STEM education, a priority for Romania and the European Union

The Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Mînzatu, stressed the importance of improving the basic skills of Romanian students in areas such as mathematics, reading, writing and digital skills. These are essential for increasing the competitiveness of the European Union at a global level and for Romania's economic development.

• The need for technical skills in Europe

Mînzatu highlighted that the industrial and technical sector in Europe is facing a shortage of specialists, including engineers and technicians in essential areas such as the water industry and defense. Thus, it is crucial that the education system stimulates excellence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), a strong tradition in Eastern Europe, but which needs support to remain competitive.

• The European Union's role in supporting education

Although the European Commission does not have direct competences in setting school curricula, it provides support to member states through European funding and initiatives such as the Erasmus programme. This programme not only facilitates the mobility of students and teachers, but also helps to create modern educational models and develop alliances between European schools and universities. The European Union also supports skills development through the European Social Fund, but decisions on investments in teacher training, modernisation of classrooms and the creation of educational materials are the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of European Funds.

• Education, a solution to reducing the workforce shortage

To keep Europe economically and socially strong, a focus on key skills - STEM and digitalisation - is necessary. Mînzatu warned that, without these measures, the European Union will continue to face the migration of skilled labour from outside its borders. The European Union is already exploring solutions such as the EU Talent Pool, a program to attract talent from third countries, but the European official stressed that the focus must be on training and developing human resources within the EU.