The report of the European Union High Level Group of Experts on Literacy presents a clear statement of their vision for the future of literacy in our continent. The first part of the statement is: "All citizens of Europe shall be literate, so as to achieve their aspirations as individuals, family members, workers and citizens." How is this vision to be achieved? This article analyses 16 preconditions necessary for achieving the vision, classifying them as physiological, social, linguistic, educational, governmental and motivational. In each category these prerequisites are related to the Group's findings and recommendations, especially where current policy and provision may be lacking. For example, for most people, normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing are essential for literacy development. Arguably, this implies mass screening of young children at the appropriate ages so that problems can be identified and treated--but this is not in fact routine everywhere. The article concludes by analysing the Council of Ministers' conclusions of November 2012 against the framework provided by the prerequisites, in order to judge the likelihood of ambitious targets for 2020 being achieved in this "age of austerity".