European Parliament resolution on the Commission report Implementation of the White Paper “Teaching and learning – Towards the learning society” (COM(1999) 750 — C5-0145/2000 — 2000/2088(COS))
Date: 2001-05-15
Institutions: Committee on Culture and Education, European Parliament
Subjects: EU action, continuing education, education policy, educational system, integration into employment, labour market, young person

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42. Welcomes the Commission(cid:146)s intention to promote fast Internet access for students, and hopes that
it will make an effort to promote coordination with the European Research Area;

Calls on the Member States to take action to bring down telecommunications prices, with particular

43.
reference to the cost of Internet access, as recommended by the Santa Maria da Feira European Council;

Calls on the Community(cid:146)s financial bodies, such as the European Investment Bank (EIB), to con-

44.
tribute to the efforts being made by the Member States to provide equipment and training;

Considers that the problem of adapting schools to the extremely rapid advances and changes in ICT

45.
should be studied in the light of budget, technological infrastructure and educational continuity;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council and the govern-

46.
ments and parliaments of the Member States.

17. Teaching and learning (cid:129) Towards the learning society

A5-0302/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission report Implementation of the White Paper
(cid:145)Teaching and learning (cid:129) Towards the learning society(cid:146) (COM(1999) 750 (cid:129) C5-0145/2000 (cid:129)
2000/2088(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission report (COM(1999) 750 (cid:129) C5-0145/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to Article 149(4) and Article 150(4) of the EC Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 12 March 1997 on the Commission(cid:146)s White Paper on education and

training (cid:145)Teaching and learning (cid:129) towards the learning society(cid:146) (1),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 13 May 1998 on the communication from the Commission

(cid:145)Towards a Europe of Knowledge(cid:146) (2),

(cid:129) having regard to the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council of 23-24 March 2000;

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport and
the opinions of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy and the Committee
on Employment and Social Affairs (A5-0302/2000),

A. whereas the emergence of the knowledge society and economy has underlined the link between edu-

cation and training and economic growth,

B. whereas the purpose of the Commission(cid:146)s efforts in the education sector should be to promote access
to knowledge and contribute to equality of opportunity, as well as to create a favourable environment
for innovation and employment and to increase the European Union(cid:146)s competitiveness by bringing
educational institutions closer to the world of work,

C. whereas a necessity of the single market is a flexible labour force with students, young people and
adult workers adequately prepared and advised to meet the labour needs across the single market,

D. whereas the risk of social exclusion is being increased by the new technologies, with the result that the

gulf between those with and those without qualifications is constantly widening,

(1) OJ C 115, 14.4.1997, p. 85.
(2) OJ C 167, 1.6.1998, p. 136.

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E. whereas educational systems must be accessible to all; whereas education and training must lay the

foundations for equal opportunities,

F. whereas rapid new technological changes (cid:129) the new knowledge economy (cid:129) mean that everyone must
be given the opportunity to acquire and assimilate knowledge throughout their entire life; whereas, in
the course of the debate on implementing the White Paper (cid:145)Teaching and learning (cid:129) Towards the
learning society,(cid:146) a connection which should be established with lifelong learning,

G. whereas there is great scope for using the new information and communication technologies for
educational purposes, including the networking of schools and training establishments, developing
innovative teaching methods and materials,
language teaching, and for projects to tackle illiteracy
and underachievement,

H. whereas one of the fundamental characteristics of the EU is its cultural and linguistic diversity;

whereas respect for and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity are EU objectives,

I. whereas the 1995 White Paper (cid:145)Teaching and learning (cid:129) towards the learning society(cid:146) was an ambi-
tious attempt to harness existing Community instruments to encourage the acquisition of new knowl-
edge, to bring schools and the business sector closer together, to combat social exclusion, to promote
proficiency in Community languages and to encourage Member States to treat capital investment and
investment in training on an equal footing,

J. whereas the White Paper played a useful role in helping to raise awareness of the emergence of the

knowledge economy,

K. whereas, nevertheless, the White Paper paid too little attention to the importance of training in, and
updating of, information technology skills, or to the ability actively to assimilate and adapt such skills,

L. whereas combating social exclusion is primarily the task of Member States and whereas Community

instruments can play only a complementary role,

M. whereas, despite the Council resolution of March 1995 and despite the objectives of the European
Year of Languages 2001, proficiency of all school-leavers in three Community languages unfortunately
has not been achieved; whereas this is, in part, a consequence of the low priority attached to language
teaching in the educational systems of a number of the Member States,

N. whereas equal treatment of capital investment and investment in training is an important objective,

but one towards which very little concrete progress has been made,

O. whereas, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, the Community should take action only if
and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member
States,

P. whereas the White Paper failed to set out clear objectives, a demonstration of the (cid:145)European added-
value(cid:146) of the actions proposed to attain these objectives, performance indicators to measure progress
towards the attainment of these objectives, or means for assessing pilot projects and for changing
existing measures in the light of these assessments,

Q. whereas the White Paper was not accompanied by significant and genuinely additional funding to help

to attain the objectives it set out,

R. whereas, in the interest of transparency and in line with the Commission(cid:146)s accountability to the Par-
liament as the democratically elected representative body of the citizens of Europe and as the budget-
ary authority, it is important that it report on time on the action it has taken and in language that can
be readily understood by citizens,

1.

2.

Respects the ambitious goals set out in the White Paper;

Regrets the absence of genuinely additional funding to help realise these goals;

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3.

Regrets that the Commission has not succeeded, after five years:

(cid:129) in providing a clear overall picture showing whether or not the objectives financed by it have led to
any practical results; regrets that the Commission(cid:146)s report, even as an interim report, is incomplete, as
it lacks a measure of the efficiency of the actions implemented, as it neither contains information on
the financial efforts deployed nor a qualitative assessment of results,

(cid:129) does not take account of the contribution of the European Social Fund (cid:129) the European Union(cid:146)s most
powerful instrument in the field of vocational training (cid:129) to the development of lifelong learning,

(cid:129) provides no information about progress made regarding the incorporation of lifelong learning into

policies and practice at the Member State and regional government level,

(cid:129) does not contain sufficient information on measures for specific target groups such as women, elderly

workers and disabled people;

Points out, in relation to enlargement, that it will be essential to assist applicant countries in devel-

4.
oping their education and training systems to enable them to assimilate the acquis communautaire;

5. Welcomes the actions taken by the Commission to realise Objective I (encourage the acquisition of
new knowledge) in the 1995 White Paper, but regrets the lack of attention to training in information
technology, in particular the training of school and university teachers;

6.
Notes the importance in the information society and economy of competence in information-tech-
nology skills; notes the shortage of skilled (cid:145)new economy(cid:146) workers in Europe; underlines the need for
greater investment in training in information-technology skills particularly for those involved in training
and teaching students in this area;

7.

Emphasises that such training must not be a one-off affair, but rather must be updated regularly;

8. Welcomes the initiatives taken under Objective II, on bringing schools and the business sector closer
together, and calls for further efforts to enable a growing number of students to benefit from effective
business experience, both in their home country and abroad, to choose the best models by a process of
evaluation;

9.
Repeats the point that the business experience which students acquire is an important way of train-
ing tomorrow(cid:146)s entrepreneurs, and calls for a greater amount of information to be distributed on oppor-
tunities of this kind and for the results regarding employment to be published;

Supports the measures taken under Objective III to combat social exclusion, but requests further

10.
data to demonstrate their (cid:145)European added-value(cid:146);

Calls on the Commission to provide further details on the funding of projects for second chance

11.
schools;

12.
Notes the steady expansion in (cid:145)second chance schools(cid:146) for young people and adults; stresses that,
second chance schools must try to ensure that young people are reintegrated into the mainstream edu-
cation system;

13.
Reiterates its conviction that knowledge of languages other than one(cid:146)s mother tongue is not only a
valuable practical skill but also a means of gaining access to different cultures; notes the finding of Eurostat
that less than half of all European adults can take part in a conversation in a language other than their
mother tongue; believes that greater priority should be given to language teaching in the educational
systems of the Member States, so as to ensure that every school-leaver is proficient in at least one Euro-
pean language other than his mother tongue, whilst maintaining the goal, set out in the Council resolution
of March 1995, of proficiency in two European languages other than the school-leaver(cid:146)s mother tongue(s);

14.
Points out that the report must contain comparative data on the (cid:145)number of applications(cid:146) for pro-
jects concerned with the less widely-used and taught languages in the European Union and the number of
programmes finally approved for these languages;

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15.
Recognises the importance of Objective V, on treating capital investment and investment in training
on an equal basis; calls on the Commission to provide businesses with the necessary support, in the form
of advice,
that it is necessary to include
information on the projects implemented under Objective V and to provide further details on the con-
tribution of these projects to the attainment of the White Paper objectives;

to enable them to pursue this objective; notes, however,

16.
Considers that (cid:145)paying heed to the individual(cid:146)s expectations and needs(cid:146) and the individualisation of
educational projects are very positive factors, but stresses that they must be linked to the labour market
and labour market trends so that they can be realistic and useful for future employability;

17.
Calls on the Commission to examine the extent to which the student careers advisory services and
employment counselling services in the Member States exchange information with each other and meet
the needs of their clients to have adequate careers counselling about employment possibilities as well as
opportunities for work experience in the various Member States;

18.
Calls on the Commission and on the Member States to acknowledge the economic, political and
cultural importance of lifelong learning and to integrate it in their human resource development, education
and training and social inclusion programmes; calls further on the Commission to promote lifelong learn-
ing among groups threatened by social exclusion and among minority language groups; calls further on
the Member States to step up their efforts to eradicate illiteracy;

Reiterates the importance of giving people with disabilities the support they need to participate in

19.
the mainstream education system and calls on the Commission to address this in all future initiatives;

Considers that in the case of groups which have major difficulties in securing employment, people
20.
who are marginalised, the disabled, etc., education and training constitute the main means of integration
into working life, both as a way of improving their prospects of finding work and as a means of escaping
from social exclusion by developing an awareness and appreciation of their own capabilities;

Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote the learning of sign language as a means

21.
of overcoming barriers between the hearing-impaired and those with normal hearing;

Calls on the Commission in any further such initiative to promote equal opportunities for men and

22.
women;

Stresses the importance of access to knowledge and education for the creation of an open edu-

23.
cational and cultural area and the fostering of educational awareness;

24.
Calls for account to be taken also of the situation of people affected by restructuring plans and
groups who, without preparation or training, will have difficulty finding work owing to their age; calls
also for continued efforts to promote the education of young people, whose lack of experience hampers
their integration into active working life;

25.
Considers it important to make the most of, and to support any public- and private-sector initiative
of the (cid:145)University of the Third Age(cid:146) type, the aim of which is to provide education for the elderly and
retired persons;

Calls for the obstacles hindering the recognition of educational qualifications by the Member States

26.
to be removed;

Calls for action to encourage mobility in the education of school pupils and students from all parts

27.
of Europe and all socio-economic sectors;

Calls on the Commission to include the following in all future White Papers of this kind: clearly-
28.
defined and realistic objectives; a demonstration of the (cid:145)European added-value(cid:146) of the action(s) being pro-
posed; an estimate, by means of activity-based budgeting, of the full cost of such action(s); an opportunity-
cost analysis; performance indicators to measure progress towards attainment of objectives; a procedure
for assessing pilot projects and for modifying proposed measures and actions in the light of the results of
such assessments;

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Calls on the Commission to include in any future White Paper a clear timetable for a report to the

29.
budgetary authority on its implementation, and to respect this timetable;

30.
Calls on the Commission in any future report on the implementation of a White Paper to evaluate
the success or failure of the actions and measures it has taken and an assessment of whether these have
been good value for money;

Calls on the Commission to present any such report in clear and plain language and to make an

31.
effort to organize any such report in such a way that it is easy to understand;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the govern-

32.
ments of the Member States.

18. e-Learning (cid:129) Designing tomorrow(cid:146)s education

A5-0152/2001

European Parliament resolution on the Commission communications on the initiative and the
education(cid:146)
action plan for

(cid:145)e-Learning (cid:129) Designing

tomorrow(cid:146)s

2001-2004

entitled

(COM(2000) 318 (cid:129) C5-0741/2000 and COM(2001) 172 (cid:129) C5-0151/2001 (cid:129) 2000/2337(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission communication (COM(2000) 318 (cid:129) C5-0741/2000)

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission communication (COM(2001) 172 (cid:129) C5-0151/2001),

(cid:129) having regard to Articles 149, 150 and 157 of the EC Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to the report from the Commission entitled (cid:145)The concrete future objectives of education

systems(cid:146) (COM(2001) 59),

(cid:129) having regard to the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council meeting of 23 and 24 March 2000

and the Santa Maria da Feira European Council meeting of 19/20 June 2000,

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport and
the opinions of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on Women(cid:146)s Rights and Equal Oppor-
tunities (A5-0152/2001),

A. whereas, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, the Community(cid:146)s role is to encourage the

Member States to meet important goals relating to the quality of education,

B. whereas the e-Learning initiative is helping to strengthen the idea of a (cid:145)single European educational

area(cid:146), which complements the European research area and the European single market,

C. whereas know-how, knowledge and information have become the driving force of our society;
whereas the e-Learning project is helping to devise a different way of learning and must aim primarily
to extend the wealth of human understanding,

D. whereas too small a percentage of teachers and trainers have the skills required to use new techno-

logies as an integral part of their normal teaching methods,

E. whereas children(cid:146)s access to information and communication technologies is greatly affected by geo-

graphical, social and cultural inequalities,

F. whereas the high cost of telecommunications in Europe represents an obstacle to the extensive use of
the Internet and the development of the digital culture and poses the risk of widening the gap between
those who have access to the new information and communication technologies and those who do
not,