Brussels, 09/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - Given the difficult economic context and budgetary austerity measures adopted by member states for the recovery of sustainable economic growth, the Greek Presidency will pay great attention to how the education, youth, culture, audiovisual and cultural sectors can contribute to achieving the objectives set.
Education. Education and training systems must be reformed in order to better train the young and the not-so-young to meet demand on the employment market, and keep ahead of the constantly evolving globalised labour market of rapid technological change and innovation. Such reforms must allow the personal and professional fulfilment of students and trainees. The Greek Presidency of the EU Council will ensure that the attention of the relevant ministers is focused on the need for sufficient investment in educational systems. It will also launch discussions so that the education sector is recognised as being an essential part of the annual examination of growth, as recently underlined in studies by the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies). The “education” session of the Council on 24 February this year will, in particular, focus on the development of competencies given the findings of these studies, and conclusions will be adopted. As far as the quality and effectiveness of educational systems are concerned, Greece will endeavour to promote quality assurance at all levels of education and training, and conclusions will be proposed for adoption during the Council's “education” session on 20 May. Student mobility and language skills are also on the programme. As far as higher education is concerned, in particular, the Presidency will suggest an assessment is made of the new “U-Multirank” ranking system proposed by the European Commission, and of teacher proficiency.
Youth. Being the most vulnerable group, young people are always the first to feel the effects of economic crisis in terms of unemployment, poverty, access to healthcare and citizen participation. The social inclusion of young people will remain a priority for the Greek Presidency, as it was for the previous Irish and Lithuanian Presidencies. More especially, Greece plans to adopt political measures for combating the social exclusion of young people in the culture and entrepreneurship sector. To this end, it will promote better access for the young to new technologies, in particular for those who live in the most remote regions, and also access to jobs in the creative and cultural sectors. Conclusions will be adopted during the “youth” session of the Council on 20 May. The Greek Presidency will also focus on structured dialogue with young people.
Culture. Europe's cultural heritage and diversity are among its greatest strengths. Despite a difficult economic context, the cultural sector has remained dynamic and it plays an essential role in the EU's growth and employment targets. The Greek Presidency plans to make a major contribution to the debate on the role of the cultural and creative economy in the 21st century. Emphasis will be placed on the need to create and promote a common European approach to European cultural heritage, an essential element for sustainable economic and social development. The inclusion of culture in the EU external policy is also on the Greek agenda, with priorities to be defined for the future work plan for culture, as the previous plan comes to a close (2011-2014). Furthermore, the Presidency will continue work on the directive relating to the restitution of goods that have unlawfully left EU territory, and on the decision for European culture capitals for the period 2020-2033.
Audiovisual. The digital environment is rapidly changing leading to the creation of a new audiovisual landscape. The Greek Presidency will continue work begun by the Lithuanian Presidency to make an exact assessment of the consequences of these changes for the audiovisual sector. Greece also wants to develop “constructive dialogue” between member states on convergence in the audiovisual sector, on one hand, and the freedom and pluralism of the media, on the other, on the basis of consultations conducted earlier by the Commission. It will also tackle the protection of minors in the digital age. In the more specific cinema sector, attention will be paid to the digitalisation of films and audiovisual material.
Sport. The Greek Presidency will assess the results of the first European action plan in the sector of sport, on the basis of the report published by the Commission. It will adopt a resolution on the second work plan (2014-2017), a work plan that must be geared to three priorities: sport and society, the economic dimension of sport and the integrity of sport. Conclusions on gender equality in sport are also on the agenda. (IL/transl.jl)