of Governors of the European Schools.
The system of European Schools consists of nearly 40 schools
European Schools are educational institutions run by EU Member States and provide multilingual and multicultural education. The European Schools system consists of 37 schools in 15 EU countries, with approximately 400 Lithuanian students enrolled in them.
The European Schools were established so that the children of employees working for EU institutions could receive a high-quality education in their mother tongue. This enables these children to continue their education seamlessly or return to their home country’s education system at any stage of their schooling.
The European School consists of three levels: Nursery, Primary, and Secondary education. Upon leaving a European School, a pupil receives a European Baccalaureate diploma which is equivalent to a Lithuanian Matriculation Certificate.
The Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, together with the partnering Vytautas Magnus University and the Lithuanian House in Vilnius, will carry out the mission of chairing the European School Network. Part of the presidency will coincide with Lithuania’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU, which will begin on January 1, 2027.
Last updated: 21-08-2026
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