As the heads of state and government met to discuss the EU budget, EU education ministers met in the very same building on Thursday 20 February to discuss another important resource for Europe: brains. Croatia, which currently holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, has indeed put this topic at the centre of the Education Council (see EUROPE 12427/22).
“Talents are distributed equally but opportunities are not. While learning mobility and free movement benefit some, it can be a real disadvantage for others. It may even lead to a brain drain”, said Croatian Minister Blaženka Divjak in her introduction.
This topic had already been discussed at an informal meeting of research ministers in Zagreb at the beginning of February. “This is a complex phenomenon, which has to be seen within a broader context than that of education, particularly in view of how the population is ageing. (...) Migration of graduates is linked to the labour market situation more than to the learning situation”, said Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, stressing that her portfolio, which includes Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, offers a real opportunity to address this issue in a broader way.
Unbalanced situations
The vast majority of participants stressed the relevance of such a debate, pointing out that no Member State was really spared from the issue. “Out of 48 Bologna countries, only 6 have balanced mobility, 10 are benefiting from the brain drain, and the others are suffering a negative impact”, the Austrian representative summed up, using the example of the large number of foreign students who study medicine in Austria. Germany spoke of the phenomenon in terms of people departing for the United States, while Sweden and Estonia spoke instead of rural areas emptying out because of the exodus to the cities. For its part, the Netherlands went so far as to indicate that this phenomenon could, in some cases, lower the quality of education.
But it is those Member States who are facing a major brain drain, which have been the most vehement. Greece reported a significant shortage of skilled labour, while Romania reported the highest percentage figure for emigration of highly skilled workers (27%). Lithuania stated that it is the 49th country out of 63 in terms of it having a negative impact on the economy.
A multiplicity of suggestions
During the exchange of views, which lasted more than 2 hours, delegations stressed that mobility was, and should remain, a pillar of the EU. They then made a number of suggestions: Sweden called for “making places appealing rather than forcing people to stay”, Germany called for “working on the quality and attractiveness of our schools”, the Czech Republic for “more flexible forms of work and education”, with the Netherlands and Malta wanting a “mapping” of the situation, which the European Commission promised to do by September.
Against the backdrop of budget negotiations at the highest decision-making level, several States, including Greece, have called for an improvement in European funding for Erasmus +. The European Commission had proposed €26.4 billion over 7 years for the programme, while the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, submitted a proposal for €21.1 billion to Member States. The European Parliament, for its part, is asking for almost double that, at €41.1 billion.
European universities seen as an opportunity
In accordance with the working document prepared by the Croatian Presidency, the discussions also focused on European universities. These 'alliances', which will eventually become 'inter-university campuses', will pool their expertise, platforms and resources to offer common curricula or modules covering different disciplines (see EUROPE 12283/19). According to Blaženka Divjak, “European universities have the potential to contribute to balanced brain circulation”. This is a view which is shared by Latvia, Hungary and the Netherlands, but questioned by Austria, which said it was “sceptical, even though the initiative is important”.
With regard to suggestions, France called on other delegations to provide administrative and financial support for this initiative, while Malta called for it to be more inclusive and Ireland spoke of a clearer policy framework. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)