Lithuania has assumed the year-long presidency of the European Schools system from Latvia, marking the first time the country has led the network.
The European Schools system comprises 37 schools across 15 EU member states, providing multilingual and multicultural education, culminating in the European Baccalaureate. The education is provided primarily for the children of EU institutional staff, those working at the European Commission, the European Parliament and other Brussels-based bodies.
The handover took place on Friday, with Lithuania formally taking over leadership in August. Education Minister Raminta Popovienė described the presidency as a significant commitment to strengthening and expanding a system that has operated for more than 70 years.
The Lithuanian presidency will focus on strengthening linguistic and cultural diversity within European Schools, sharing Lithuania's experience in the use of artificial intelligence in education, and improving educational support and inclusion across the network.
A series of presidency events and teacher conferences are also planned to raise the profile of the European Schools system more broadly.
