EURead Statement on Reading and Literacy
We, the EURead member organisations representing 34 state, non-governmental and publishing organisations from 23 countries across the continent, call on European leaders at regional, national and supranational levels to recognise the fundamental role that reading plays in the individual development of citizens, in developing thriving economies and in ensuring the functioning of modern democracies.
In particular, we call on you to recognize and act on the following principles.
1. The ability to read and read with understanding is essential for personal development and is a fundamental human right.
There is ample evidence that reading regularly for pleasure improves mental health and well-being, correlates with academic achievement, improves social mobility and enables participation in society. PISA defines reading as “understanding, using, engaging with and reflecting on written texts in order to achieve one’s goals, expand one’s knowledge and potential, and participate in society.” Given its pervasive impact on individuals’ lives, learning and enjoying reading is a fundamental right.
2. Reading literacy underlies the functioning of our society in many dimensions and, as such, is a matter of concern to each and every one of us.
Having citizens who can read as well as possible can boost economic productivity, improve health, have a positive impact on social mobility and help to strengthen social cohesion. Ensuring that Europe’s citizens read regularly should be a concern for a wide range of state and non-state actors beyond the education and culture sectors. These include, among others, organisations operating in business and commerce, the healthcare sector and regional development.
3. Having citizens who can read critically is essential to protecting our democracies.
In an age of disinformation, the ability to interpret information and assess the credibility of statements is essential for the functioning of modern democracies. Promoting high levels of critical reading skills should be a priority for governments and, for EU members, part of the Defence of Democracies package.
4. Reading should be part of family life from the earliest stages of a child's life, and governments should continue to invest in book gift programmes for early school-age children.
There is widespread scientific evidence of the importance of the first 1,000 days for a child’s development, and further evidence of the crucial role that reading to young children can play in language acquisition and emotional attachment to a parent or carer. We know that children who are read to in childhood are more likely to read independently later on. We believe that no child should miss out on this opportunity, and governments should continue to invest in well-proven book-gifting schemes. Book-giving schemes should be part of the European Child Guarantee.
5. Access to a wide selection of books, for example in kindergartens, school and municipal libraries employing qualified librarians, is essential to developing a love of reading and requires financial support.
Every citizen of a European country, from birth onwards, would benefit from access to a variety of reading materials of all types and in different formats, as this helps to develop and maintain regular reading habits.
Having school and community libraries staffed with professionals who can help people discover and love reading is a key part of our
reading infrastructure.
6. The promotion of reading should be supported by many different entities.
People need encouragement to read, especially those who can benefit the most from reading regularly. Reading promotion programs that
are based on the expert knowledge of the state and non-governmental organizations, as well as the intellectual capital of authors, illustrators, publishers and booksellers, and require permanent
investment over time to bring about behavioral change. While these entities may conduct promotional activities, it is the responsibility of every element of society to
signaling that reading is something highly valued.
EURead Members
Anne Çocuk Eğitim Vakfı – ACEV,
Asociación Artística Sociocultural Mestiza,
Bonniers Familjestiftelse,
BookTrust,
Chetene Foundation
Children's Books Ireland,
Children's Book Foundation,
Megalon's Diavazontas,
Federation of European Publishers,
Foreningen ! forest,
The Universal Reading Foundation,
Good Books,
Hungarian Reading Association,
Book Institute,
Idereen Leest Flanders,
Kitabistani,
Librand,
LitCam,
Lubimyczytac.pl,
Lukukeskus Läscentrum Martynas,
Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania,
Media Center East Belgium,
Nati per Leggere,
National Literacy Agency Malta,
Österreichisches Bibliothekswerk,
National Leisure Plan,
Schweizerisches Institut für Kinder- und Jugendmedien,
Scottish Book Trust,
Stichting Lezen,
Foundation Forest,
Holy Books,
Turkish Publishers Association,
Ukrainian Book Institute,
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Read and download the EURead Statement: https://fpc.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Poland_EURead-Statement.pdf