International mobility seems to be on top of the EU member states’ agenda for education during the current semester. This was announced on 3-4 September, when the Italian Presidency-in-Office of the Council of the European Union presented for the first time its semester priorities at the Culture and Education Committee (CULT) of the European Parliament. As the Italian Minister of education, universities and research Stefania Giannini declared, investment in education is seen as a crucial factor to promote growth in Europe. In particular, the three top priorities which the Italians chose to highlight as key measures for growth are:

The commitment of the Italian Presidency is particularly important at a time of delicate transitions: politically, towards a new Commission establishment, and budgetary-wise with the review of the Horizon 2020 Strategy. Having a strong leadership for the 28 member states, recognizing the importance of investing in education and research, is crucial also in a situation where the public spending in education decreased from 2000 to 2011 in most of the member states, according to a European Commission study.