A report published by the European Commission confirms that, in general, European schools are still paying insufficient attention to these transversal skills compared with basic skills in literacy, mathematics and science.

The European Commission published a study entitled 'Developing Key Competences at School in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities for Policy' which shows that, although the teaching of IT, entrepreneurial and citizenship skills is fundamental for preparing young people for today's job market, but, in general, schools are still paying insufficient attention to these transversal skills compared with basic skills. In June 2010, the Commission launched a public tender to assess the impact of ICT use in schools for the purpose of teaching/learning.

According to the report, transversal skills are generally taught as a part of other subjects and national curricula in most countries cover IT, entrepreneurship and citizenship. But the picture is uneven. Nine countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Romania, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium Flemish community and Croatia) do not explicitly cover entrepreneurship education at primary level while digital competences are addressed in primary school everywhere except Croatia.

The study also shows that integrating IT, entrepreneurship or citizenship education into core subjects may require schools to change the way they teach, as well as establishing agreed learning outcomes and appropriate assessment methods.