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The French-Irish infrastructure will transfer sustainable nuclear and wind energy between the two countries, strengthening their energy independence
Do you think your city has what it takes?
City officials believe that financial conditions will deteriorate in the coming winter months
The Latvian capital joins a growing rank of European cities that have turned to taxing the visitors’ impact
The EDMO hubs work to connect fact-checkers, academia and the media, as well as boost local media literacy
Ireland is currently going through a major rental housing crisis
The Estonian city is preparing for its upcoming European Green Capital year in style
The birds will be specially trained to scare off pigeons from their favourite places in the city’s parks
The system uses a simple tri-colour traffic light code to let commuters know the best place to enter a train
The smart devices also let drivers with reduced mobility know where the nearest free spot is located
Plants feed on CO2 and plenty of it is produced at the local Tekniska verken energy company, so there’s a circular win-win solution
The city’s Second District opted for sustainable Christmas decoration this year
The city marked the 250th e-taxi license, issued by local traffic authorities
The city will limit the number of these two-wheelers in the centre to 500, in order to push companies to service residential areas as well
The system uses a simple tri-colour traffic light code to let commuters know the best place to enter a train
The smart devices also let drivers with reduced mobility know where the nearest free spot is located
City officials believe that financial conditions will deteriorate in the coming winter months
Some shops have stayed open for more than six generations of the same family and trace their origins to the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Faux or fact? Now, it’s up to you to shine the light on the truth
Local authorities want to monitor the situation and keep a healthy housing balance
Ireland is currently going through a major rental housing crisis
It will aid them in collecting data about the incidents that can be used in court
The 2021 EF English Proficiency Index is out, and the top ranks are hardly surprising
This year’s EF English Proficiency Index has just been released and it gives a fresh glimpse into the most English-proficient nations, regions and cities in the world. In 2021 the Index, released by Education First, analyses 112 countries where English is considered a foreign language, with an estimated total population of over 2 billion people.
To make their conclusions, the team tested the English proficiency of about 2 million people who took a test in 2020. The results: a clear dominance of European countries and cities, with The Netherlands, and its capital Amsterdam, coming out on top for yet another year.
The Index divides territorial entities into ones with Very High, High, Moderate Low or Very Low Proficiency. A score between 600 and 699 would be equivalent to C1 of the CEFR (a common measurement for English proficiency for non-native speakers), while scores between 700 and 800 are equivalent to C2.
The elite list of counties with Very High proficiency consists of 13 countries, 10 of which are in the EU:
The Netherlands has been consistently occupying the top spot since 2015 and has been in the top 3 since the first edition of the Index in 2011. It is also interesting to note that the remaining EU-member states classify as either high or moderately proficient in English.
Not only have European countries outperformed others, but Europe as a continent scores first on the average, once again. This shows a stable presence of the language and a relatively good distribution of English proficiency across the states.
In terms of cities and regions, EF studied around 400 entities. The city ranking follows pretty much the same trend of EU domination, with the top being occupied by The Netherlands’ chief city and it is mainly composed of capitals. Here is what the Very High Proficiency looks like:
The Amsterdam city website claims that one of the top reasons international companies chose to set up there is particularly the high English proficiency among the population, which ensures employees can contribute and adapt easily to a diverse working and living environment, and share ideas beyond cultural borders.
In the EU, passing borders and communicating smoothly with other nations seems something normal, thanks to the principle of freedom of movement and exchange programmes such as Erasmus+. It is thus mandatory to maintain a common means of communication which facilitates this exchange.
But speaking English as a foreign language has economic value, on top of the cultural perks. According to the report, the past decade has shown consistent correlations between English proficiency and GDP, income per capita, and a range of other economic indicators. The report also connects it to talent competitiveness and global innovation.
You may find the full EF English Proficiency Index report on the company’s website, learn more about the methodology and find out how your country scored on the test.
The local authorities are taking the bold step as a way to declutter the urban streets from delivery traffic
One-third of homes on the islands this year were sold to nationals of other countries, many of whom are non-residents
This was one of the more creative and unusual ideas set to take shape as a result of the second participatory budget initiative in the city
Users can now get an overview of the state of the output in the country and receive a warning to reduce consumption and avoid power cuts
The city will launch an urban walk with a digital visual guide
The system uses a simple tri-colour traffic light code to let commuters know the best place to enter a train
The city inaugurated twelve of these spots to encourage people to still feel at home while on the street
The Danish capital was recognized for its citizen-centric approach to urban planning
The pioneering green move would make the country the first in Europe to do so
The city inaugurated twelve of these spots to encourage people to still feel at home while on the street
This was one of the more creative and unusual ideas set to take shape as a result of the second participatory budget initiative in the city
The city will launch an urban walk with a digital visual guide
This initiative seeks to integrate the values of the New European Bauhaus into the European Commission’s 100 Cities Mission
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
Veni Markovski’s take on dealing with disinformation in the European Union's poorest country – Bulgaria
A conversation with the mayor of Utrecht on the occasion of her mission to COP27
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy
