Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on "The European dimension of education: its nature, content and prospects"

(2001/C 139/16)

On 2 March 2000 the Economic and Social Committee, acting under the third paragraph of Rule 23 of its Rules of Procedure, decided to draw up an opinion(1) on "The European dimension of education: its nature, content and prospects".

The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 31 January 2001. The rapporteur was Mr Koryfídis and the co-rapporteur was Mr Rupp.

At its 379th plenary session (meeting of 1 March 2001), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 100 votes to four with five abstentions.

1. Introduction

1.1. The information report entitled "The European dimension of education: its nature, content and prospects" is now part of the ESC's body of work completed. The Committee's influence on the evolution of European education will be evaluated in due course, as will the quality of its contribution. But the above-mentioned report already provides a store of facts and the perspectives of civil society organisations on the subject of education. This report has already made an important contribution, helping, however modestly, to bring education to the forefront of political, economic and social dialogue, which was one of its stated goals.

1.2. Obviously, the information report largely determines the content of this opinion. However, owing to circumstances, the opinion clearly is not as extensive and does not cover all the elements of the report. Both the information report and its appendix will therefore be attached to the opinion and should be seen as part and parcel of it.

1.3. While the information report was being prepared, and during the Portuguese presidency (first half of 2000), there has been intense activity on matters of education in all EU bodies (European Parliament, Council and Commission). This activity was basically prompted by the realisation that education is not just a means of fostering development but an essential component of development and at the same time one of its most important objectives(2). The following decisions were taken at the special meeting of the European Council (23 and 24 March 2000) and in the framework of the new strategic objective of the EU for the coming decade "to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion"(3):

- a new approach to education and training: an approach that emphasises the need for Europe's education and training policies to adapt to the demands of the knowledge society, and the need for "an improved level and quality of employment"; an approach which essentially changes the relationship between education and the citizen, offering "learning and training opportunities tailored to target groups at different stages of their lives"; an approach resting on three basic pillars: "the development of local learning centres, the promotion of new basic skills, in particular in the information technologies, and increased transparency of qualifications"(4). As part of this approach the European Council calls upon the Member States, in line with their constitutional rules, the Council and the Commission to take the necessary steps within their areas of competence to meet the following targets:

- a substantial annual increase in per capita investment in human resources;

- the number of 18 to 24 year olds with only lower-secondary level education who are not in further education and training should be halved by 2010;

- schools and training centres, all linked to the Internet, should be developed into multi-purpose local learning centres accessible to all, using the most appropriate methods to address a wide range of target groups; learning partnerships should be established between schools, training centres, firms and research facilities for their mutual benefit;

- a European framework should define the new basic skills to be provided through lifelong learning: IT skills, foreign languages, technological culture, entrepreneurship and social skills; a European diploma for basic IT skills, with decentralised certification procedures, should be established in order to promote digital literacy throughout the Union;

- define, by the end of 2000, the means for fostering the mobility of students, teachers and training and research staff both through making the best use of existing Community programmes (Socrates, Leonardo, Youth), by removing obstacles and through greater transparency in the recognition of qualifications and periods of study and training; to take steps to remove obstacles to teachers' mobility by 2002 and to attract high-quality teachers.

- a common European format should be developed for curricula vitae, to be used on a voluntary basis, in order to facilitate mobility by helping the assessment of knowledge acquired, both by education and training establishments and by employers(5).

Similarly, the European Council "asks the Council (Education) to undertake a general reflection on the concrete future objectives of education systems, focusing on common concerns and priorities while respecting national diversity, with a view to contributing to the Luxembourg and Cardiff processes and presenting a broader report to the European Council in the Spring of 2001"(6).

- designing an integrated action programme for an electronic Europe (e-Europe Action Plan). As part of this programme, all schools in the EU are to have access to the Internet by the end of 2001 and all the necessary teaching staff are to be proficient in the use of the Internet and multimedia resources by the end of 2002;

- creation of a European Area of Research and Innovation with, inter alia, the following objectives(7):

- to develop appropriate mechanisms for networking national and joint research programmes on a voluntary basis around freely chosen objectives;

- to catalogue and identify excellence in research;

- to improve the environment for private research investment and R& D partnerships;

- to take steps to remove obstacles to the mobility of researchers and to attract and retain high-quality research talent in Europe;

- to ensure that a Community patent is available by the end of 2001, including the utility model.

1.3.1. The Council of Education Ministers (at its meeting on 8 June 2000) then said that it was prepared to carry out the mandate given to it by the (above-mentioned) European Council(8). More specifically, it is prepared to go ahead with drawing up a report on future challenges and objectives of education systems, which according to the Lisbon conclusions should be submitted to the extraordinary meeting of the European Council in Stockholm next spring.

1.3.2. The Education Council welcomed the Commission communication of 24 May 2000 on the e-learning initiative "designing tomorrow's education". The initiative contains certain basic elements from the conclusions of the European Council summit in Lisbon in relation to developing the knowledge society, its aim being to give specific form to the e-Europe initiative in the sphere of education and training, i.e. to specify the role of education in disseminating digital technologies in Europe so that all Europeans have the skills needed to use them. The same Council, having listened to the European report on the quality of school education: sixteen quality indicators and an account of developments in cooperation on quality evaluation in school education, called on the Commission to support these activities and "to establish a data base to disseminate effective tools and instruments for evaluating the quality of individual schools"(9).

1.3.3. Finally, the Santa Maria da Feira European Council of 19 and 20 June 2000 adopted the guidelines of the Council of Education Ministers for future challenges and objectives facing education systems in the knowledge society(10), identifying lifelong learning as a crucial policy for the development of citizenship, social cohesion and employment.

1.3.4. It is worth noting that the trend described above is set to continue during the French Presidency(11) with work to implement the above decisions and to elaborate and flesh them out in the European Parliament and the Commission. Specifically, the French Presidency is promoting, inter alia:

- the incorporation of education in the employment guidelines;

- the promotion of lifelong learning and its role in employment;

- the implementation of the eEurope action plan;

- the removal of the obstacles hampering the mobility of students, teachers and researchers (meeting of education ministers 30.9.2000);

- completion of work on amending and simplifying the directives concerning the recognition of qualifications;

- measures to enable young Europeans to acquire common cultural references, from school age upward, by teaching them two languages in addition to their mother tongue and by introducing the European dimension into history syllabi;

- the joint implementation at European level of a programme of "electronic learning".

1.3.4.1. An important development towards promoting the European dimension in education during the French Presidency were the positions adopted by the Council of Education Ministers on 9 November 2000 concerning:

- mobility and the associated action plan (42 indicative measures to increase mobility and remove obstacles to it);

- the future objectives of European education systems (quality enhancement, easier access to education for all EU citizens);

- promotion of the open method of coordination in line with the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council;

- definition of the scope of education with regard to employability.

1.3.4.2. With regard to mobility in particular, a crucially important step was the resolution of the Nice European Council (7 and 8 December 2000) which established "increasing the mobility of young people, school children, students, researchers, all those being educated and their teachers" as a major political objective to which the leaders of the 15 Member States have now committed.

1.3.4.3. Another important development is the fleshing out of the concept of lifelong learning and of the means of implementing it undertaken in a Memorandum drawn up by the Commission(12). According to this Memorandum, lifelong learning should serve the following two objectives, which are equally important:

- fostering active participation in the evolution of society, and

- increasing employability.

1.4. The ESC feels that the Lisbon European Council's response to the current requirements in the field of education in Europe is of particular importance and potentially crucial to the entire future of Europe. It has created the preconditions necessary for the establishment in future of a European education domain able to function in a complementary role and filling any gaps in existing national and regional education systems. It also has the potential to rally large sections of European society to share in the shaping of the new reality which is anyway emerging day by day thanks to global developments on the technological, economic, social and political levels.

1.4.1. Against this background, the ESC is reorienting its work on education and training on the basis of the above, focusing considerable attention on both the general philosophy underlying the Council's approach and each specific proposal for action.

1.4.2. The ESC is pleased to note that the decisions of the Lisbon European Council have confirmed the concerns that it has been expressing for some time with regard to education in Europe and the future thereof. It is also pleased to note that many of the positions it has taken to date have been adopted and promoted by these decisions. That is why, drawing on its expertise and the relevant work done, it is glad to express its views both on the procedure and the substance of what was decided in Lisbon. These views are obviously intended to fill any gaps, to clarify any unclear points and to flesh out others.

2. General comments and observations

2.1. The future of education in Europe, and its role in European integration, have on occasion been a subject of intense discussion and disagreement in the EU. These differences of opinion have made it difficult to frame a European education strategy, which has been detrimental to the EU's position. To date, European involvement in the evolution of education has been limited largely to specific European programmes for individual areas and purposes. Many Member States' education systems have only a limited European perspective and, of course, very little European content(13).

2.2. The ESC accepts and endorses the view that "education systems in the Member States, with their differences and idiosyncrasies, are certainly a priceless resource that must not be lost, but rather harnessed"(14). It also understands the obstacles and difficulties faced in framing an education policy with a European perspective and content. However, it would also stress the importance and necessity of developing a policy to modernise education substantially in terms of both quality and quantity, as well as infrastructure(15). Modernisation means seeking a new balance between the traditional European system, the needs created by the current situation in Europe and in particular future needs arising from the European perspective. This modernisation should be based on the principle that education does not serve the needs of the economy alone, but also the wider goal of producing wellrounded individuals, both culturally and socially. It requires new approaches in defining the duration, domains, conditions and means of learning and education, and, ultimately, the setting-up of a new type of school with(16):

- broader objectives than at present (in response to the requirements created by the information and knowledge societies and diversity as well as the new situation in Europe and economic globalisation);

- a different structure (in response to the new circumstances created by thinking in terms of lifelong learning);

- broader field of learning (in response to the need for compulsory education for a broader age range, and for lifelong learning);

- modern resources, methods and curricula (application and utilisation of new technologies, especially IT, in educational procedures and practice).

2.3. The ESC regards as very important and welcomes the developments that took place at the extraordinary European Council of Lisbon, the European Councils of Santa Maria da Feira and Nice, and the Councils of Education Ministers of 17 December 1999, 8 June 2000(17) and 9 November 2000. It particularly welcomes the political importance attached to lifelong learning, which has been effective in some Member States for many years. Development of lifelong learning "as a basic component of the European social model" - in cooperation with the social partners and within a European framework defining the skills to be provided(18) - can certainly be described as a major step forward. The same can be said for the calls of the above-mentioned European Council upon the Member States, the Council of Ministers and the Commission to take the necessary measures within their spheres of competence to achieve, among others, the following goals:

- a substantial annual increase in per capita investment in human resources;

- conversion of schools and training centres into multipurpose local learning centres connected to the Internet, accessible to all and using the most appropriate methods to address a wide range of target groups(19).

2.4. Despite the progress made in creating mobility and a dynamic for change in education (at all levels and in all respects), the ESC calls for faster implementation of the positions adopted by the extraordinary European Council in Lisbon. It also feels that an overall effort is required to clarify terms and to define more clearly the responsibilities and roles which will fall to the various levels involved in education. Lastly, it would propose continuous monitoring and evaluation of all measures at all levels, an exercise which the ESC is willing to take part in.

2.4.1. With this in mind, the ESC offers the following comments and suggestions, based on its information report on the European dimension in education, as well as other recent documents(20):

2.4.1.1. Formal education is a process based primarily on the values of humanism. Any education planning option must be compatible with these values. Especially today, when the balance is tipped dangerously in favour of rushing to adapt to the new technological and economic circumstances, the humanistic dimension of education must be afforded particular attention. The new technological and economic situation becomes comprehensible and acceptable in as far as it serves mankind and society. The 15 leaders of the Member States and the European Council are the guarantors for European society that education in Europe will not lose sight of its key objectives and its humanistic identity.

2.4.1.2. Adapting education to the new circumstances and increasing its effectiveness may be achieved by reinforcing its humanistic identity and choosing options like those advocated by the Lisbon European Council, options which will build bridges of communication and cooperation between national and regional education systems, forming a European education domain where required while respecting the diversity and variety of national systems and creating the conditions for effectively overcoming the obstacles which arise in the process of transition towards the information society and a Europe of knowledge.

2.4.1.3. The vast majority of civil society organisations consider education to be both a European and a national issue. This means, among other things, reinforcing the relevant European dialogue and strengthening consultation mechanisms between the European institutions and the Member States on all matters relating to education. The ESC feels that the all the candidate countries should take part in the process of consultation and social dialogue.

2.4.1.4. The ESC also considers that this new approach to education, this new type of school as described above should be imbued from within with a uniform rationale and able to meet the needs of the European, national and local dimensions of education. In particular, it must be able to meet:

- Europe's multicultural and multilingual needs (those arising from migration, enlargement and economic globalisation);

- the needs created by free movement of Europe's citizens (e.g. recognition of qualifications);

- the needs arising from the institution of lifelong learning.

2.4.1.5. The areas of education relating to European integration and the shaping of the European citizen (pro-active, multicultural, multilingual) should be areas of shared responsibility, as well any other areas which, with the consent of the Member States, can be managed in concert.

2.4.1.6. An open method of coordination should be used for planning and developing lifelong learning and matters relating to the information and knowledge-based society (new spheres) and for developing a modern European scientific institute for educational research. The European institute should be concerned with statistical trends in education, providing Member States with valuable European data and thereby helping to make the debate more objective. It is worth noting that European action on education is more readily accepted by local communities when it has to do with new areas of education and is based on scientific findings. Conversely, action which concerns the traditional areas of education is not accepted, and even less so if it is not backed up by scientific evidence.

2.5. The ESC is particularly interested in the question of creating a European education domain, which, in the light of recent developments, is taking on a broader scope to become a European domain of learning and education. The ESC includes within this domain not only the European dimension of education, but also any other current learning-related challenge or procedure of concern to the European citizen. This domain therefore comprises lifelong learning and familiarising Europeans - regardless of their age - with the thinking and mechanisms of the information society. It also includes enabling every European citizen to assimilate and be aware of the new circumstances created by globalisation whatever form they take, as well as the difficult process of adapting to the new pace of operation and the rapid changes which modern technology has imposed. Lastly, it includes mapping out the new education of the European citizen, the education of European integration, which, without being removed form its historical roots, will define Europe and its citizens in the new millennium.

2.5.1. The relationship between the European domain of learning and education and the corresponding national and regional domains must not be a competitive one. It must be one of cooperation, complementarity and mutual enrichment. The setting of common goals and the methods for achieving them, exchanges of good practice, teacher and student mobility, networking, quality reports and comparative statistics, electronic communication inter alia provide the basis for the interface of national education policies and the forum for common European-level and European-dimension choices and actions on education (content).

2.5.2. Against this background the ESC feels that the time is ripe for the EU to take measures of a strategic nature on education (defining the nature and content of the European domain of learning and education). But this requires a carefully prepared and substantive dialogue between all the levels and parties, a dialogue which in any case has already been opened up by the Lisbon decisions and which the ESC is ready to take part in.

3. Specific comments

3.1. As part of this dialogue, the ESC would also make the following proposals in particular, on the basis of relevant recent developments in the European Council, and of its own work:

3.1.1. A concerted effort must be made without delay to attain the objectives and implement the decisions of the European Councils of Lisbon, Santa Maria da Feira and Nice. The most important issue here is basically that of informing those involved in national education systems and the general public. The ESC believes that primary responsibility for a well-planned and integrated information campaign should be assigned to the Commission. Players in the existing education system (teachers, parents, pupils/students) can play an important role in this campaign, as well, of course, as the social partners and civil society organisations in general.

3.1.2. Certain objectives, roles and responsibilities should be defined in more specific terms. In particular, there is an urgent need to identify, clarify and publicise:

- the objectives of lifelong learning;

- new basic skills;

- aptitude testing methods;

- the role that the new type of school in the wider sense must play as a multipurpose local learning centre(21);

- the new role of further education and the general context in which the various facets of education will develop in the future.

3.1.2.1. The ESC has a particular position on lifelong learning, which it sees as the key to familiarising the general public with the rationale behind the information society(22), new technologies and the so-called new economy. The Committee would hope that it would cater to the need to adapt to the new entrepreneurial spirit and to cultivate new social skills. It also considers this to be the intelligent response to the new rhythms, speeds and approaches imposed by the above challenges, a response through which today's pro-active Europeans can join in shaping the new global political, economic, social and technological landscape.

3.1.2.2. The ESC proposes the development of a series of pioneering European pilot actions outside the scope of existing models concerned with networking for the exchange of experience, software, summer exchange programmes, making the most of existing European educational establishments etc.

3.1.2.3. The ESC would emphasise the limited effectiveness of the school and its multifunctional dimension in its present role. It points out that, while schools cannot solve all of society's problems, they can certainly help to address them. This being so, the ESC proposes that schools should be:

- democratic, inclusive and progressive in the way they are designed and function;

- effective in the way plans are implemented;

- inclusive and multifunctional, in the sense of being accessible to everybody in their catchment area (and especially sensitive to particularity and diversity) throughout their life, by helping to meet their needs in terms of personal self-fulfilment and employment;

- flexibly and actively adapted to the rhythms and speeds of all types of change;

- innovative in research and in problem-solving;

- enterprising in their cooperative aspects, in order to solve labour market and employment problems and to promote the spirit of enterprise;

- attractive, in the sense of attracting the citizens around them (especially people with special needs), but also in the sense of attracting and keeping talented individuals as educators;

- communicative, in the sense of seeking ever more exchanges, contacts and networking opportunities within Europe; discerning, in the sense of adopting a rationale and mechanisms for constantly seeking and checking the validity of knowledge; informative, in the sense of being able to inform citizens continually and reliably;

- local and regional, in the sense of having direct links to the local community and citizens;

- national, in the sense of protecting, cultivating and developing particular national cultural features;

- European, in the sense not just of being part of and helping to shape the modern European landscape, but also of cultivating, developing and defending European values, European culture, Europe's social acquis and the history of the European project (the reasons which gave rise to the project, the functioning of the EU, its policy, the position of its citizens, and their rights and obligations).

3.1.2.4. The ESC would point out the following on the terms and content of the various forms and dimensions of education:

- Lifelong learning must be closely integrated with formal education. Among other things, this means that formal education should now acquire a long-term dimension and that lifelong learning should be identified as a political obligation. It also means that the interface between compulsory education and lifelong learning should be seamless and well-established and that each should draw on the other.

- Pre-school education is the first - and a very important - part of compulsory education and the length of compulsory formal education - excluding pre-school education - should comply with the new objectives. The curriculum for this period should be expanded to include the skills and basic syllabus required by the new challenges (information society, the new economy, new situation in Europe, etc.). It is during this period too that action should be taken to tackle the problems of functional and technical illiteracy to allow lifelong learning to take place unhindered.

- Educational care for boys and girls with special educational needs should start as soon as circumstances giving rise to such care become apparent, whatever the age of the child, or as soon the risk of a specific learning difficulty is detected.

4. Recommendations

Following the recent decisions of major importance for European education and on the basis of:

- the views expressed by the economic and social interest groups it represents and

- its work to date on education and training,

the ESC would make the following recommendations to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission:

4.1. That efforts to construct a genuine European domain of education and learning be continued and intensified. This domain will turn our diversity to account, transforming it into complementarity, shaping the common European political consciousness which is now required. It will function in collaboration with and as a complement to national and regional domains, with each drawing on the other. Such an educational domain is clearly a prerequisite for the further growth of our economic output and results. As part of an open method of coordination and clearly defined comparative assessment, the ESC recommends that the European domain should encompass:

- areas relating to European integration and the shaping of the consciousness of the modern European citizen;

- new areas of education, such as lifelong learning and those relating to the information society and the new economy.

4.2. That particular attention be paid to how this European domain of learning and education is constructed, taking account of the scale of the change required in the thinking of individuals and local communities. It should be clear that the process of achieving the Europe of knowledge and the new economy should be a conscious and consensual one. It should also be made clear that modernisation of schools means primarily adapting them to meet the needs of today's citizens and society, such as those created by European integration, globalisation, modern technologies and employability.

4.3. That priority be given to mobility of all kinds in education: electronic and physical mobility, the mobility of educators, pupils and students, and the mobility of new ideas and best practice. The action plan on this subject and the resolution of the Nice European Council are extremely positive steps in this respect, which may serve to strengthen or build new bridges between national education systems. For the ESC, the ultimate goal of all efforts to remove obstacles to mobility in education must be every European citizen having the opportunity to study - even for a short period - in an EU country other than his or her own. In the ESC's view, this should be a right for European citizens.

4.4. For the ESC, lifelong learning is the key to familiarising European citizens with the information society, new technologies and the new economy. It therefore recommends that as much as possible be made of the Commission Memorandum on lifelong learning, in cooperation with the social partners. It also recommends that local multipurpose learning centres be developed as soon as possible to provide this service amongst others.

4.5. The ESC sees the eLearning initiative as the cornerstone of Europe's effort to bring its citizens into the digital age, and more specifically to promote Internet use, the networking of educational establishments and the development of virtual mobility. It therefore recommends removal as soon as possible of the obstacles standing in the way of effective development of the initiative, foremost among which are the cost and quality of the relevant electronic infrastructure, connection costs, digital content and the linguistic reality of the Internet.

4.6. The ESC feels that the proposed method of open coordination, based on comparative assessment, will work well, promoting the construction of a dynamic European domain of learning and education. It therefore recommends that particular care be taken to ensure the reliability and comparability of the data in question.

4.7. Beyond the European dimension in education and the European domain of learning and education, the ESC would stress the need for education to continue to be based on the global values of humanity. It therefore recommends that all educational planning options be compatible with these values.

4.8. Recognising and emphasising the major role of education in the future of European integration, the ESC recommends that every effort be made to keep it at the forefront of European political, economic and social life. This can be achieved by developing an open, continuous and substantive dialogue on what is to become of education in Europe in the 21st century involving all parties: the European institutions, Member States and the applicant countries; the social partners and all other types of economic and social organisations; experts on education and all committed European citizens. The ESC is prepared to participate in this dialogue.

Brussels, 1 March 2001.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Göke Frerichs

(1) On 27.5.1999 the Bureau of the Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule 26 of its Rules of Procedure, decided to draw up an information report on: The European dimension of education: its nature, content and prospects.

On 13.6.2000, after a debate, the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, unanimously adopted the information report drafted by the study group. The rapporteur was Mr Koryfídis and the co-rapporteur was Mr Rupp. The Section's decision was approved at the plenary session of 13.7.2000, and it was decided to forward the information report to the other EU institutions.

(2) UNESCO report "Education for the 21st century", Introduction by Jacques Delors.

(3) European Council in Lisbon (23 and 24.3.2000), Presidency conclusions (http://europa.eu.int/council/off/conclu/ mar2000/index.htm), point 5. See also the ESC opinion OJ C 117, 26.4.2000 on the Lisbon summit.

(4) Idem, point 25.

(5) Idem, point 26.

(6) Idem, point 27.

(7) For more details, see idem, point 13.

(8) Idem, point 27, and Education Council of 8.6.2000.

(9) See Press Release of the 2270th Council meeting (Education) on 8.6.2000.

(10) European Council in Santa Maria da Feira (19 and 20.6.2000), point 32 (http://ue.eu.int/en/info/eurocouncil/index.htm).

(11) Cf. "The Priorities of the French Presidency", point 1, second indent (http://presidence-europe.fr/pfue/static/acces3.htm).

(12) See SEC (2000) 1832.

(13) http://www.ces.eu.int/en/org/fr_org_6_sections.htm.

(14) http://www.ces.eu.int/en/org/fr_org_6_sections.htm.

(15) Idem, point 3.1.

(16) Idem, point 3.1.

(17) See Introduction above, points .3, 1.3.1 and 1.3.2.

(18) Presidency conclusions (European Council of Lisbon), 23 and 24.3.2000, points 26 and 29.

(19) Idem, point 26.

(20) "Employment, Economic Reform and Social Cohesion" - OJ C 117 of 26.4.2000. "European cooperation in quality evaluation in school education" - OJ C 168 of 16.6.2000.

(21) Cf. Presidency conclusions (European Council in Lisbon), 23 and 24.3.2000, point 26, third indent.

(22) OJ C 117, 26.4.2000.