Europe will intensify cooperation in education and training
14 May 2009
The European Council has adopted a new strategic framework for cooperation between EU Member States to reform their education and training systems.
This is an important signal in the current economic crisis. Common challenges, such as skills deficits, ageing societies and tough global competition, need joint responses and countries learning from each other.
Common challenges
While the responsibility for education and training lies with national governments, some challenges are common to all EU countries. These include the need for a workforce that will have the right skills for tomorrow's jobs, and the threats of ageing societies and more intense global competition.
Some goals, like helping students and learners to move between countries, cannot be achieved by individual countries acting alone. Other goals will be easier to achieve if countries learn from each other and develop common tools, which can then be adapted to meet the specific needs of each country.
EU Member States and the European Commission will strengthen their cooperation in order to support future reforms.