Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697803625986.pdf (Ireland)
Report of the Department Education Under Section 2 (5) of the European Union (Scrutiny) Act 2002 for the period from January to June 2023 August 2023 Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3 Part I – Developments in the EU during the Swedish Presidency (January to June 2022).................................................................................................................................... 3 1.
Meetings of the EYCS (Education) Council ...................................................... 3 1.1 Meeting of the EYCS (Education) Council - 7 March 2023 ........................................ 3 1.2 Meeting of the EYCS (Education) Council - 16 May 2023 ......................................... 4 2.

Other engagements under the remit of the Department ................................. 4 Part 2 – A look ahead to the Spanish Presidency (July to December 2023) ................. 6 1.
Schedule of Council Meetings during the Spanish Presidency ..................... 6 2.

Overview of key issues likely to arise during the Spanish Presidency ......... 6 Page 2 of 6 Introduction Under the terms of the European Union (Scrutiny Act) 2002, Ministers are required to submit reports to the Oireachtas every six months on developments at European Union level in their area of responsibility.

This report has two parts.


The first part summarises the key policy and legislative developments within the remit of the Department of Education that arose during the period from January to June 2023 when Sweden held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The second part provides an overview of the Spanish Presidency, which runs for the second half of 2023.
Part I – Developments in the EU during the Swedish Presidency (January to June 2022) The policy areas that fall within the responsibility of the Department of Education are generally dealt with in the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) Council in its Education formation.

1.

Meetings of the EYCS (Education) Council Formal meetings of the EYCS Council are normally held over two days, with Day 1 dedicated to Education and Youth and Day 2 dedicated to Culture and Sport items.
The Youth, Culture and Sport items fall within the responsibility of other departments.

Informal meetings are arranged at the discretion of the Presidency, and usually focus on specific topics.

Preparation for the EYCS (Education) Council and informal meetings of Education Ministers takes place in the Education Committee, which is serviced by Ireland’s Brussels-based Education Attaché.
Ministers with responsibility for Education met twice during the period from January to June 2023, on March 7th and May 16th 2023.

1.1 Meeting of the EYCS (Education) Council - 7 March 2023 The Irish delegation was led by Ambassador Barbara Cullinane, Deputy Permanent Representative to the European Union.

The meeting was chaired by Ms Lotta Edholm, the Swedish Minister for Schools, and Commissioner Mariya Gabriel represented the European Commission.
The Council adopted the following policy text:  Council conclusions on skills and competences for the green transition The main policy debate focused on the topic of teacher supply, and explored the issues of teacher shortages and the attractiveness of the teaching profession.

Ministers agreed that teachers are a Page 3 of 6 critical factor in education systems, and that almost all countries are experiencing shortages of teachers, with significant shortages being experienced in some systems.
There was general agreement that teachers and teaching should be an important focus in the co-operation as part of the European Education Area during 2023 and 2024.

A European year of teachers was proposed during the debate and several Ministers noted that there was merit in the suggestion.

1.2 Meeting of the EYCS (Education) Council - 16 May 2023 Thomas Byrne, TD, Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education represented Ireland.
The meeting was chaired by Ms Lotta Edholm, the Swedish Minister for Schools, and Commissioner Margaritis Schinas represented the European Commission.
The Council adopted the following policy texts:  A Resolution on the European Education Area: Looking to 2025 and beyond  Conclusions on further steps to make automatic mutual recognition in education and training a reality Ministers received a presentation from the Executive Director of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), on the outcomes of the PIRLS1 assessment, which had been published that morning.
The political debate which followed was entitled ‘Reading and its importance for learning, equity and active participation in society.’ Ministers noted the need to target improvement at a national and regional level, as well as the political importance of retaining a focus on literacy and other basic skills at an EU level.
They noted the increased importance of digital literacy, the links between socio-economic background and achievement levels in literacy, together with the need for community-based literacy interventions, designed to support parents, families and the wider community.

2.

Other engagements under the remit of the Department In addition to engagement at Council and ministerial level, officials from the Department of Education participated in a range of education-related events during the Swedish Presidency.
These included:  A meeting of the High Level Group on Education and Training (January 2023) – this meeting focused on the strategic development of the next phase of development of the European Education Area)  A meeting of the Directors’ General for schools  A meeting of the Directors’ General for vocational education and training 1 PIRLS (Progress in International Literacy Study) is a project of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), and is managed at an international level by the International Study Centre in Boston College.
Ireland has participated in all recent cycles of the study.

Page 4 of 6 The working groups under the framework for co-operation for the European Education Area, continued their work during this period.
The Department of Education has nominated officials to the following groups:  A working group on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)  A working group on Equity and Inclusion in School-level education  A working group on Education for Environmental Sustainability in School-level education  A cross-sectoral working group on Digital Education: Learning, Training and Assessment (DELTA)  A cross-sectoral working group on Equality and Values in Education and Training The work programme of these groups included, peer learning and sharing of policy responses to support and include Ukrainian learners in schools.
Officials from the Department of Education continued to engage with the European Institutions, as well as Ministries and Departments from other member states to support policy development in Ireland and in response to bilateral requests.

Page 5 of 6 Part 2 – A look ahead to the Spanish Presidency (July to December 2023) Spain assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July 2023.

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Schedule of Council Meetings during the Spanish Presidency  EYCS (Education) Informal Ministerial – 19 September 2023 – Zaragoza  EYCS (Education) Council – 23 November 2023 - Brussels 2.
Overview of key issues likely to arise during the Spanish Presidency  Digitalisation of education and training o The Presidency will negotiate two Council Recommendation, based on proposals from the Commission: o A Council Recommendation on the enabling factors for digital education and training o A Council Recommendation on provision for digital skills in education and training  EU common values and democratic citizenship o The Presidency will develop and negotiate Council Conclusions on EU values and democratic citizenship.
o An international conference will take place on this topic in October.

o This topic will also be considered by the meetings of Directors General for schools and VET.

 Achievement of the European Education Area o The mid-term review of progress toward the European Education area will be published by the Commission in October and the Spanish Presidency will lead on the initial response.
 Response to Ukraine o The Spanish Presidency will retain a focus on the efforts to support Ukrainian refugees and will continue the work in co-ordination and sharing of information.

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