Brussels, 28/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - At their meeting in Brussels on 28 May, chaired by Thomas Ostros and in the presence of European Commissioner Viviane Reding, the EU Education Ministers reached political agreement on the draft Recommendation on the mobility of students and teachers in Europe, followed by a far-reaching debate on the follow-up to the European Council in Stockholm in terms of the future objectives for education and training in the European Union, for which they defined several priority areas in higher education following the Prague Conference (see EUROPE of 24 May, p. 12). The results of this Council build on the progress made by the Swedish Presidency on education, including getting students involved in discussions on EU policies concerning them, explained Mr Ostros. Viviane Reding said that the most important result of the Swedish Presidency was to see what could actually be done and better still, what is going to be done in terms of education and training and this amounts to real progress in the field. She added that education was present everywhere and that the EU had decided to progress together, each country at its own rate.
The Ministers also adopted resolutions on the role of education and training in employment policy and the e-Learning Action Plan. The Commission presented its upcoming Communication on cooperation with third countries on education and professional training and gave a progress report on the European Year of Languages 2001 (which is a "phenomenal success") and the Recommendation on a common European model curriculum vitae (the proposal should be ready by the beginning of October).
At the final press conference, Thomas Ostros explained, in connection with the Recommendation on the mobility of students and teachers in Europe (document amended by the EP on 15 May under the codecision procedure), that the document was a call to faciliate mobility, eliminate administrative and legal obstacles and develop the economic conditions necessary to promote mobility. At the moment, he explained, Member States have to take measures so that training and the different experiences obtained in one country can be recognised in other. He emphasised the importance of financial means to facilitate mobility, such as student grants.