Opinion on the role of local and regional authorities in education and training for Central and Eastern Europe provided through the European Union (96/C 100/20)

The Committee of the Regions decided on 1 February 1995, in accordance with Article 198c of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to draw up an Own-initiative Opinion on the above-mentioned subject.

Commission 6 for Education and Training was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject. The Rapporteur was Mrs Rosemary McKenna.

At its 9th Plenary Session (meeting of 20 and 21 September 1995), the Committee of the Regions, adopted the following Opinion.

INTRODUCTION

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

Whereas Articles 126 and 127 of the Treaty on European Union state that the Community and Member States shall foster cooperation with third countries in the field of education and vocational training;

Whereas the European Council, at its meeting in Copenhagen on 21 and 22 June 1993, decided that the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe shall become members of the European Union if they so desire and as soon as they are able to fulfil the necessary conditions, that future cooperation with these countries shall therefore be geared towards the objective of membership and that such cooperation shall include the participation of these countries in Community programmes, with a view to fostering integration;

Whereas the European Council, at its meeting in Essen on 9 and 10 December 1994, decided on a comprehensive strategy for preparing Central and Eastern European countries for accession to the European Union, at the request of the European Council meeting in Corfu on 24 and 25 June 1994;

Whereas the Essen European Council, in its strategy report, referred to the Council decision of 27 July 1994, on the negotiating directives for the additional Protocols to the Europe agreements, opening up the Community programmes Leonardo and Socrates to the associated countries,

makes the following remarks.

1. General observations

1.1. Through the Phare and exchange of experience programmes the European Community has responded positively to the process of democratic, economic and social reforms of the associated Central and Eastern European countries (at present Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic - Association agreements with the Baltic States are now in the process of being ratified). It now wishes to open up the Leonardo and Socrates programmes to these countries. Changes in education and training policy are key aspects in the reform programme and it is important that decentralized structures of elected government play a key role in this area.

1.2. For some time the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs) have expressed a wish to be included in the EC's education and training programmes particularly Force, Lingua and Petra. From 1995 onwards, these programmes have been integrated into the Socrates programme for education and the Leonardo programme for vocational training. On 27 July 1994 a Council decision opened up the Leonardo and Socrates programmes to the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the CEECs are in the process of gaining access to Community programmes in a wide variety of policy areas. It should however be remembered that these programmes are designed to promote Community integration and the participation of the CEECs should be closely defined in the pre-accession strategies. The Committee of the Regions looks forward to the gradual inclusion of all Phare countries and in particular the Baltic States, in these Community programmes.

1.3. At its meeting in Strasbourg on 8 and 9 December 1989, the European Council agreed to establish a European Training Foundation which will contribute to the development of the vocational training systems of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This Foundation was established in January 1995.

1.4. Parts of the Ouverture and ECOS exchange of experience programmes are also closely related to education and training because they are designed to develop economic and social cohesion by the enhancement of local democracy. The programmes provide assistance to promote local and regional economic development and integration through the exchange of experience for local and regional government staff.

1.5. The largest funding comes through the Phare programme which is to provide grant finance to primarily allow the transfer of knowledge to support the process of change in these countries. An important element in Phare is the Tempus programme which is designed to assist the restructuring of the higher education system in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs).

1.6. The Committee of the Regions would like to comment on the education and training aspects of the measures outlined above.

1.7. Local and regional government in the EU has a great wealth of experience in the development of education and training strategies and has been instrumental in developing transnational education and training networks. The Committee of the Regions feels that this experience will be extremely important in the development of collaborative networks between the European Union and the CEECs enabling experience and good practice to be shared in a beneficial way without giving a rigid blueprint to be followed. It is important in this approach that different local and regional circumstances and cultural diversity are taken into account when establishing new structures in the CEECs so that existing strengths can be built upon. It is also crucial that these structures incorporate the varied types of service delivery associated with education and training mechanisms so that both public and private sector provision is encouraged.

1.8. The Committee of the Regions supports the emphasis given in the pre-accession strategy to intra-regional cooperation between the CEECs and their immediate neighbours, as outlined in the conclusions to the Essen European Council on 9 and 10 December 1994. The Committee stresses the importance this cooperation has for the development of education and training structures as well as the promotion of cultural diversity and mutual understanding. It underlines the value of EU/CEEC local and regional cooperation through the exchange of experience and the creation of networks, particularly in the field of education and training.

1.9. The Committee of the Regions calls for the structured relationship between the associated CEECs and the institutions of the European Union in the strategy to prepare for the accession of the associated CEECs, outlined in the conclusions of the Essen European Council on 9 and 10 December 1994, to include a structured dialogue between local and regional authorities' representatives in the CEECs and the members of the COR, particularly in the field of education and training.

1.10. Moreover, the COR also underlines the value of strengthening cooperation with the Council of Europe which has an important contribution to make in promoting the exchange of information in this area, many of its members being CEEC representatives.

2. The importance of education and training in the process of democratic economic and social reform

2.1. The process of change from one democratic, economic and social system to another has great consequences in Central and Eastern Europe, and the education and training system has a major role in the provision of the essential skills for the management and implementation of these reforms.

2.2. Moreover, education and training play a vital role in the personal development of every individual, instilling in them the basic values of private, social and civic life, such as solidarity, tolerance and understanding of cultural diversity as well as fostering the ability to communicate between different cultural groups and to take part in democratic decision making processes. This link between education and democracy is particularly significant in supporting the democratization process in the CEECs, as underlined in the COR's Opinion on the European Year of Life-long Learning (CdR 244/95).

2.3. The previous regimes gave a priority to education and training. Until the recent political changes, these countries were characterized by highly centralized states with rigidly planned economies. On average, around 80 % of the population received secondary education and some vocational or technical tuition. However, this was geared towards a different economic structure and the education and training needs of a market economy are very different in comparison to the needs in the 1980s. In addition to these education and training needs, the CEECs need to develop new political, economic and social structures that are more suitable to a market economy. The development of local and regional democracy responsible for a wide range of functions, including education and training, is particularly important in this respect.

2.4. In the past five years, training has played an important role in the changing society. The CEECs first had to recruit and train personnel who could play a role in managing the process of change and put in place new structures. This involved a wide range of personnel from senior politicians and civil servants, business managers, educationalists, etc.

2.5. There needs to be significant changes of emphasis in the education and training system. Until the 1989 reforms, the vocational training system was very narrow and training was often targeted at the needs of individual factories or enterprises so that it was too occupationally specific instead of training in general skills. This has led to great retraining needs amongst the adult population.

2.6. In economic terms, there has been a decline in the workers employed in the large state-owned industries and during the transition from centralized planning to the creation of a market economy, there has been a great increase in unemployment. The Committee of the Regions agrees with the Delors White Paper when it argued that in future the most successful economies would be decentralized ones. It also agrees that these economies will differ according to the local and regional demands that occur in them. New employment growth is now likely to come from the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector which is at the core of the decentralization process. This sector is extremely varied in terms of size, organization and activity of the enterprise. In view of this diversity, a decentralized approach similar in the delivery of services and training for SMEs needs to be adopted and there should be a great involvement of local and regional government. The decline of the centralized system has led to greater variations in the economic scene locally and regionally. The Committee of the Regions believes that there should be a decentralized approach to training which takes into account the local and regional economic development needs of specific areas while involving local communities in decisions concerning new education and training structures.

3. The development of decentralized education and training structures in Central and Eastern Europe

3.1. The CEECs have made commitments to the creation of decentralized and pluralist structures where democratic local and regional government plays an influential role. Much of the structure still needs to be put in place and this needs to be completed as soon as possible so that democratically elected local and regional politicians can lead the debate and motivate local and regional economic development actors, teachers and trainers. In particular, the decentralization must be a political one because administrative decentralization using central government representatives will not effectively mobilize local and regional communities. A politically decentralized system would assist in the establishment of new education and training structures which are needed if high quality education and training is going to be available across a wide spectrum of the population. It is important that local and regional authorities are given the resources needed to implement decentralized education and training in an effective way.

3.2. An extensive debate needs to take place so that a decentralized education and training system can be integrated into a national framework so that new partnerships will develop. It is important to introduce new skills amongst administrators, trainers, both sides of industry and economic development actors to allow the reforms to take hold at a local and regional level.

3.3. Most CEECs have passed legislation to allow schools to transfer to local and regional government. It is important that local and regional government has both the resources and powers to be effective in developing a modern education curriculum in the schools.

3.4. The Committee of the Regions stresses the need for a coherent system of education and training to be introduced at national, regional and local levels. In the past, education and training in their countries has been a priority but has been formal, lacked resources and has been compartmentalized. It is very important in the development of new structures that the links between different parts of the emerging structures are considered, e.g. the link between school education and initial vocational training. A coordinated approach is also needed at a local and regional level to bring local and regional actors together in a spirit of partnership. The tiers of local, regional and national government have been given different responsibilities in these systems of government and it is important that a dialogue takes place between these tiers.

3.5. The Committee of the Regions wishes to see a balance between the 'top-down` approach which exists in much of the Phare programme and the 'bottom-up` approach in other programmes such as Ouverture, ECOS and Tempus. This would allow a balance between initiatives to create a national framework and those designed to stimulate local innovation and mobilize local communities.

3.6. The Committee of the Regions has a major interest in the development of a 'bottom-up` approach in community programmes. An example of this approach can be seen in the Tempus programme. Tempus evaluations show a high level of good/excellent projects in the areas of curriculum development, staff and student mobility, the development of new teaching materials and the development of links with industry. The evaluations contain useful advice and principles for the development of partnerships and networks in other areas of education and training.

3.7. It is equally important that EU programmes involving Central and Eastern Europe are coordinated and this includes support not only to satisfy short term needs and promote longer term structural change but also to stimulate action at all levels of government. This Opinion examines the current policy development in the European Union particularly the creation of a European Training Foundation, the developments in Phare and Tempus, and the inclusion of Central and Eastern Europe in the Leonardo and Socrates programmes.

4. The creation of the European Training Foundation

4.1. Although some concern must be expressed at the long period taken to establish the European Training Foundation, its creation and its main objective of contributing to the development of vocational training systems in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are to be welcomed.

4.2. The COR supports the decentralization approach inherent in the work of the Foundation and welcomes the fact that its working methods will be based on the constant concern to mobilize local expertise capacity so that it can have an impact on the design of vocational training policy. Moreover, the COR strongly supports the Foundation's aims to encourage projects with several objectives and to promote a funding synergy.

4.3. The COR believes that it is regrettable that no mention is made of local and regional authorities' representation in the articles relating to the Governing Body and Advisory Forum, notwithstanding the specific situation of Federal States in the EU.

4.4. The Governing Board will approve the setting up of ad hoc sectoral working parties involving all the countries or organizations contributing to the finance of the different projects. These working parties will include other interested parties in particular appropriate representatives of social partners. In view of the importance of decentralized training structures, it is important that local and regional government is represented on these groups and that consideration be given to the establishment of a working group to examine decentralized training structures and the creation of regional networks.

4.5. In terms of the Advisory Forum, this will also be appointed by the Governing Board. The members of the Forum will be selected from experts among training and other circles concerned in the work of the Foundation. Membership of the Forum will include representatives of the social partners, of those international organizations active in the provision of training assistance, and of the eligible countries. Two experts from each of the Member States, from each eligible country and from the social partners at European level shall be appointed. It is also important that local and regional government is represented in this Forum.

4.6. The European Commission is given a coordinating role to ensure consistency and complementarity between the work of the Foundation and other Community action. With DG I responsible for Phare; DG XXII responsible for Leonardo and Tempus and DG XVI being responsible for the exchange of experiences of local and regional authority staff through the Ouverture and ECOS programmes, this coordinating role will be extremely important.

4.7. The work of Tempus is likely to play a major part in the Foundation's work and the COR welcomes this development.

4.8. The Foundation's work programme is to be broadly welcomed. The Committee of the Regions particularly welcomes the establishment of a subgroup of the Advisory Forum to examine decentralized structures for vocational education and training and calls for local and regional authorities to be represented in this subgroup. It also supports the creation of an Observatory, a vocational education and training programme and a management unit for Tempus.

5. The application of the Leonardo and Socrates programmes in Central and Eastern Europe

5.1. The Essen Summit attached great importance to opening up these programmes to Central and Eastern Europe. This participation will be outlined in the general conditions laid down in the additional Protocols. Detailed terms and conditions are negotiated bilaterally by the European Union and individual states. The Committee of the Regions supports these initiatives.

5.2. There are a number of constraining factors which will make it difficult for Central and Eastern European partners to participate. These include financial contributions to projects, the lack of structures to administer both projects and programmes and a lack of knowledge of the programmes. The European Commission has proposed that not more than 10 % of the Phare national indicative programme budgets can be used for project contribution in Leonardo and Socrates but in view of the great demands for CEEC involvement in a wide range of EU programmes, there will be great competition for this contribution from Phare. While a new budget line (subsection B7-633) in the Community budget may be available to open up the Community programmes to the CEECs, the COR highlights the need for increased funding so that mechanisms are available for CEECs to provide the matching funding associated with the Leonardo and Socrates programmes.

5.3. The Committee of the Regions believes that the involvement of Central and Eastern Europe in Leonardo and Socrates shall be a gradual one with the first participation coming as observers in Committees, as well as the establishment of national agencies and participation in the NARIC and EURYDICE networks. As a prelude to CEEC involvement in the Leonardo and Socrates programmes, the COR proposes the organization of conferences between EU and CEEC practitioners to help develop new education and training mechanisms in developing this theme. The Committee of the Regions would suggest that the Community developers' initiative, which has been successful in the Structural Funds, could be applied to Leonardo and Socrates to train CEEC local government officials as well as elected local and regional representatives who play a vital role in developing new education and training structures. The Committee of the Regions points out that the CEECs participation in the Arion programme, a study visit scheme for those responsible and involved in education, would play an important part in promoting dissemination of good practice and exchange of experience with the CEECs. The Committee of the Regions underlines the value of creating channels enabling the CEECs to give the EU feedback on the steps needed for CEEC involvement in these programmes.

5.4. Consideration may also be given to the CEECs' participation in the 1996 European Year of Life-long Learning and the participation of Central and Eastern Europe as silent partners in some projects in the Leonardo and Socrates programmes.

5.5. The European Commission has proposed eight themes for action in the training area in a study on 'Vocational education and training in Central and Eastern Europe`. These are bringing Western experience to bear on the establishment of a continuing training system; helping to modernize initial vocational training; helping the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to develop the players responsible for a decentralized and pluralistic training policy; facilitating the creation of institutions and procedures which permit the most appropriate vocational training policy possible; modernizing training methods; developing the training of trainers and teachers; encouragement of greater synergy between training and research; encouragement of programmes centred on small and medium-sized enterprises.

5.6. The Committee of the Regions welcomes these themes but feels that due to the shortcomings of the training system before 1989 the retraining needs of the adult population should also be included. While the synergy between training and research is considered, the links between the school, vocational training and higher education systems should be examined. The development of the training of those with special needs should also be given attention.

5.7. Many of the above themes could be absorbed within the three strands of Leonardo but detailed discussions are needed to ensure that there are support mechanisms to include the themes outlined above in paragraphs 5.5 and 5.6 which are not part of Leonardo. Intervention in these areas might be covered in the additional Protocols.

5.8. Socrates is also a wide ranging programme with nine groups of actions, many of which could benefit Central and Eastern Europe. Careful consideration needs to be given to the entry of these countries into the programmes, the application procedures for them, and their success rates in the application process if there is open competition. It is important that the funding should be targeted into the most appropriate activities of Socrates because they will provide the most benefit. The EU has paid great attention to training through published studies and the creation of the Training Foundation. However, little work seems to have been commissioned on the needs of the school sector in Central and Eastern Europe. This is a significant element in Socrates and will be an important element for the CEECs.

5.9. In terms of higher education, the establishment of university networks promoting curriculum development and new courses in Socrates would carry forward the work of Tempus. However, there are problems in the move from Tempus because Socrates does not fund certain elements available in Tempus, e.g. the purchase of equipment and materials.

5.10. Similarly, the benefits of cooperation at school level to promote the creation and use of new teaching materials and courses through networks and partnerships is to be applauded and the updating of the skills of educational staff will be essential for teachers grappling with the new curricular demands associated with the economic and social reforms. The COR in its Opinion on the Socrates programme (CdR 43/94) called on the Commission and Council to recognize the importance of twinning links by educational institutions, at all levels, with similar institutions in the CEECs and long distance curriculum twinning links, by their inclusion within the programme.

6. Phare and Tempus programmes

6.1. The Phare programme is the largest funding programme into Central and Eastern Europe from the European Union. As a 'know-how` fund, the principal objective is the communication of knowledge and while most projects and programmes are sectorally based, e.g. agriculture, banking, etc., the key factor is the exchange of experience and the transmission of knowledge. However, it has been calculated that around 25 % of the programme is directly targeted at training.

6.2. The programme involves liaison with the CEECs so that they can determine their own priorities and not be purely guided by the European Union. There have been curriculum development programmes in some of the CEECs, but most education and training programmes have dealt with vocational training and higher education. This concentration needs to be balanced by school education programmes because the schools feed the vocational training and higher education institutions.

6.3. The majority of programmes and projects are based in Ministries or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). There need to be more projects and programmes managed at the local and regional level. However, the Committee of the Regions understands that until local and regional government is fully developed in the CEECs, it may be difficult to find partners at this level. The Committee of the Regions, therefore, stresses that a decentralized education and training system cannot be effectively developed without strengthening local government structures.

6.4. In a number of curriculum development projects, pilot schools have been used and this approach needs to be more widely implemented. Local and regional government must be involved in this development. Projects which involve in-service training and teacher training would be appropriate in the need to develop a new curriculum and new teaching methods and materials.

6.5. The Committee of the Regions feels that particular attention needs to be paid to the creation of local and regional networks to assure a spread of funding and projects throughout the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This would allow greater involvement of local and regional actors. It will take into account regional disparities and local/regional labour market needs. Public administration training programmes for local government officials have a vital role to play in the decentralization process.

6.6. In the demand led approach, the European Union negotiates the programme with the CEECs. A decentralized approach is needed to balance the prevailing 'top-down` construction of the programme at national government level. This may be more likely with the inclusion of local and regional government representatives in both the CEEC and European Union teams.

6.7. It is important that sustainable projects and programmes are introduced using Phare funds. These are projects which will continue after the Phare funding ends.

6.8. The Tempus programme appears to have been successful and should be developed to allow Central and Eastern European Universities to play greater roles in the partnerships. For instance, these partners could become project contractors and/or coordinators and this would strengthen their involvement and the sense of partnership both in the project and in the resulting networks. The long-term future of Tempus and its relationship to Leonardo and Socrates needs careful consideration.

7. Recommendations

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS:

7.1. welcomes the democratic, economic and social reforms in Central and Eastern Europe and emphasizes the key role that education and training occupies in the reform programme;

7.2. points out that any training actions carried out in the CEECs must be aimed at the economic development of the regional and local areas to which they apply, so that, in the context of land-use planning, as referred to in the Opinion on the European Commission's communication 'Europe 2000+`, all firms in a development area can benefit;

7.3. emphasizes the importance of flexible decentralized structures underpinned by democratic local and regional government in the provision of education and training. The COR is concerned that while the CEECs have made a commitment to democratic decentralized government, some countries have not yet implemented this commitment;

7.4. supports the emphasis given in the pre-accession strategy to intra-regional cooperation between the CEECs and their immediate neighbours, as outlined in the conclusions to the Essen European Council on 9 and 10 December 1994. The Committee stresses the importance this cooperation has for the development of education and training structures as well as the promotion of cultural diversity and mutual understanding. It underlines the value of EU/CEEC local and regional cooperation through the exchange of experience and the creation of networks, particularly in the field of education and training;

7.5. calls for the structured relationship between the associated CEECs and the institutions of the European Union in the strategy to prepare for the accession of the associated CEECs, outlined in the conclusions of the Essen European Council on 9 and 10 December 1994, to include a structured dialogue between local and regional authorities' representatives in the CEECs and the members of the COR, particularly in the field of education and training;

7.6. stresses that local and regional government in the EU has a great wealth of experience in the development of education and training strategies. This experience will be extremely important in the development of collaborative networks so that good practice can be shared and new structures and methods introduced into Central and Eastern Europe which respect local diversity and existing education and training strengths;

7.7. emphasizes the need for a coherent system of education and training at national, regional and local levels which creates a dialogue to bring interest groups together in a spirit of partnership;

7.8. welcomes the important work already done by the European Union in a number of programmes but is concerned that there is an over-emphasis on 'top-down` approaches in some programmes which should be counter-balanced by a great number of 'bottom-up` projects;

The creation of the European Training Foundation

7.9. welcomes the creation of the European Training Foundation and its comment to mobilize local expertise in the CEECs and broadly supports its work programme, particularly the establishment of a group to examine decentralized structures for vocational education and training;

7.10. is concerned that no mention is made of local and regional government representation in either the Governing Body or Advisory Forum, notwithstanding the specific situation of Federal States in the EU;

The Leonardo and Socrates programmes

7.11. welcomes the EU's commitment to extend these programmes to the CEECs;

7.12. identifies constraining factors, e.g. problems with financial contributions and administrative problems, which must be urgently addressed;

7.13. emphasizes the need for the gradual involvement of the CEECs in the Socrates and Leonardo programmes through the involvement in Committees, participation in the NARIC and EURYDICE networks and the introduction of EU/CEEC seminars/conferences on Leonardo and Socrates;

7.14. welcomes the work and publications already produced by the EU on training in the CEECs but stresses that similar work ought to be done on school education in preparation for Socrates;

7.15. broadly welcomes the EC publication 'Vocational education and training in Central and Eastern Europe` and the eight training themes in it, but stresses that adult retraining should be included as well as school, vocational training and higher education links;

Phare and Tempus

7.16. underlines the need for a more decentralized approach in Phare with more projects and programmes managed at regional and local level, but recognizes the problems in defining appropriate partners until local and regional government is fully developed;

7.17. stresses that the creation of local and regional networks would ensure a spread of projects and funding throughout the CEECs and allow the greater involvement of local and regional actors who can take into account local labour market needs in project/programme development;

7.18. would like to see the introduction of more school education programmes to balance the vocational training and higher education programmes and provide a link between education and training;

7.19. realizes that Phare is demand led and would like to see the introduction of local and regional government representatives in both the CEEC and European Union teams;

7.20. welcomes the success of the decentralized approach in the Tempus programme but emphasizes that its long term future and its relationship with Leonardo and Socrates needs careful consideration.

Done at Brussels, 20 September 1995.

The Chairman of the Committee of the Regions

Jacques BLANC