Europe really needs reading – so Read. For Real! An international consortium of seven partners from five countries supported by Creative Europe.

Europa naprawdę potrzebuje wzrostu czytelnictwa. Europe really needs reading. 75 million adult Europeans are unable to read with understanding and lack properly developed literacy skills. A large part of the population does not participate in the life of economies and communities due to insufficient reading skills – it is a tremendous loss for them individually and for the societies and democracies as a whole. Reading for pleasure (which is a sign of literacy skills) is at the lowest level since years.

The consortium will be continuing Creative Europe’s work around three pillars: annual celebrations of Authors through the pan-European Read.ForReal campaign, annual workshops to strengthen reading promotion professionals and their networks, and annual conferences to create a platform of thought and impact.

The first huge celebration of the European Authors Day will be held during November 11th-December 12th each year. Meetings with European Authors travelling from country to country will take place across Europe. Schools, preschools, libraries and bookstores from all around Europe will be invited to join in with their creativity and unlimited potential. More information and details will be published at the end of summer 2025.

#1 Creating the experience

‘We have committed to organising author meetings in 40 countries. It's a huge challenge, but we are looking forward to this ‘train of authors’ from one country to another, as well as to seeing the joy of children and young people that these meetings will bring.’ says Julia Konopka-Żołnierczuk from the National Library of Poland, who is responsible for organising the events. ‘From the beginning, we have liked the idea of the European Authors Day enormously: writers and novelists, illustrators and graphic designers are wonderful people whose talents build our minds and sensibilities. The Federation of European Publishers is delighted to be part of a project that supports the role of creators,’ stresses Anne Bergman, Director of the Federation of European Publishers.

Reading is the future, so read, for real! The #ReadForReal project will draw on the experience of the nationwide #ReadingDad campaign organised by the URF in Poland, the Read-aloud-Day led by Stiftung Lesen in Germany (and more), also relying on an open formula in which anyone can download a poster, inspirational materials from the website and organise their own meeting - maybe with a writer or novelist, maybe with an illustrator or graphic designer, but maybe also just with an interesting person from the local community.

#ReadForReal is a subversive slogan: underneath the cloak of a certain seriousness lies a strong invitation to multifaceted fun. It emphasizes the importance of experiencing literature in a meaningful way – through live encounters with authors – which is especially vital in today’s deeply digitized society. The slogan also highlights the urgent need to turn to books in light of alarming statistics around critical thinking competencies. Meeting scenarios will be a part of the offer for educators, librarians and booksellers. ‘We have been working this way in France for years and we know that it is a great help and a simple mechanism to simply share and spread the desire to read.’ – emphasises Annaick Le Ru, Deputy General Manager, from Ciclic Centre-Val de-Loire in France.

#2 Stimulating the expertise

Strengthening European reading promotion leaders’ networks during periodic inspiration workshops, is the second pillar of the project. The idea behind the workshops will be to share experiences, co-create new solutions, build a network of mutual support and inspiration, in order to form an international community which, despite its different origins, will share and effectively promote a strongly evidence-based understanding of what reading is to societies. Leadership and substantive team formation is expected to translate into the effectiveness of the other two elements of the strategy.

‘Since 2021, we have been working in a workshop format with a number of great Polish organisations as part of the Reading Poland Coalition. As we organise international workshops, we will use this experience, scaling it up to the European level’. - says Maria Deskur, CEO of the Universal Reading Foundation. ‘I am delighted that the workshop will also be held in Sofia and we already invite you to Bulgaria for 2027!’ - adds Val Stoeva, from Chetene. Meanwhile, in 2026 the workshops for all participating countries will also be held in France.

#3 Building impact

Trzecim silnym filarem strategii będą doroczne międzynarodowe konferencje „Literacy for Democracy”, organizowane przez Fundację Powszechnego Czytania już od trzech lat.

‘I attended last year's Literacy for Democracy and Business Conference, and I am delighted that we are all becoming co-organisers of this stimulating event. Intellectual inspiration is important for us, but also for the different participating communities, it shapes our environment, it forms creativity in building influence at state level, but also at European level. And that's what it's all about - we want to have an impact, and to show that investment in reading is not only wildly profitable but, also necessary.’ - emphasises Dr. Joerg F. Maas, CEO of Stiftung Lesen and long-standing chair of EURead.

The vision

Offering the experience of reading REAL books for fun, introducing up-to-date most trendy topics for REAL conversations around books, stimulating pleasure in REAL time around books, treating a conversation with a REAL author or creator as a formative experience - is the vision for #ReadForReal: beyond nationality, latitude, political, social, religious or wealth backgrounds. książek naprawdę (ang. real) dla przyjemności, prowadzenie realnego dialogu wokół aktualnych tematów literackich, odczuwanie radości w czasie rzeczywistym, traktowanie spotkania z prawdziwym twórcą jako doświadczenia formującego, zupełnie na serio – to wizja kampanii #ReadForReal, czyli Czytaj.Serio, otwartej ponad podziałami, niezależnie od narodowości, szerokości geograficznej, przekonań politycznych, religijnych, społecznych czy ekonomicznych.

European surveys show varying results for reading. Unfortunately, the level of readership in Europe stands at just over 50%. Only 26.8% of citizens read fewer than five books per year, while just 13.8% read more than ten. Statistically, women read more than men, but the data still leaves much room for improvement. Nevertheless, these statistics are deeply concerning, as they are likely to have tangible consequences for education, the economy, the labour market, and even public health.

Research proves reading to be a factor for development and innovation, a binder of civilisation, social capital and democracy. The consortium dreams to make a positive impact on the European reading landscape. Promotion on traditional media and social platforms will help reach the aim.