Council Resolution of 17 December 1999 on 'Into the new millennium': developing new working procedures for European cooperation in the field of education and training
Date: 1999-12-17
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: cooperation policy, education, vocational training

C 8/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

12.1.2000

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 17 December 1999

on (cid:145)Into the new millennium(cid:146): developing new working procedures for European cooperation in
the field of education and training

(2000/C 8/04)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Commission (cid:151) and agrees, if appropriate, how to take
forward individual themes,

(1) NOTING that, according to the Treaty establishing the
European Community, the Community is to contribute
to the development of quality education by encouraging
cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, by
supporting and supplementing their activities, while
respecting the principle of subsidiarity and the responsi-
bility of Member States for the content and organisation
of their own education systems. At the same time, the
Commission has
initiative in the fields
falling under Community competence;

the right of

(2) NOTING that both the Treaty of Amsterdam and the EU’s
Agenda 2000 document have resulted in an increase in
the
and
importance placed on education in skill
information-related
those which
contribute to economic competitiveness and employment
in the European Union; that the development of a Europe
of knowledge and the promotion of lifelong learning have
become shared overall objectives;

including

policies,

(3) AWARE

that

the Socrates

and Leonardo da Vinci
programmes remain the most important instruments of
cooperation in education and training within Europe;
it has however become clear that political coop-
that
eration at European level needs to be reinforced.
In
order to achieve this, new working procedures for the
Council must be developed in the field of education and
training so that the effectiveness of the Council’s work can
be further improved;

(4) STRESSES the need for a coherent approach to action to
in the field of education and training
Community level
and believes that cooperation in these fields could be
reinforced by creating a
structured framework for
political discussions and activities over the coming years;

(5) CONSIDERS that future work in the field of education and
training could be organised around a (cid:145)rolling agenda(cid:146),
based on priority themes which would be included on
intervals and which
the Council’s agenda at
could therefore extend over several Presidencies. These
priority themes would be discussed according to a
cyclical model made up of a number of flexible steps:

regular

(cid:151) the Member

are

States

invited to inform the
Commission of
and
relevant political
examples of best practice at national level in relation
to the agreed priority themes,

initiatives

(cid:151) the Commission provides a summary analysis of the
information supplied by Member States to the Council.
This should also cover relevant Community action,

(cid:151) the Council considers the Commission’s analysis and,

where appropriate, decides on future initiatives;

(6) STRESSES that the principal objective in developing such a
framework would be to enable greater continuity, effi-
the
ciency and effectiveness and a strengthening of
political
impact of Community cooperation in the field
of education and training. The new framework for coop-
eration would enable a more effective exchange of
it could
information and good practice.
contribute to increased synergies between European coop-
eration in the field of education and training and other
relevant policy fields;

In addition,

(7) EMPHASISES the central role of

the Presidency in the
implementation of
in particular by
the rolling agenda,
ensuring continuity and by maintaining the momentum
of the process;

(8) STRESSES that this basic model and its components should
be implemented whilst fully respecting the prerogatives of
the Commission. It would need to be operated flexibly,
taking into account new political developments as appro-
priate;

(9) UNDERLINES the importance of the European Parliament
being regularly informed about the discussions and the
progress achieved in the framework of the (cid:145)rolling agenda(cid:146);

(10) CONSIDERS that the new framework of cooperation should
be implemented from the beginning of 2000, especially
where the basic elements of a (cid:145)rolling agenda(cid:146) already exist
as set out in the Annex;

(cid:151) the Council discusses priority themes of common
interest (cid:151) submitted either by Member States or the

(11) INVITES the Commission, in cooperation with the Member
States, to work up more detailed measures for taking the
(cid:145)rolling agenda(cid:146) forward.

12.1.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 8/7

INDICATIVE THEMES TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ROLLING AGENDA

ANNEX

Within the overall context of
instance, be established in particular in the following fields:

lifelong learning the abovementioned framework for cooperation could,

in the first

(cid:151) role of education and training in employment policies,

(cid:151) develompent of quality education and training at all levels,

(cid:151) promotion of mobility, including recognition of qualifications and periods of study.

Other areas for cooperation will be explored on a regular basis taking into account relevant political developments in
future years.

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 17 December 1999

on the strengthening of cooperation for modernising and improving social protection

(2000/C 8/05)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(1) NOTES with satisfaction the views expressed by the
Commission in its communication (cid:145)A concerted strategy
for modernising social protection(cid:146) and regards it as a good
basis for further discussion on European social protection;

(2) EMPHASISES that the aim of the European Union should be
to ensure a link between economic and social devel-
opment, RECALLS the competence of the Member States
for the organisation and financing of social protection,
that decisions in matters covered by the
and STRESSES
Community competence should complement and not
weaken the conditions under which national
social
policy is conducted;

of

and

exchange

follow-up

(3) UNDERLINES the need for cooperation in modernising
social protection, based on a structured and permanent
dialogue,
information,
experience and good practice between the Member
States, concerning social protection, since they are faced
with the same type of challenges in its development;
ACKNOWLEDGES the need to discuss the future of social
in the new context as
protection at a European level
outlined in the Commission’s communication. This kind
of cooperation should cover all forms of social protection
and should help the Member States, where necessary, to
improve and strengthen their social protection systems in
accordance with their national priorities;

(4) CONSIDERS it particularly important that this new coop-
eration towards
social
protection should be a coherent action, parallel to and
interactive with the European employment strategy as
well as to the macroeconomic dialogue;

and modernising

improving

(5) UNDERLINES the role of the social partners in the modern-

isation of the social protection process;

(6) ENDORSES the four broad objectives as identified by the

Commission as follows:

(cid:151) to make work pay and to provide secure income,

(cid:151) to make pensions

safe

and pensions

systems

sustainable,

(cid:151) to promote social inclusion,

(cid:151) to ensure high quality and sustainable health care,

and WELCOMES the Commission’s analysis of each of them
as a basis for further work by a new high-level group.
Public health issues should be handled separately in the
appropriate bodies of the Council;