Council Conclusions of 13 July 2001 on the follow-up of the report on concrete future objectives of education and training systems
Date: 2001-07-13
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: basic education, information technology, mathematics, scientific education, teaching curriculum, technology

C 204/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

20.7.2001

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 13 July 2001

on the follow-up of the report on concrete future objectives of education and training systems

(2001/C 204/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. RECALLS that the Council (Education) adopted the report
on the concrete future objectives of education and training
systems on 12 February 2001 for transmission to the
following the mandate
Stockholm European Council,
in March 2000,
given by the Lisbon European Council
with a very clear message to all
those involved in its
follow-up that there should be rapid progress in working
out how to take its implementation forward, and in
selecting priorities.

the

report, which the Council

2. RECALLS that the Stockholm European Council underlined
that
joint
and the
in
Commission will present
Barcelona in spring 2002, should contain (cid:145)a detailed
work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of
including an assessment
education and training systems,
the open
of
method of coordination and in a worldwide perspective(cid:146).

to the European Council

in the framework of

their achievement

(cid:151) a joint report by the Commission and the Council
containing a detailed work programme to be adopted
at
the Council meeting on 14 February 2002 and
transmitted to the Barcelona European Council.

5. EMPHASISES that the work programme should cover in
sufficient detail the period up to 2004, the aim being
that work should have started by then in all areas
contained in the Objectives Report, and also cover in
broad terms developments foreseen up to 2010. Similarly,
this work programme should aim at a strong general
education in order
to strengthen lifelong learning in
accordance with a permanently evolving society.

6. FURTHER AGREES that work will start in the following three
areas which were also highlighted in the conclusions of the
Stockholm European Council:

3. AGREES that the main objectives of the follow-up of the

Objectives Report of 12 February 2001 will be to:

(cid:151) basic skills,

(cid:151) assess the achievement of the objectives stated in the
report so that the Council (Education) can report back
to the European Council whenever this is seemed
appropriate,

(cid:151) provide support for the improvement of education and
training policy design and implementation at all levels,

(cid:151) promote further development of cooperation and
exchange of good practice between Member States,
thus enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of
this
work.

As stated in the objectives report consideration will have
to be given throughout the follow-up process to other
processes at European level affecting the work of
the
(Education). Similarly, account should be taken
Council
the follow-up work on the
within those processes of
objectives of education and training systems.

(cid:151) information and communications technology (ICT),

(cid:151) mathematics, science and technology.

7. UNDERLINES that work should start without delay in all
three agreed areas so that progress could be accounted
for in the joint report by the Council and the Commission
to Barcelona.

8. STRESSES that indicators, although, only one element of the
follow-up progress,
for
measuring and comparing performance, and that if the
process is to be successful and credible,
the indicators
need to be underpinned by clearly defined, comparable
and, above all, policy-relevant data.

represent an important

tool

4. AGREES upon the following milestones leading up to the

Barcelona European Council:

9. REAFFIRMS that the objectives of the follow-up process can
only be achieved with active involvement and contribution
from Member States, inter alia, through:

(cid:151) a draft work programme, including a further elaborated
methodology, to be discussed by the Council at its
meeting on 29 November 2001,

(cid:151) provision of the necessary support to the national sta-

tistical offices,

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(cid:151) provision of up-to-date data and, when available, their

national forecasts and objectives,

in studies and nomination of experts
groups.

to working

(cid:151) information on relevant changes in national policies
education and
influencing

the

and instruments,
training systems,

(cid:151) contribution to all other aspects of the following work,
e.g. provision of qualitative information, involvement

10. RECALLS moreover that

the Commission will be fully
involved in all phases of
the work. The Commission
should therfore take the necessary initiatives to support
the process.