To ensure that EU citizens are actors in environmental sustainability and participate in the ‘changes needed for a successful, just and inclusive ecological transition’, Member States should in future make education for ecological transition and UN sustainable development a priority from an early age, says the EU Council of Ministers.
This is the main message of a recommendation in the field of education - their main focus - which was addressed to the Member States and adopted on Thursday 16 June, without debate, (see EUROPE 12934/9).
In the background, this recommendation mentions the European Green Deal and the UNESCO strategy on education for sustainable development by 2030.
EU Member States are thus invited to make learning for ecological transition and sustainable development one of the priority areas of education and training policies and programmes.
They should offer learning opportunities in both formal and informal settings.
To support and improve teaching and learning in this area, Member States should provide infrastructure, digital tools and resources and build on the new European Sustainability Competence Framework (“GreenComp”), which was published by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre in January.
Member States are also invited to provide factual and accessible information on the climate, environment and biodiversity crises, and to support educators to participate in professional development programmes on sustainability.
This recommendation follows a proposal that the European Commission presented in January (see EUROPE 12869/17).
See the EU Council recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/266 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)