Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Green Paper on education, training and research - the obstacles to transnational mobility` (97/C 133/15)

On 7 October 1996 the Commission decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community on the 'Green Paper on education, training and research - the obstacles to transnational mobility`.

The Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 13 February 1997. The rapporteur was Mr Rodríguez García Caro.

At its 343rd plenary session (meeting of 26 February 1997) the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 83 votes to three, with five abstentions.

1. Introduction to the draft opinion

1.1. It is clear from experience gleaned during the development of the various phases of the Community education, training and research programmes that the principles contained in Articles 126, 127 and 130g of the EC Treaty are considerably hampered by a range of obstacles that stand in the way of Community citizens wishing to train in other Member States.

1.2. The Committee notes that the movement of goods, capital and services within the Community is in many ways made much easier than that of the Community's own citizens. In theory it is they who should be able to take full advantage of the tasks which the Community sets itself in Article 2 of the Treaty.

1.3. EU citizenship as set out in Treaty Article 8a gives nationals of the Member States the right to move and reside freely within the Union. This fundamental individual right has, however, been jeopardized by a number of problems and difficulties which hinder the mobility of citizens who wish to avail themselves of training opportunities on offer outside their Member State of origin. In short, this is an indicator of the slow progress in the social sphere in the Community.

1.4. It is Community programmes for education, training and research which are responsible for the movement of the largest number of citizens between the different States. This places them in a particularly good position to determine the obstacles experienced by Community citizens exercising their right to move freely and take up residence in the EU.

1.5. The Commission is presenting this green paper with the understandable intention of providing Community citizens with the most appropriate solutions to mobility problems within the EU. It hopes that the document will provide the basis for a vigorous debate that will uncover both the problems experienced by people moving to another Member State for training purposes and solutions to these problems.

It must be made clear that it is useless to highlight problems and suggest solutions if this is not accompanied by a sincere desire to take firm and appropriate action to change the status quo by revamping the rules where necessary. Adopting viable solutions is the responsibility of the Council and the Member States, each within their own sphere or competence. Euro-scepticism among citizens can be countered by showing them that they will have a better everyday life and brighter prospects for the future within a strong, united Europe in which human and social values occupy the pre-eminent position accorded them by the spirit and content of the Union Treaty.

2. The green paper

2.1. The green paper summarizes the background, obstacles and possible solutions from a point of view which is firmly rooted in the experience that the Commission has acquired in the implementation of the many different Community education, training and research programmes. Far from claiming that the document is exhaustive, the Commission calls on the EU's socio-economic interest groups not only to give a formal opinion on the lines of action, but also to suggest other measures for removing those obstacles which have already been detected and any obstacles which they may be able to identify.

2.2. In Part A, the green paper lists a number of advantages - which the Committee endorses - of mobility for educational, vocational and continuing training, and research purposes. Mobility of this kind generates a real wealth of knowledge and experience which encourages improved occupational qualifications both now and in the future. This in turn will help to improve employment prospects in the Community.

2.3. In Part B, the green paper lists clearly and concisely those obstacles regarded as most urgent on the basis of the experience acquired in the programmes. There are three main groups of problems detailed in the lengthy list given in the Commission document:

2.3.1. Legal and administrative obstacles concerning

- the right of residence;

- the recognition, certification and validation of courses of study;

- the territorially restricted nature of national grants;

- the administrative and organizational problems of educational institutions attended by students and pupils.

2.3.2. Socio-economic obstacles associated with:

- the different tax arrangements in the Member States;

- social protection.

2.3.3. Obstacles of a practical nature:

- language and cultural difficulties;

- a lack of information on the host country;

- the shortage of businesses prepared to take on young people for training;

- everyday life in the host country.

2.4. The green paper ends with a number of lines of action designed to tackle each of the obstacles described in the document. They contain various legal measures, such as the actual application by Member States of existing directives which have not yet been applied, the introduction of new legal instruments aimed at harmonizing arrangements in the Member States, and recommendations that - while respecting national sovereignty - give clear guidelines as to how to eliminate the obstacles which hinder citizens.

3. Comments

3.1. General comments

3.1.1. The Committee endorses any initiative which adopts a critical stance towards the way the European integration process is developing. The green paper is in itself a clear recognition of the deficiencies that have blighted the integration process over the years, especially those which have a direct impact on citizens. It is both positive and healthy that Europe's leaders have sufficient social awareness to set about the task of making genuine individual freedom of movement possible by removing all legal and bureaucratic obstacles. Equally, Member States cannot use the argument of sovereignty to obstruct citizens' possibilities of embarking on those training courses within the Community which are best suited to them.

The Committee welcomes this initiative which it is convinced can help to create the conditions necessary to guarantee better coordination between the Commission and the Member States and thus gradually overcome the obstacles encountered by citizens moving within the Union.

3.1.2. The more material provisions of the Treaties have been implemented more effectively than its human aspects. As a result goods move more easily within the Community than people.

What is needed is a move towards political agreement that paves the way for a more genuine Citizens' Europe.

3.1.3. From the point of view of strategy, it is appropriate that once the Community education, training and research programmes have moved through a number of stages of development - and have involved a large number of EU citizens - the question be raised of the need to solve mobility problems between Member States.

The ESC hopes that this initiative will culminate in a document which will serve as the basis for the removal of existing obstacles. In this connection the Committee would refer to its opinion on the White Paper on education and training - teaching and learning: towards the learning society, adopted at its plenary session on 10 July 1996, in which it stated that mobility was a fundamental principle of lifelong education and training.

3.1.4. The Committee would particularly highlight those chapters of the green paper dealing with third country nationals who legally reside in a Member State. These citizens experience additional problems on top of those which persistently affect Community nationals. All measures aimed at integrating third country citizens should be encouraged and supported, particularly with the objective of stepping up action to counter racism and xenophobia in the Union.

The Committee therefore explicitly supports any measures adopted to implement line of action No 6 (improving the situation of third country nationals with regard to training).

3.1.5. In the interests of a more efficient use of resources, the Commission should as far as is possible endeavour to avoid duplicating research into the obstacles experienced by EU citizens when they attempt to move freely within the Union.

For this reason, the Committee considers that some coordination would have been desirable between (a) the group of experts set up by the Commission under the chairmanship of Mrs Veil to study the obstacles hindering the free movement of workers and people in general and (b) the other groups of experts that the Commission is set up to facilitate the transnational mobility of teachers and students. What is needed in both cases is the presence of representatives of the social partners, since the world of work - in the form of businesses, workers and other economic and social activities - is a constant factor in all movement associated with education, training and research programmes.

This green paper essentially provides the chapter on education, training and research for the white paper that the Commission is to publish tackling the full range of obstacles to mobility experienced by EU citizens, regardless of their reasons for moving.

3.1.6. To continue the point made above, the ESC, as the Community advisory body representing the socio-economic players, regards itself as a discussion partner that is well-placed to know what kind of training for young people and the unemployed is actually required in the labour market.

The definition of young people varies widely from one Community programme to another. The Committee feels that, in practice, this creates an obstacle to mobility and suggests, therefore, that a more flexible definition be sought.

All levels of training have the overriding objective of preparing young people for the challenges of the marketplace. Accordingly, Community education, training and research programmes are an important step forward in achieving this aim.

That is why the ESC - as the legitimate representative of the socio-economic interest groups - should be directly involved in the consultations which are underway on the final version of the present document, given that some proposed solutions could have a direct impact not only on the future employees of Europe's businesses, but also on today's workers and firms.

3.1.7. It is of consummate importance to find solutions to the problems hindering the mobility of those preparing to enter the labour market. At a time when jobs are scarce and hard to come by, any attempt by the Member States to protect their national labour market must be actively opposed. The green paper does not mention this problem which may be encountered by participants in Community training programmes when they complete their period of training.

Furthermore, the Committee notes that many Member States reserve some, if not all, public sector jobs for their own nationals and feels that the public sector in all EU countries should be open to all Community citizens.

The Committee considers that the Commission should highlight this aspect so that it is included in the final document.

3.2. Specific comments

3.2.1. The green paper acknowledges the patchy application at national level of directives dealing with the removal of obstacles to citizens' mobility. The Member States must therefore make a real effort to eliminate such obstacles, and their governments must, without delay, apply Community regulations to help citizens in their everyday lives.

The Committee wishes once again to highlight the need for a European researchers' and grant-holders' charter to enable researchers and grant-holders to avoid the problems, especially in the areas of tax and social protection, which hinder movement between the Member States. On several occasions, the Committee has asked the Commission to submit a proposal for such a charter in order to facilitate mobility for all types of training, whether academic or in-service, and would once again reiterate its request.

3.2.2. The implementation of all Community education, training and research programmes should be preceded by an analysis of the potential mobility problems which, though unrelated to the programmes themselves, participants may experience.

Citizens who are considering taking part in such programmes should be informed beforehand of these difficulties. Where programmes involve moving from one Member State to another, programme information should specifically tell potential candidates of the problems which they will experience both during and after training. The information should also contain practical solutions which can be applied by the participants.

The Committee therefore calls for line of action No 9 (improving the information available) also to state that all such Community programmes should contain specific information on the difficulties that candidates may experience during or after the period of training and possible solutions.

We should also bear in mind the disabled or handicapped who, because of their disability, may experience additional problems to those encountered by all citizens moving abroad for training purposes. The Committee feels that the final version of the green paper should include a special reference along these lines.

3.2.3. Broadly speaking, the dissemination of information in the Member States must not only be guaranteed but also checked for ease of access by citizens. Everyone has a right to know what opportunities are available. It is the Commission's responsibility to ensure that the dissemination of information of this kind is not restricted to the usual small groups of people who receive information on Community action. We can hardly create a European consciousness if we do not publicize transnational training activities among all those involved in the EU's educational, social and business communities. Full-scale information networks must be set up and make use of all the multimedia possibilities available in society. All EU educational institutions and businesses must have access to such networks.

The Committee therefore calls for line of action No 9 also to state that a network be set up to systematically disseminate information to citizens on all Community training opportunities that are on offer.

3.2.4. The language barrier is the first obstacle for those who want to avail themselves of transnational EU training opportunities. It is impossible to go abroad for educational, training or academic purposes generally without a knowledge of the language of the country to which you are going. Children must be encouraged to learn other Community languages from the time they start school.

The Committee has commented repeatedly on this matter, stressing the need to encourage, develop and strengthen all initiatives aimed at improving citizens' knowledge and use of EU languages. In this connection it would refer to its opinions on the Green Paper on the European dimension of education, the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision setting up the Community action programme Socrates, the Leonardo programme, and more recently the opinion on the White Paper on education and training - teaching and learning: towards the learning society.

The Committee would therefore reiterate its comments on languages in all the opinions it has issued on the various education, training and research programmes. All action which is adopted by the Commission and the Council to promote and encourage the teaching and learning of Community languages must be supported. In the long-term this will not only improve EU citizens' training opportunities, but also familiarize them with Europe's cultural diversity, as well as stimulating mobility.

3.2.5. Programmes which promote language learning for young people and adults are meaningless if we do not think about the future. We must concentrate our efforts on children and promote the teaching of Community languages in schools throughout the EU. At the same time we must respect as far as possible freedom of choice regarding the languages taught to children. In this connection - and in compliance with Member States' own freedom to decide on educational matters - line of action No 8 should also state the need for agreement among Member States on the requirement that national education systems a) include a minimum of two Community languages in syllabuses, and that b) a sufficient amount of teaching time is set aside to ensure that the languages are learnt to a high standard. A more comprehensive young student exchange programme to round off the language teaching given in schools should also be promoted.

Similarly, adults who have not had the opportunity to study other Community languages must be encouraged to do so. Continuing training may be the appropriate context in which to provide basic and advanced language training programmes for these learners.

3.2.6. In addition to boosting the learning of Community languages in schools, the ESC calls for students to be encouraged to study subjects related to European integration and the European venture. This would be a long-term attempt to remove barriers which are less visible and less concrete than those described in the green paper, and which are more closely linked to personal and collective attitudes than obstacles created by differences in national legislation. Differences in culture, religion, the way we think, skin colour, ethnic background, and so on - indeed, everything that makes us different from nationals of the host country - can be problems which are not mentioned in the Commission document but which are used and fanned by xenophobic political movements in the hope that locals will turn against people from abroad. Although such political activity is fortunately only practised by a minority in the Community, promoting knowledge about other peoples, their cultures, beliefs and what we have in common is the best way of halting and eradicating such views.

A new line of action which the Commission should consider including is to introduce at Community level and in all EU schools a specific academic subject along the lines described above. This would be taught to all EU schoolchildren and its content would be the same across the Union.

3.2.7. Validation and recognition of study courses carried out in another Member State must remain a priority for the Community. This will give workers and the unemployed access to job opportunities throughout the EU. It is a principle which must be extendible to vocational training and to all non-regulated studies. The single market and the principle of free movement of workers can no longer be jeopardized because legal or administrative questions about their diplomas and certificates cast doubts on their occupational qualifications. In this context the Committee would point out the contribution made by CEDEFOP to vocational training and the recognition of qualifications. It is only right to take this contribution into account. Furthermore, attention should also be drawn to the role of the NARIC network.

The Council and the Commission must continue to give detailed attention to the removal of obstacles to the recognition and validation of courses and qualifications and, where necessary, use all the instruments available in the Treaty to ensure that Member States comply with Community regulations.

3.2.8. In the interests of improving social justice, it is essential that immediate and priority action is taken to ensure that the most disadvantaged citizens are able to benefit from the Community programmes dealt with in the green paper. Young people without economic resources and unemployed people with little or no social protection may be - as the Commission document recognizes - precisely those who find it most difficult to participate in programmes of this kind. If we want a stronger Citizens' Europe, we must strengthen solidarity and fairness in access to the opportunities offered by society at Community level. Distribution of aid for transnational mobility can only be termed fair if the recipient's socio-economic position is taken into consideration. The Committee thus calls for line of action No 7 to state that the financial aid set out in the programmes should take account of the recipient's financial position or that of their family, bearing in mind the special features of national schemes for funding studies. Accordingly, the programmes should include a scale whereby assistance would be awarded to those in greater financial need.

Brussels, 26 February 1997.

The President of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS