Created in 1974 as the regional secretariat of the Catholic International Education Office, the European Committee for Catholic Education (CEEC) is today an international non-profit association (according to the Belgian law of 27 June 1921).

It is the cooperation tool of 29 Catholic education networks in 27 countries of Central, Eastern and Western Europe Countries: Albania, Austria, Belgium (Flemish and French-speaking Community), Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England and Wales, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland (Eire), Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

The CEEC is a meeting place for the leaders of these networks, but also a centre for study and information. In addition, it acts as a promoter of Catholic free education in the various European bodies. Thus, the CEEC represents more than 35,000 schools and some 8 million pupils.

In order to be effective in the field of education and teaching, the CEEC wants:

• to be at the service of the education of young people and to study the fundamental principles of education, as well as the problems posed by their application
  defend and promote the interests of Catholic education in the various European official bodies and all bodies involved in education at European level
• to encourage the collaboration of its members in order to ensure the didactic and pedagogical development and improvement of Catholic education
• to monitor private initiatives as well as legislative or regulatory measures taken at national and international level, in order to promote education in its various forms
  actively promote the effective exercise of freedom of education as a fundamental condition for the functioning of a democratic society, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights
  to assist its members, particularly the most disadvantaged, in the exercise of their rights and duties
• to highlight the need for complementarity between educators and the specific contribution of the Catholic school to the educational project
• to collaborate with other bodies involved in education at European and international level.

Collaboration with the stakeholders and representatives of the Christian educational community takes place at a structural level through joint actions with parents, through the Christian Parents’ Association (CEPEC). The CEEC also works closely with the European Union of Former Students of Catholic Education (UNAEC-Europe).