EURead celebrated its 25th anniversary with a vibrant gathering of its members, alongside participants from the Global Network for Early Years Bookgifting and the Researchers Network. The event brought together people from five continents to discuss reading promotion from multiple perspectives over three days in Brussels.
Iedereen Leest hosted this year’s event. Its bookgifting programme, Boekstart Flanders, celebrated an important milestone as well — 20 years of impact. During a special visit of all guests to Antwerp, the team from Iedereen Leest, led by CEO Sylvie Dhaene, showcased over four decades of successful work in reading promotion.
Annual General Meeting participants also visited the European Parliament in Brussels, where representatives from almost all EU countries—as well as from Ukraine, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, South Africa, Peru, and Canada—gained insights into the functioning of EU institutions. The visit highlighted the strong connection between reading promotion and the preservation of fundamental European values and democratic rights.
The AGM took place at the premises of KBR – the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels, from 10 to 11 June.
Ms Katarina Barley, vice-president of the European Parliament and patron of EURead, addressed the members through a special video message. Prof. Dr. Andrea Wechsler, member of the European Parliament, joined the AGM in person and thanked EURead members for supporting literacy and building bridges that strengthen democracy. Mr Arnaud Pasqualli from the Directorate-General for Education and Culture also delivered a speech.
Daan Beeke (Network Manager EURead | Stichting Lezen) presented EURead’s rich history. New members who joined the network over the past three months had the opportunity to share more about their work. They include the Slovenian Book Agency (Slovenia), Krajina čitateľov – The Land of Readers (Slovakia), the Ministry of Culture and Media (Croatia), and Friedrich-Bödeker-Kreis (Germany).
As scientific insight continues to guide EURead’s work, six researchers from the EURead Researchers Network contributed to discussions about the evolving reading ecology over the past 25 years. Their presentations covered topics such as reading formats (print and digital), the crucial role of early childhood, and how school libraries foster functional literacy and long-term reading habits through access to high-quality books.
Francis de Bonnaire, Senior Researcher at Sentobib, further enriched the conversation by presenting findings from a major study on public libraries in seven European countries.
Day 1 concluded with inspiring data and practical examples from members of the Global Network for Early Years Bookgifting. Presenters shared successful projects from Flanders, Croatia, and Poland, as well as impactful practices from Malaysia and Tanzania. The key takeaway: bookgifting works in every context, and the benefits of reading extend to every baby and their family—regardless of geography or socio-economic status.
An anniversary wouldn’t be complete without a party. Our hosts, Iedereen Leest, made it possible by organising a wonderful dinner at deBuren, where Elly McCausland (Ghent University) delivered an inspiring speech to our members.
Day 2 marked a farewell to our long-standing Chair, Dr Jörg F. Maas, and the unanimous election of Elaina Ryan (CEO of Children’s Books Ireland) as a new Board Member.
The rest of the day focused on discussions around several important topics: partnerships, school libraries, and youth and sport. Shared initiatives, insights, and ideas inspired our members and equipped them with new tools to continue advancing literacy across Europe.
The evening of 11 June was dedicated to the Open Forum “25 Years of Getting Europe Reading”. Acclaimed and award-winning writers Bart Moeyaert and Sulaiman Addonia shared powerful reflections on the importance of reading.
Members of the Global Network for Early Years Bookgifting from Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, and Peru presented the impact of their programmes on children’s development and well-being. A panel discussion followed, centred around the Mario Draghi report, the Sustainable Development Goals, and how we can bridge the gaps between innovation, competitiveness, and literacy. The conversation brought together representatives from the European Commission, IEA.nl, DGLegacy (a startup), and reading promoters from across Europe.
The conclusion was clear: reading empowers citizens to become functionally literate and well-educated, and to grow into more creative and critical thinkers.
Below some more impressions (pictures by Simon Bequoye):
