Participants at the fourth conference of Ministers of Education of Member States of the Europe region (MINEDEUROPE IV) received this document prior to the conference. It was designed to provide the participants with information and matters for reflection that might serve as a starting point for their deliberations and help them to formulate conclusions and recommendations. The document was not meant to provide a comprehensive examination of developments in the European region; it merely set out to draw attention to certain trends connected with the items of the provisional agenda. There are four sections to the document: (1) some trends in the development of education in Europe since the third conference of Ministers; (2) the humanistic, cultural, and international dimensions of education; (3) the impact of the new information technologies on education systems; and (4) priorities and modalities for regional and international co-operation in the field of education. (DB)