On the 17th November 2017 at the Summit for Fair Employment and Growth, that took place in Gothenburg, the President of the EU Council, Donald Tusk, chaired a debate with the leaders of all Member-states on ways to promote further European cooperation in the areas of Education and Culture. This debate was prompted by the 30 years of Erasmus celebrations, the future of Europe after 2020 and, also, as a preparation for the European Council that took place in December, and that also reinforced the message of cooperation in Education and Culture.
As a contribution to the debate, the European Commission issued the Communication: “A European Education area by 2025: fostering a European Identity through Education and Culture.”
As a result of the debate the following proposals to create a European Education Area were presented:
- Making mobility a reality for all;
- Establish the grounds for mutual recognition of diplomas of higher education and school leaving diplomas;
- Promote greater cooperation on curricula development;
- Improve language learning;
- Promote lifelong learning;
- Promote mainstreaming innovation and digital skills in education;
- Provide greater support for teachers;
- Create a network of European universities;
- Reinforce the investment in education;
- Preserving cultural heritage and fostering a sense of a European identity and culture;
In 2018 this project should advance in order to materialize these proposals. There are various initiatives being organised to promote the European Education Area, namely the launch of the first European Education Summit that will take place on the 25th January, in Brussels.
Links:
European Commission Press Release:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-4521_en.htm
European Commission Communication:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/communication-strengthening-european-identity-education-culture_en.pdf
European Council Conclusions:
http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-19-2017-INIT/en/pdf
