Brussels, 17/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption, on 30 October, of the own-initiative report by French Socialist Guy Bono on "Education, the Cornerstone of the Lisbon Process", the European Parliament has acknowledged the shortcomings in the Lisbon strategy to make Europe of the "most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy of the world" by 2010. The message is simple: in order to compete with the emerging countries, in the EU must reinforce its vocation to become a "knowledge-based economy". Investing in education seems to be the best way of safeguarding the EU's competitiveness against economies which can produce at lower costs, according to the MEPs. Aside from the need for adequate funding for this policy in the context of the forthcoming financial perspectives, they call for an increase in investment at national level and for the programme "Education and Training 2010" to be implemented rapidly, as the rapporteur believes that this must become "a monitoring tool for national and Community policies". The MEPs, who are concerned at the disparity between the different systems of education of the countries of the Union, stressed the need for measures to speed up the mobility of students and placement students, workers and their families as well as researchers, and to ensure the mutual recognition of qualifications and access to good-quality education and training for all, without discrimination. They also underlined the need to add value to technical subjects "which generate employment and integration", and to bring about a 15% increase in people holding qualifications in scientific subjects by 2010. Lastly, they call for "more coherent" national policies on education and life-long learning, and to improve access to employment for young apprentices and the unemployed.