The work deals with the experience of European teachers in promoting the development of students' reading competence. Since the definition of “read-ing competence” first appeared thanks to the activi-ties of the German consortium “Pisa-Studie” (PISA), which studies the achievements of students in dif-ferent countries of the world, the models of reading competence offered by German scientists are stud-ied first of all. Considering the Anglo-Saxon struc-ture of reading competency in more detail, the au-thors authors focus on teaching reading strategies that the child comprehends only in collaboration with adults. It is the process of cooperation between children and adults that forms the basis for promot-ing reading competency by teachers, parents and the student himself. In order to practice the system-atic promotion of reading competence in our teach-ing practice, they study its German three-level model (with procedural, subjective and social levels). The consistency of the three levels is a sign of active learning, in which six fields of activity are revealed that contribute to improve reading competency. The study leads to the conclusion that the promotion of reading and reading competence should be clearly organized, as it is an interconnected and step-by-step process that requires targeted coordination, communication and cooperation of teachers, educa-tional structures and school partners.