The European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) held a joint conference on 29th of September 2009 in Brussels. This event came as the latest step in a process initiated by the ETUCE five years ago. During the conference, the two organisations signed up a joint application letter to create a European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Education, in conformity with Articles 138-139 of the EC Treaty.
The European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), which was established in 1975, represents 118 teachers' unions in 28 European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries. ETUCE is composed of national organisations of teachers and other staff in education being member organisations of Education International (EI) or the World Confederation of Teachers (WCT). It has associated member organisations in the Central and Eastern European countries. The total coverage in Europe amounts to 166 organisations.
The EFEE was established in 2009, and has members in 18 countries. The overall objective of EFEE is to represent the interests of education providers of all levels (from pre-school to university and vocational education) as employers at European level, and thereby contribute to the improvement of education in the member states of the EU.