Resolution on Vacations

European guidelines about Holiday schemes – European School Vacation Schedule in the Interest of Students

submitted by APA as resolution – accepted as a EPA position paper

(April 22, 2006 at the EPA GA in Zauchensee/Austria)

• The needs of our youth and children in national school systems must, as a political goal, be regarded more important than economic interests when it comes to European political policy.
• Efforts to coordinate school vacations in Europe in order to relieve an overload of traffic across the continent are welcomed by parents.
• Vacation should primarily serve as a time of relaxation for students and not as a tool for maximizing the tourist trade/hotel business (Example: simultaneous vacation times in Austria, Bavaria and Holland lead to hotel overbooking). Nor should school holidays be seen as a mechanism for increasing retail profit (Example: if St. Valentine’s Day falls during the semester break, florists demand that vacation schedules be changed).
• Educational goals must stand at the forefront when selecting vacation schedules. A balanced rhythm of work and relaxation must be sought in all countries so at best to support learning and development in our children.
• Setting optimal conditions for the education of our youth and children is our highest priority!