European Culture and Citizenship

The FEDE promotes a European spirit and European values. It strives to advance human dignity, tolerance, openness to others, peace, human rights, solidarity, democracy and the rule of law. The FEDE drives forward a progressive vision for education in Europe.

The FEDE actively participates in building a vast, common European higher educational space. It contributes to educational development in Europe and promotes the transparency of course contents and the international recognition of educational qualifications so as to:

• Encourage mobility and exchanges;
• Facilitate intercultural contact and dialogue;
• Foster authentic European citizenship.

The Federation for EDucation in Europe/Fédération Européenne des Ecoles (FEDE) is an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) with participatory status at the Council of Europe – an organisation with 47 Member States representing over 800 million citizens. In particular, the FEDE is a member of the Conference of INGOs, which represents and reflects civil society at the Council of Europe.

As the leading organisation for the protection of human rights in Europe, the Council of Europe guarantees the rule of law, political stability and the promotion of European cultural identity in all its diversity.

As an INGO, the FEDE plays an active role at the Council of Europe. The ‘participatory status’ accorded to INGOS by the Council of Europe is rare and special: of all today’s international organisations, only the Council of Europe officially recognises leading INGOs in this way, allowing them to have a concrete influence on the content of official Council of Europe documents. Participatory status is therefore very different from ‘consultative’ or ‘observer’ status.

“We place the basic values of the Council of Europe at the heart of our Federation’s work. All of our research, our teaching material, our varied activities and our educational programmes centre around citizenship, democracy and human rights. Understanding the role of the Council of Europe enables us to build ambitious plans for future democracies and to communicate inspiring values so as to nurture a new generation of European citizens – and, more broadly, citizens of the world – who are attuned to international issues and can act as world ambassadors for progressive ideals.”

Claude Vivier Le Got, Chairwoman of the FEDE and Chairwoman of the Education and Culture Committee of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe

All of the FEDE’s European degrees are structured around a shared core unit: European Culture and Citizenship.

Regardless of their level of study and their chosen subject area, all FEDE students are expected to acquire knowledge of the history and origins of European construction, EU rules and regulations, the role and workings of the EU institutions, the role of Europe in the world and the challenges faced by contemporary Europe.

Europe is also a key area of research interest for the international experts at the FEDE Research Institute, who frequently publish on European issues. Indeed, two of the Institute’s  publications focus exclusively on Europe:

• Humankind and Europe
• Governance and Europe

Finally, the FEDE’s educational teams have put together four reference guides on Europe, the European Project, European history, European values and contemporary European issues. These resources are made available to all FEDE students.