Key Competences in Europe: Opening Doors for Lifelong Learners Across the School Curriculum and Teacher Education

[...] The aim of the study is to provide a comparative overview of policy and practice concerning the development and implementation of key competences in the education systems of the 27 Member States of the European Union. In particular, the study assesses the implementation of the 8 key competences contained in the European Reference Framework of Key Competences in primary and secondary schools across the EU as well as the extent to which initial and in-service education and training of teachers equips them with the skills and competences necessary to deliver key competences effectively. [...

In the Wake of the Bingo Queen: Are Licences Property?

In Saulnier v. Royal Bank of Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada held that a fishing license is property for the purposes of both the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the provincial personal property security statutes. The consequences were that: (1) subject to security interests, Saulnier's interest in the license passed to his trustee in bankruptcy and became part of the bankruptcy estate; and (2) the bank, which had entered into a general security agreement with Saulnier relating to all his present and after-acquired personal property, was entitled to claim Saulnier's interest in the license as part of its collateral. Although the focus of the case was on the bankruptcy and personal property security laws, the decision has implications for the meaning of property at large and the way in which courts and legal scholars approach the question. In this paper, I aim to: (1) demonstrate a tension in Saulnier between what I call formalism and functionalism; (2) critically analyze Saulnier from a functional perspective; and (3) explore the wider implications of the decision, with particular reference to (a) the status of contractual licenses in insolvency proceedings and as collateral for secured loans, and (b) the need for amendment of the personal property security statutes to remove the uncertainty Saulnier has left in its wake