Brussels, 03/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Italian Presidency has proposed the following priorities for the next two months in the areas of education, youth, culture, audiovisual and sport:
Education: Italy will examine the role of education and training as part of its exploration of the EUROPE 2020 strategy, which will soon be in action. It will underline the importance of investment in the education sector, as a means of underpinning economic growth, competitiveness and job creation. Education in digital technology will also be highlighted as part of the European Commission's “Opening up Education” initiative. The Italian Presidency also intends to begin discussions on the new Erasmus + programme. It will look at what resources can be used to promote innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. Wellbeing at school and the promotion of multilingualism in early infancy will also be on the programme.
Youth: given the priorities in the new work programme for youth adopted in May 2014, Italy will make youth empowerment a particular priority, especially their access to their rights. The political and social participation of young people in the programme, as well as the European public services, particularly the cross-border mobility of young volunteers, will also be on the programme.
Culture and audiovisual: the Italian Presidency will proceed to the adoption of the new 2015-18 work plan for culture. The added value of culture and creativity in other policies will also be highlighted, particularly in the area of external relations. Conclusions will be adopted to help underline the potential of cultural heritage as a contribution to the EUROPE 2020 strategy. In the audiovisual field, the Presidency will examine the challenges posed by the development of the new technologies changing the audiovisual landscape, in addition to the use of creative online content in the single digital market, particularly with regard to copyright and intellectual property. The Presidency will continue to support European development and the mobility of collections and artists and in this connection will examine ways for improving procedures for tackling the illegal trafficking in creative works.
Sport: Italy will emphasise the importance of sport and innovation and explore synergies between sport, research, the universities and enterprise. The positive impact of sport on social inclusion will be highlighted, as will the promotion of sport in school curricula. The Presidency will focus on how best to strengthen action to protect integrity in sport (tackling match fixing, illegal activities, violence and discrimination). Particular attention will also be paid to the economic dimension of sport and activities that have a positive effect on health, particularly with regard to young people (the fight against obesity). (IL)