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Education unions from across Southern Europe have renewed their commitment to advancing the Go Public! Fund Education campaign, meeting in Rome, Italy, to strengthen regional cooperation and coordinate efforts to secure greater public investment in education and the teaching profession.

Hosted by FLC CGIL, the Southern Europe strategy meeting brought together education union representatives from Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, alongside representatives from Education International (EI) and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE).

The gathering provided an opportunity for unions to share experiences from their national contexts and develop joint strategies to address challenges affecting public education systems across the region, including teacher shortages, increasing workloads, precarious employment, and persistent underfunding.

Gianna Fracassi, General Secretary of FLC CGIL, underscored the importance of international trade union solidarity in defending and strengthening public education.

“Across southern Europe, our education systems face many of the same challenges: teacher shortages, excessive workloads, precariousness, and chronic underfunding of public education. No trade union can address these challenges alone. Our goal is to leave Rome with concrete plans and a stronger sense of solidarity across our region.”

Building momentum for the Go Public! Fund Education campaign

The central focus of the meeting was Education International's global Go Public! Fund Education campaign, which calls on governments to invest in quality public education and ensure good working and learning conditions for all.

Participants exchanged experiences from national and local campaign initiatives and discussed how successful organising, advocacy, and mobilisation efforts can be adapted and expanded across the region. Discussions highlighted the growing recognition that quality education depends on sustained public investment and respect for the rights and professionalism of teachers and education support personnel.

The meeting also explored ways to strengthen advocacy at both national and European levels. Participants examined current developments in European education policy and discussed how unions can ensure that education workers' voices are heard in decisions affecting schools, universities, and education systems.

Addressing the impact of artificial intelligence

The growing role of artificial intelligence in education was another important topic on the agenda. Participants explored how digital technologies are transforming teaching and learning, while emphasizing the need for clear safeguards, social dialogue, and collective bargaining to ensure that technological developments support quality education and protect workers’ rights.

The discussions reinforced the principle that teachers and education workers must be actively involved in shaping how new technologies are used in education.

From solidarity to action

The meeting concluded with the development of shared priorities and concrete actions to strengthen the Go Public! Fund Education campaign across Southern Europe.

Participants reaffirmed their commitment to working together to advocate for well-funded public education systems, quality teaching and learning conditions, and a strong, valued education workforce.

At a time when many education systems continue to face significant pressures, Southern European education unions continue to advocate for public education as a public good, and to call on governments to invest in it. Through solidarity, collective action, and sustained advocacy, unions are ensuring that quality public education remains at the heart of democratic and inclusive societies.

The content of this article was originally published by FLC-CGIL.