WRITTEN QUESTION E-0630/03

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(4 March 2003)

Subject: Education in Greece

According to a Commission document which will be submitted to the Council of Education Ministers, Member States are required to meet five criteria on the comparative evaluation of education systems by 2010.

Given that Greek students lag behind both in reading and the comprehension of texts and in mathematics and natural sciences and also in lifelong learning,

will the Commission say:

1. What measures has it taken, or does it intend to take, to help Greece meet these criteria?

2. What measures, if any, has the Greek State taken to address the above problems facing Greek students and has it requested aid from the EU?

3. Does it know what measures the Greek Government intends to take to improve lifelong education?

4. What measures has Greece taken to improve the education and training of educators and teachers?

5. Has it taken any measures to develop skills relating to the knowledge-based society?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(31 March 2003)

In a Communication of 20 November 2002 on European benchmarks in education and training, the Commission suggested five European Benchmarks(1) and invited the Council to adopt the European Benchmarks proposed in the Communication by May 2003.

At the Council meeting on 6 February 2003, there was broad agreement from the majority of delegations on the proposed initial selection of European benchmarks in the following five areas:

- early school leavers;

- graduates in mathematics, science and technology;

- population having completed upper secondary education;

- key competencies (reading, mathematical and scientific literacy;

- lifelong learning.

Currently, the Education Committee (Council working group) is negotiating and amending these benchmarks with a view to a formal adoption by the Council in May 2003. The Commission would point out that it is not a matter of criteria which Member States are obliged to meet, but of mutually agreed goals.

Concerning the specific questions raised by the Honourable Member:

1. The Detailed Work Programme on the follow-up of the objectives of education and training systems in Europe(2) provides a common comprehensive response by the Council and the Commission to the challenges of the knowledge society, globalisation and the enlargement of the Union. It sets out the key issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve the three strategic objectives and their 13 associated objectives that have been agreed.

In the Detailed Work Programme, the Council and the Commission set themselves ambitious but realistic goals. Moreover, they agreed that achieving these goals will draw on policy co-operation using the new Open Method of co-ordination defined in the conclusions of the European Council in Lisbon (23 and 24 March 2000) as a means of spreading best practice and achieving greater convergence towards the main Union goals. And they stressed that the open method of co-ordination will draw on tools such as indicators and benchmarks as well as on comparing best practice, periodic monitoring, evaluation and peer review etc. organised as mutual learning processes.

A report on progress achieved within the framework of the Detailed Work Programme will be submitted to the spring European Council of 2004.

2. to 5. These questions should be adressed to the Greek Ministry of education.

(1) COM(2002) 629 final.

(2) OJ C 142, 14.6.2002.