European Literacy Coalition
Warsaw Memorandum
Acknowledging the need for an impactful European response to declining literacy skills, the European Commission, has called for a European Literacy Coalition to be set up. The Memorandum captures the shared understanding that emerged in response to that call.
Why Europe needs coordinated action on literacy
Literacy opens the way to knowledge, learning and participation. Literacy enables people to:
- develop their potential
- understand others
- take part in the social, cultural and democratic life of their communities
Yet many children, young people and adults across Europe do not have the literacy skills they need to thrive in education, work, culture and civic life.
The scale of the challenge is significant. PISA 2025 findings on educational performance and inequality show that one in three 15-year-olds in the EU does not reach the minimum proficiency level in reading. Meanwhile, a 2023 Survey of Adult Skills shows that one in four working-age adults struggles with reading and writing. Low literacy can reduce employment opportunities, worsen health outcomes, increase vulnerability to disinformation and weaken democratic participation.
The coalition is one of the actions set out in the Action Plan on Basic Skills, adopted in March 2025 as part of the Union of Skills strategy. Covering learning from early childhood education and care through to adulthood, the Action Plan aims to:
- boost the teaching and learning of basic skills
- strengthen support for educators
- create supportive environments in which people can develop basic skills
What is the European Literacy Coalition?
The European Literacy Coalition is a multi-stakeholder European network. It connects organisations working in relevant sectors so that they can work together more effectively to strengthen literacy and promote reading across Europe.
Who is involved?
The coalition brings together organisations working across education, culture, employment, health, digital media and other areas that influence literacy throughout people’s lives. These include:
- schools, education and training providers
- libraries and cultural organisations
- universities and research institutions
- literacy, reading and civil society organisations
- teachers’, learners’ and parents’ associations
- public authorities and policymakers
- employers and social partners
- media and digital organisations
What is the coalition’s mission?
Working at European level, the coalition aims to:
- strengthen cooperation with schools through a whole-school approach
- provide evidence-based recommendations to support literacy education policies
- connect and help streamline literacy initiatives across Europe
- improve learners’ literacy competences and strengthen the competences of teachers and educators
- address literacy challenges in the digital era
- support sustained cooperation, peer learning and the exchange of effective practice among literacy stakeholders
- raise public awareness and political commitment to literacy and reading
From co-creation to coordinated action
The European Literacy Coalition is developed by the European Commission in cooperation with literacy organisations from across Europe. Key milestones include:
- May 2026: A co-creation workshop in Warsaw helped shape the coalition’s memorandum, setting out the shared foundation for cooperation among members.
- September 2026: Official launch in Brussels, bringing together organisations from multiple sectors to strengthen cooperation and support coordinated European action on literacy.
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