The European School, Bergen (in Dutch: ''Europese School Bergen,'' in French: ''École Européenne de Bergen,'' in German: ''Europäische Schule Bergen'') (or ''ESB'') is one of the thirteen

European School A European School ( la, Schola Europaea) is a type of international school emphasising a multilingual and multicultural pedagogical approach to the teaching of nursery, primary and secondary students, leading to the European Baccalaureate as th ...

s. It is located in the town of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

. The school prioritises, for enrolment purposes, the children of

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

staff. Students must enrol in either the English, French or Dutch language sections of the school.

History

The European School, Bergen was established in 1963 primarily to provide an education to the children of staff employed by the

European Atomic Energy Community The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom) is an international organisation established by the Euratom Treaty on 25 March 1957 with the original purpose of creating a specialist market for nuclear power in Europe, by developing nucl ...

's (Euratom) nuclear research facility in nearby

Petten Petten is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Schagen, and lies about 15 km northwest of Alkmaar, on the North Sea. The population is ca. 1900. Petten's economy is based on agriculture (bul ...

- today under the remit of the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

Joint Research Centre The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission's science and knowledge service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to European Union (EU) policy. The JRC is ...

EMA relocation

In 2019, enrolment in the school increased by 20% as a result of the relocation of the

European Medicines Agency The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) in charge of the evaluation and supervision of medicinal products. Prior to 2004, it was known as the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products or Euro ...

(EMA), its staff and their families to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, as part of arrangements for the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. This increased the daily number of students commuting from Amsterdam to the school to 20% of total enrolment. As a result, the Dutch education ministry announced in late 2019 that it was investigating relocating the school to a new campus in 4 or 5 years time, with the municipalities of

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...

, Castricum and

Zaanstad Zaanstad () is a Dutch municipality in the province of North Holland, situated northwest of Amsterdam. Its main city is Zaandam. It is part of the conurbation and metropolitan area of Amsterdam. It had a population of in . Topography Popul ...

expressing interest in hosting the school. Eventually Zaanstad and Alkmaar filed motions to apply for this right. On July 9th, 2021, the decision was made to move the school to

References

{{European Schools Bergen, North Holland International schools in the Netherlands

Educational institutions established in 1963 1963 establishments in the Netherlands

History

EMA relocation

See also

References