Brussels, 20/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - Responding to the challenges set by the Lisbon European Council of making Europe, by 2010, the most competitive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world, the Commission has adopted a Communication that outlines five European benchmarks for education and training. The Commission is therefore calling on the Council to adopt the following benchmarks in all Member States: 1) to at least halve the rate of early school leavers, in reference to the rate recorded in the year 2000, in order to achieve an EU-average rate of 9% or less; 2) to at least halve the level of gender imbalance among graduates in mathematics, science and technology, whilst securing an overall significant increase of the total number of graduates compared to the year 2000; 3) ensure that the average percentage of 25-59 years olds in the EU with at least upper secondary education reaches 80% or more; 4) by 2010, the percentage of low-achieving 15 year olds in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy will be at least halved in each member state; 5) the EU-average level of participation in lifelong learning should be at least 15% of the adult working age population (25-64 age group) and in no country should it be lower than 10%. The Commission furthermore invites member states to continue to contribute to the achievement of the Lisbon objective of substantial annual increases in per capita investments in human resources, and, in this respect, to set national benchmarks to be communicated to the Council and Commission.