ABOUT EUROPE

ABOUT EUROPE:

As a continent, the economy of Europe is currently the largest on Earth and it is the richest region as measured by assets under management. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea and connected waterways to the southeast. The Schengen Area in Europe is the area comprising 26 European countries that have abolished passport or any other type of border control in-between their common borders, also referred to as internal borders. It functions as a single country for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy.

FLAG STATE
Austria Austria
Belgium Belgium
Czech Republic Czech Republic
Denmark Denmark
Estonia Estonia
Finland Finland
France France
FLAG STATE
Germany Germany
Greece Greece
Hungary Hungary
Iceland Iceland
Italy Italy
Latvia Latvia
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein
FLAG STATE
Lithuania Lithuania
Luxembourg Luxembourg
Malta Malta
Netherlands Netherlands
Norway Norway
Poland Poland
Portugal Portugal
FLAG STATE
Slovakia Slovakia
Slovenia Slovenia
Spain Spain
Sweden Sweden
Switzerland Switzerland
Schengen Area Schengen Area

EDUCATION IN EUROPE:
As regards target setting, the Member States agreed in the Council on 5 May 2003 a series of "Reference Levels of European Average Performance in Education and Training (Benchmarks)" against which their systems would be measured. These require that by 2010:

1. Not more than 10% of school pupils should leave school before the end of compulsory schooling
2. The numbers of Maths, Science and Technology university graduates should increase by at least 15%, and the proportion of girls within that number should also increase
3. At least 85% of 22-year olds should have completed upper secondary education
4. The percentage of low-achieving 15-year olds in reading literacy, as measured at level 1 in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment should have decreased by at least 20% compared to the year 2000
5. Participation of the 25-64 age groups in lifelong learning (i.e., continuing education or training including in-company skills development) should be not less than 12.5% per annum. In Europe, Very good progress has been made in the field of graduates in Maths, Science and Technology. While all programmes focus on the study of the European Union, they often cover national topics (in a comparative perspective) as well. The subject combines humanities and social sciences. Disciplines that are involved in European studies include:

  • 1. Anthropology
  • 2. Cultural studies
  • 3. Economics
  • 4. European languages
  • 5. Geography
  • 6. History
  • 7. International Relations
  • 8. Law
  • 9. Linguistics
  • 10. Literature
  • 11. Philosophy
  • 12. Psychology
  • 13. Political science
  • 14. Public administration
  • 15. Sociology

While European studies departments are obviously more common in Europe than elsewhere, there are departments dedicated to its study further afield, including in North America, Asia and Australasia