/ Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης

Background: Education and Youth Council, 28 May

Date: 23/05/2001
Policy area: Education and youth affairs
News item: Council background notes

DRAFT
BACKGROUND 1
EDUCATION/YOUTH COUNCIL
Brussels, 28 May 2001
The meeting will start at 10h00. The agenda carries education and youth policy items.

A first news conference should be held after the education points by the Swedish Minister of Education, Mr Thomas Φstros; another news conference by the Swedish Ministers for Youth, Ms Britta Lejon, will take place at the end of the Council, around 17h00.
 

EDUCATION POINTS

Follow-up of the European Council in Stockholm
Under this heading the Council is invited to hold a debate on the implications of the conclusions of the Stockholm European Council on 23/24 March 2001 for the education and training sector. The Council is also expected to adopt conclusions on the follow-up of the Report on the concrete future objectives of education and training systems ("Objectives Report"), which was submitted to the Heads of State and Government in Stockholm.

The Council is asked to choose a limited number of initial priorities and agree in broad terms on what the follow-up should be in these areas. The draft conclusions identify 3 areas as initial priorities - highlighted also in the Stockholm conclusions:

basic skills;
information and communication technology (ICT);
mathematics, science and technology.

The draft conclusions also outline the "next milestones" on the way to the Spring European Council in March 2002:

adoption of a draft work programme including a further elaborated methodology at the Education Council on 29 November 2001;
adoption of a joint (Commission/ Council) report containing a detailed work programme to be transmitted to the Spring European Council 2002.

Furthermore, the text of the conclusions suggests a broad calendar up to the year 2010.

A note and questions have been prepared by the Presidency as support for the discussion between Ministers. The questions focus in particular on the elements listed in the "Objectives Report" for follow-up (measurement of achievement in the areas selected, concrete work, peer review, exchange of good practice, indicators), the next steps in the implementation of the work programme and the measures to be taken at national and European level.
 

The Lisbon European Council in March 2000 saw the role of the education and training sectors highlighted in the EU's strategy towards full employment and in the fulfilment of the Lisbon goal, i.e. to make the Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. Following the mandate given by the European Council in Lisbon, the requested "Report on concrete future objectives of education and training systems" was submitted to the Stockholm European Council 2.

The conclusions from the Stockholm European Council reaffirmed the importance attached to education and training. A top priority was seen in improving basic skills, particularly IT and digital skills. Lifelong learning, labour mobility and overcoming the shortfall in the recruitment of scientific and technical staff were specifically singled out.

The Stockholm European Council also requested the Council and the Commission to further detail the work programme contained in the "Objectives Report" in preparation of the report to be presented to the annual Spring meeting of the European Council in March 2002.
 

Role of education and training in employment

In the light of the special role given to education and training by the Lisbon European Council, especially within the EU's employment strategy, the Council will adopt a resolution on the role of education and training in employment related policies.

The text of the draft conclusions calls upon the Commission and the Member States:

to ensure that the follow-up of the Report on the concrete future objectives of education and training systems contributes to the Luxembourg (employment strategy) and Cardiff (economic co-ordination) processes and puts education and training in the centre of the Community's employment strategy;

to ensure that the Education Council is actively involved in the examination of the annual Employment guidelines and in the definition of indicators, in particular as far as the areas dealing with education, training and lifelong learning are concerned;

to strengthen the exchange of experience and examples of good practice in the field.

Recommendation on mobility for students, young volunteers etc.

Following the vote by the European Parliament in second reading on 16 May on the proposed Recommendation on mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, young volunteers, teachers and trainers, the Council is expected to give its general political agreement to the text, the amendments being acceptable to the Council. Formal adoption of the Recommendation could intervene shortly, at a forthcoming Council session, after legal and linguistic finalisation of the text.

The Recommendation aims to give greater effect to free movement of persons, one of the four fundamental freedoms in the Treaty. The objective is to encourage transnational mobility and to remove obstacles.

It calls on Member States to take measures in the following fields:
removal of legal and administrative obstacles;
encouragement to learn at least two Community languages;
linguistic preparation before any mobility measure;
development of arrangements for financial support (grants, loans)
promotion of qualifications acquired through mobility;
access to information regarding the possibilities and conditions for mobility.

In the second part of the Recommendation, Member States are invited to take specific measures for each category of persons (students, persons undergoing training, young volunteers, teachers and trainers).

The Recommendation is primarily aimed at Community nationals. It includes nationals of third countries as long as they are participating in a Community education, training or youth programme.
 

eLearning

Under this point, the Council will get a brief presentation by the Commission of its "eLearning Action Plan and should subsequently adopt a resolution on the matter.

The Communication on the so-called "eLearning Action Plan - Designing tomorrow's education" was adopted by the Commission on 28 March 2001. It constitutes a complement to the eEurope Action Plan and is specifically addressed to the education and training sector. The purpose is to promote co-operation between the European Union, Member States, education, training and industry to combine lifelong education, modernisation of the education and training systems and use of the new information and communication technologies (ICT). With a present IT shortage of nearly 1.4 million projected to rise to over 1.7 million by 2003 (according to Commission figures) it is also a key element in the European employment strategy and in the realisation of the Lisbon objective.

The draft resolution addresses a number of invitations to the Member States and to the Commission. In particular, it invites Member States:

to continue integrating ICT in the education and training systems in order to pursue their adaptation;
to capitalise on the potential of Internet, multimedia and virtual learning fo r the purposes of lifelong learning;
to promote provision of ICT learning opportunities by accelerating the revision of school and higher education curricula;
to continue efforts on training teachers and trainers;
to accelerate the provision of equipment and infrastructure;
to exploit the communication potential of ICT to foster European awareness, exchanges and collaboration.

The Commission is invited to assist the Member States, to support the European dimension of the activities, to stimulate transnational networking and to report at the end of 2002 on the results.
 

5th European Conference of Education Ministers in Riga (28-30 June 2001)

The Council will be informed by the Presidency on the forthcoming European Conference of Education Ministers in Riga (28-30 June 2001).

The Conference will be the fifth in a series of regular conferences bringing together ministers of education from the EU, the candidate countries and the European Economic area (EEA). The theme of this year's conference, organised jointly by Latvia, the Presidency and the Commission, is "elearn for life". It is designed to provide opportunities for common reflection and identify concrete priorities.
 

Meeting of European Ministers of Higher Education in Prague (18-19 May 2001)

The Presidency will report to the Council on the outcome of a recent meeting of European ministers of higher education in Prague. The exchange will most likely be held over lunch.

The meeting is part of the "Bologna process", an intergovernmental process which goes beyond the EU framework and includes all the candidate countries, and which resulted in the "Bologna Declaration on higher education" signed by 29 European ministers in June 1999. Its objectives is to strengthen the European dimension of higher education and to stimulate student mobility. The process is due to run till 2010.

The purpose of the Prague meeting was to assess the progress achieved with regard to the objectives enumerated in the Declaration and to decide on the next steps. From now on, there will most likely be two-yearly meetings up to the year 2010.
 

Information points by the Commission

The Council will be informed by the Commission on the following items:

the forthcoming Communication on Education and Training co-operation with third countries, which should be adopted by the Commission on 30 May shortly after the Council;

the course of the European Year of Languages event, launched in February 2001 in Lund and lasting until the end of the year;

the forthcoming Recommendation on a common European Curriculum Vitae model; the European Curriculum Vitae model corresponds to one of the voluntary targets set at the Lisbon European Council in March 2000 (it is understood that the text should be a Commission "own" initiative recommendation addressed to the Member States and not a proposal for a recommendation of the Parliament and the Council).
 

YOUTH POINTS

Future EU work on youth issues

The Council will hear from the Commission on the preparations for the White Paper announced for the second half of 2001. The presentation will be followed by a discussion. The Presidency has prepared a paper as an aid for the discussion between Ministers.

Commissioner REDING had announced at the Youth Council on 23 November 1999 its intention to issue a White Paper on future European co-operation in the youth area during 2001. Since then the Commission has initiated a vast consultation process between the different players in the youth area: government representatives, experts, civil society and the young people themselves.

The Presidency note is a follow-up to the conference held in Umeε (S) on 16/17 March 2001 on conditions for young people in Europe. The conference marked the closure of the consultation process. Deriving from the deliberations in Umeε, the note underlines four key issues:
participation (at local, regional, national and European level to ensure that young people's interests are taken into consideration);
autonomy;
access to information;
mobility.
The Presidency note also stresses the following points: that young people's initiative, enterprise and creativity be seen as a resource, the clearer cross-sectoral perspective on youth issues, the recognition of non-formal learning and the need for establishing proper follow-up systems to monitor the implementation of Council resolutions.

The Presidency proposes the following areas for discussion among Ministers:
the key arguments to give priority to youth matters on the political agenda;
the key priorities of a co-operation policy in the youth field in the context of the White Paper;
new and effective co-operation within the youth field at EU-level;
follow-up in the Member States of resolutions adopted by the Council.
 

Fight against racism and xenophobia on the Internet

The Council should adopt a declaration on combating racism and xenophobia on the Internet by intensifying work with young people.

The initiative goes back to the Education/ Youth Council on 9 November 2000, when the German delegation presented a paper on the danger for Europe represented by the resurgence of racism and xenophobia. Knowing that the Internet is a favoured vehicle for the propagation of extremist and anti-democratic views and that particularly young people are very much targeted by this kind of material, the Presidency has prepared a draft declaration.

Due to the fact that the matter is of mixed responsibility - Community and Member States - the text is a declaration by the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council.

The text of the declaration recalls that the European Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law and that Europe must combat all forms of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. The draft declaration goes on by, in particular:
welcoming the Commission's communication on "Creating a safer information society ";
emphasising the importance and responsibilities of schools;
stressing the need to involve those working with young people;
emphasising the need to encourage Internet providers to provide means for the public to report on racist and xenophobic contents encountered on the Internet;
stressing the need to encourage co-operation between Internet providers and police and legal authorities in the Member States.
 

From exclusion to empowerment - promoting young people

The Council should adopt a resolution entitled "From exclusion to empowerment - promoting young people's initiative, enterprise and creativity". This is also a "mixed" resolution due to the shared competence between Member States and the Community. The main purpose of the text is to promote the idea of young people playing an active role in society.

The draft resolution addresses invitations to the Commission and to the Member States and to both together within their respective spheres of competence. The text of the resolution develops on the need to consider young people's initiative, enterprise and creativity as a key resource that should be better promoted in various spheres of society. It also states that the area should be one of the objectives of co-operation in youth issues and invites the Commission to ensure that the youth dimension is taken into account in Community activities.