Brussels, 16/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 16 January, the European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report by Doris Pack (EPP-ED, Germany) aimed at promoting access by adults to training and education. In order to meet the goals of the Lisbon strategy in terms of heightened knowledge and competitiveness of the European labour force, the report approves the Commission's proposal to establish an action plan in favour of adult training and education, and calls on member states to establish “a lifelong learning culture” mainly aimed at adults, in order to motivate them. Reconciling family and professional life and lifelong learning calls not only for greater flexibility in time and space management but also social, economic and tax incentives in order to promote access by adults to training and education programmes. With this in mind, MEPs consider the range of public and private childcare structures should be enlarged, and that employers should be encouraged to provide such services. Parents, and mothers in particular, would thus be encouraged to resume work, with the possibility of pursuing training during working hours. The practice whereby employers finance and organise training for their employees should also become more widespread and be supported by tax benefits, MEPs say. Finally, language learning should be encouraged. (I.L.)