The Literacy for Democracy conference gathered over 200 participants in Warsaw. It emphasised the human dimension of reading, highlighting that literacy skills are central to addressing Europe’s current challenges, including competitiveness and democracy.

Supporting parents as influencers of young minds

The conference brought together policymakers, reading promotion specialists, paediatricians, book sector and business community representatives. They shared experiences and discussed key issues, such as how to support parents and caregivers in their role as influencers of young minds, and the policy measures already in place as well as potential areas for enhancement.

Preparing the foundations of the EU Literacy Coalition

A two half-day workshop followed the conference to prepare the foundations of the EU Literacy Coalition, that will be established in autumn 2026 as part of the Union of Skills/ the Action Plan on Basic Skills initiative.

The joint events illustrate the European Commission’s approach to bringing together the cultural, creative and book sectors with the education community and beyond to tackle the decline in literacy competences and reading habits.

The consortium running the European Authors Day #ReadForReal initiative, funded by the Creative Europe programme, organised the events. The consortium is also planning the 2026 edition of the European Authors Day campaign. In 2025 more than 6 500 events gathered 300 000 young people and authors in schools, libraries, bookshops and other venues to celebrate reading and European literature.