Brussels, 18/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - In public deliberation at the Education Council on Monday 18 May, EU education ministers appraised the mid-term progress made by the Education and Training 2020 (ET 2020) framework, which defines European education and training priorities to 2020, and gave their views on the direction it should take until 2020.
Latvian minister Marite Seile, who chaired the meeting, said that Latvia felt that this was the ideal opportunity for ministers, for the very first time since 2009, to give their views on what European cooperation in education and training has achieved thus far and on how they see it developing in the future. Education Commissioner Tibor Navracsics said that the Commission would give careful consideration to the views expressed by the member states during the debate before publishing its proposals for the joint progress report 2015 due after the summer break. These proposals will be debated under the Luxembourg presidency. Much has changed since the ET 2020 framework was set up but the goals, such as tackling youth unemployment, remain current, Navracsics said. He welcomed the consensus around the three issues raised for debate by the Latvian Presidency. “It was a very fruitful policy debate”, he added.
Ministers were in agreement on maintaining the four objectives set by ET2020 in 2009 (making lifelong education and training and mobility a reality; improving the quality and effectiveness of education and training; promoting equity, social cohesion and active citizenship; encouraging creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels). These remain relevant, even though some ministers would like to see the objectives more targeted (Germany) and contained in a more flexible framework (Poland), in relation to the new challenges identified, such as increasing social cohesion and citizen education.
The member states also want better use made of the results of their cooperation, for example, getting greater mileage out of, and better dissemination of, best practice and increased synergies with employment ministers.
They also welcomed the Commission proposal to extend the ET 2020 work cycle from three to five years to bring it better into line with the general EUROPE 2020 strategy for growth and jobs. The administrative burden involved in producing national reports should be reduced and visibility increased, ministers agreed.
On the issue of assessing action to be undertaken to ensure improved effectiveness and quality in educational and training systems, the member states were also in agreement: tackling youth unemployment, high quality training courses, multilingualism, and digital skills were among the challenges on which there will have to be work in the future.
Many member states highlighted the need to strengthen the teaching of civic values in educational curricula, referring to the dramatic terrorist attacks in France and Denmark, to tackle the rise in extremism and radicalisation among some groups of young people. Many expressed their commitment to achieving the goals of the Paris Declaration, adopted on 17 March at the extraordinary meeting of education ministers following the terrorist attacks (see EUROPE 11276). Following the working session, France and the Commission published a statement on the next steps for the Paris Declaration. In summary, they said that they felt it was essential that the Paris Declaration had to be seen from an operational point of view and EU-wide measures put in place. They were pleased that, at the Education Council, there was agreement that the Commission be asked to draft a series of measures on citizenship education, tolerance and tackling the various forms of discrimination. (Isabelle Lamberty)