European Parliament resolution on the creation of a European Qualifications Framework (2006/2002(INI))
Date: 2006-09-26
Institutions: Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: action programme, continuing vocational training, education policy, educational system, job mobility, professional qualifications, recognition of vocational training qualifications

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52.
Calls on the EIB to improve its lending instruments to effectively support sustainable urban develop-
ment and to prioritise in existing programmes urban projects which implement SUMPs, in particular in the
area of energy efficiency, renewable energies, and sustainable urban transport infrastructure; further calls on
the EIB to ensure that investments funded by it do not contradict sustainable urban management objectives;

53.
Emphasises the significance of research in connection with urban policy, including issues relating to
electricity and gas supplies, heating and air conditioning and waste treatment, and calls on the Commission
to re-incorporate specific provisions dealing with this issue in the 7th Framework Programme on Research;

54.
Considers it extremely important to support a network of national focal points on urban issues, such
as the European Urban Knowledge Network, and welcomes the continuation of support for the URBACT
programme within the framework of the proposed cohesion policy for 2007-2013;

55.
Calls for the promotion of exchange of best practice at EU level between urban authorities on the
implementation of the strategy and SUMPs; furthermore proposes that, in order to avoid mistakes in urban
development in the future, an honest and open exchange of negative experiences also be encouraged, by
means of campaigns — which may be run by associations of towns — aimed at both civil servants and
elected representatives;

56.
Urges the Commission to go into greater detail with regard to the significance of the relations
between cities and their environs for sustainable urban development which contributes to the overall cohe-
in this regard, calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote such
sion of the EU and,
sustainable urban development;

Proposes that EU funding be allocated and used by Member States in order to retrofit buildings and

57.
neighbourhoods;

Better law-making

58.
Calls on the Commission and the Council to strike an inter-institutional agreement with the Parlia-
ment in which the three institutions express their dedication to the implementation of all existing Com-
munity legislation as mentioned in this resolution; is convinced that such an agreement would contribute to
improving accountability and therefore to ‘better law-making’;

*

*

*

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

59.
Investment Bank and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

P6_TA(2006)0368

A European Qualifications Framework

European Parliament

resolution on the creation of a European Qualifications Framework

(2006/2002(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission staff working document entitled ‘Towards a European Qualifications

Framework for Lifelong Learning’ (SEC(2005)0957),

— having regard to the Commission proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Coun-
cil establishing an integrated action programme in the field of lifelong learning (COM(2004)0474),

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— having regard to the Commission proposal for a recommendation of the European Parliament and of

the Council on key competences for lifelong learning (COM(2005)0548),

— having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Modernising education and training: a vital
contribution to prosperity and social cohesion in Europe — Draft 2006 joint progress report of the
Council and the Commission on the implementation of the’‘Education and Training 2010 work pro-
gramme’ (COM(2005)0549),

— having regard to the Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of
15 December 2004 on a single Community framework for the transparency of qualifications and com-
petences (Europass) (1),

— having regard to Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September

2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (2),

— having regard to the Joint declaration of the European Ministers of Education, adopted on their meeting
in Bologna on 19 June 1999, which set the objective of creating a European area of higher education by
2010, in order to promote European citizens employability and mobility and the international competi-
tiveness of the European higher education system,

— having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000,
which set the strategic objective for the European Union to become the world's most dynamic knowl-
edge-based economy, and in particular to the reference on ‘Education and training for living and work-
ing in the knowledge society’,

— having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Making a European Area of Lifelong Learn-

ing a Reality’ (COM(2001)0678),

— having regard to the Council resolution of 27 June 2002 on lifelong learning (3),

— having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Barcelona European Council of 15 and 16 March
2002, especially to the agreed goal of making education and training systems in Europe a world-wide
quality reference by 2010, and to the call for further action to introduce instruments to ensure the
transparency of diplomas and qualifications,
including by promoting action similar to the Bologna
process in the area of vocational education and training,

— having regard to the declaration of the European Ministers of Vocational Education and training, and
the Commission, who met in Copenhagen on 29 and 30 November 2002, on enhanced European
cooperation in vocational education and training — ‘The Copenhagen Declaration’ — aiming to
increase voluntary cooperation in vocational education and training,
in order to promote mutual
trust, transparency and recognition of competences and qualifications, and thereby establishing a basis
for increasing mobility and facilitating access to lifelong learning,

— having regard to the Council resolution of 19 December 2002 on the promotion of enhanced European

cooperation in vocational education and training (4),

— having regard to the Commission communication entitled ‘Commission's Action Plan for skills and

mobility’ (COM(2002)0072),

— having regard to the Joint Interim Report of the Council and the Commission of 26 February 2004 on
the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, entitled ‘Education and Training 2010: the success of Lisbon
hinges on urgent reforms’, which called for the development of a European framework as an essential
contribution towards the Lisbon Strategy, to stand as a common reference enabling and promoting
transparency, transfer and recognition of qualifications and competences,

(1) OJ L 390, 31.12.2004, p. 6.
(2) OJ L 255, 30.9.2005, p. 22.
(3) OJ C 163, 9.7.2002, p. 1.
(4) OJ C 13, 18.1.2003, p. 2.

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— having regard to the Maastricht Communiqué of 14 December 2004 on the Future Priorities of
Enhanced European Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (VET), in which the Ministers
responsible for vocational education and training of 32 European countries, the European Social Part-
ners and the European Commission agreed to give priority to the development of an open and flexible
European Qualifications framework, founded on transparency and mutual trust and providing a com-
mon reference to facilitate the recognition and transferability of qualifications covering both VET and
general (secondary and higher) education,

— having regard to the Conclusions of the Council and of the representatives of the governments of the
Member States meeting within the Council, who met in Brussels on 27 and 28 May 2004, on Common
European Principles for the identification and validation of non-formal and informal learning,

— having regard to the Commission staff working paper entitled ‘Progress towards the Lisbon Strategy in

education and training — 2005 report’ (SEC(2005)0419),

— having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 22 and 23 March
2005 pointing to the importance of adopting a European Qualifications framework (EQF) in 2006,

— having regard to the ‘European Qualifications Framework: Consultation to Recommendation Confer-
ence’, co-hosted by the Commission and the Hungarian Ministry of Education and held in Budapest
on 27 and 28 February 2006,

— having regard to the Final Communiqué on the Outcome of discussions on 17 March 2006 of the IX
Conference of European Ministers of Education, ‘Strengthening Education in Europe’, held in Vienna on
16 and 17 March 2006, in which the Ministers reaffirmed the potential of the EQF to significantly
contribute to the transparency, transferability and recognition of qualifications at the European level,
and its role as an agent of reforms to support lifelong learning in the wider European area of education,

— having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 23 and 24 March
2006 confirming that education and training are critical factors to developing the EU's long-term
potential for competitiveness as well as for social and territorial cohesion, and that, in order to support
greater mobility and an efficient labour market, progress on an EQF should also be achieved,

— having regard to the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on transnational
mobility within the Community for education and training purposes: European Quality Charter for
Mobility (1),

— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinions of
the Committee on Culture and Education and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer
Protection (A6-0248/2006),

A. whereas a single learning environment and a single employment market at European level are essential

requirements if the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy are to be attained,

B. whereas it is necessary to establish a European system for the recognition of qualifications and skills
while at the same time respecting the rich diversity and special strengths of Europe's constituent terri-
tories,

C. whereas the creation of an EQF based, inter alia, on the existing qualifications structures of the Bologna
and Copenhagen processes, should be welcomed as an appropriate instrument by which to support the
transparency, transferability, recognition and use of acquired qualifications and competences between
different Member States and at different levels, as well as a means to facilitate access to lifelong learning
opportunities for all citizens,

D. whereas a common reference framework, based on skills, levels and learning outcomes, the EQF, could

encourage the adoption of instruments to identify skills requirements,

E. whereas the term ‘qualification’ should be taken to mean all the titles, qualifications, certificates and

professional experience recognised in the European Union,

(1) Not yet published in OJ.

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F. whereas, taking account of the new challenges of the knowledge society and of demographic change,
the development of an EQF would be crucial, notably in terms of both supporting employability and
geographical mobility of the labour force in the EU and promoting competitiveness and social cohe-
sion, in accordance with the Lisbon Strategy,

G. whereas increasing professional mobility (the mobility of employees and undertakings) within the
Union implies that certificates obtained in one Member State must be recognised and applicable in
other Member States at the appropriate level,

H. whereas continual updating and expansion of knowledge, skills and personal and professional compe-
tence and the EQF should contribute to modernising the education and training system and thus
improve people's chances of finding a job and the prospects for mobility within the European area
and create a climate of greater security at the workplace, in which the EQF should contribute to greater
transparency in the recognition of qualifications gained and the equivalence of qualifications sought,
thereby providing incentives for the improvement of the general and occupational training systems,
which may also contribute to trainees' chances of employment,

I. whereas the lack of suitable mechanisms, networks and cooperation between education and training
providers and national authorities, the inadequacy of existing statutory provisions and in many cases
the budgetary restrictions in Member States, are obstacles to the effective implementation of lifelong
learning, the linkage between university education and employment and the more rapid imparting of
the most up-to-date scientific and technological knowledge to workers, as well as to the efficient use of
acquired knowledge and competences,

J. whereas there is a lack of transparency in qualifications and a low recognition rate of foreign qualifica-

tions,

K. whereas the common aim of the 32 states participating in the EQF consists in showing students and
teachers the main routes to particular qualifications; and whereas it is important to show them how the
reference levels match up with each other, to what extent transfers are possible and on what basis
decisions are made on recognition of qualifications,

L. whereas, in principle, the EQF should initially be implemented on a voluntary basis, and it involves no
legal obligations, nevertheless it will provide an impetus for change by supporting reforms at the rele-
vant levels, but must serve to promote transparency and equivalence as regards certificates issued at
national and sectoral level,

M. whereas the EQF will not replace but will complement national qualifications frameworks, and whereas
the EQF should provide a broader framework to facilitate cooperation between Member States, social
partners and other stakeholders at international level,

N.

convinced that the application of the EQF can be successful only if there is cooperation on a basis of
trust and transparency when national qualifications are given an EQF reference level, and if the parti-
cularities and needs of the individual Member States are properly assessed, as well as if the EQF is
created as an instrument for users and stakeholders, in order to give a picture of qualifications gained
and sought to those applying it, while preserving self-sufficiency and autonomy of learning,

1. Welcomes the Commission's initiative on modernising, continually improving and reinforcing Euro-
pean education and training systems and of opening consultations with a view to laying down a common
reference framework for European certification systems;

2. Welcomes the fact that EQF is built on learning outcomes, reflects the complexity of lifelong learning
and stimulates national and sectoral reform processes;

3.
Considers that the EQF is a useful means by which to enhance and consolidate mutual trust in the
various systems and fully supports its objectives, namely the achievement at European level of transparency
in relation to qualifications, mobility for members of the professions and lifelong learning;

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4.
Approves the establishment of a system based on common levels, instruments and principles which is
both flexible and, at the same time, rooted in the principle of lifelong learning, but calls on the Commission
to clarify the relationship between qualification levels, Directive 2005/36/EC, and the provisions for the
certification of formal and informal
learning, which already exist or are currently being established at
national and regional level;

5.
Points out that one of the main tasks of the EQF must be to facilitate and promote the transfer of
qualifications between different education and training systems, in order to make transnational professional
mobility possible and better to meet the requirements of supply and demand in the European labour mar-
ket; also points out that the EQF represents a suitable broader framework to provide an appropriate transla-
tion and communication instrument for establishing a common qualifications framework within Europe;

6.
On this basis, notes that the Commission proposal is a correct and necessary approach, even if it does
not entirely meet the requirement of a transparent qualifications framework; calls for the eight proposed
reference levels of the EQF to be revised and improved; takes the view that their descriptors should be
expressed more concisely and comprehensibly and that it is important to distinguish clearly between the
various reference levels, so that there can be a clear hierarchy of qualifications;

Stresses that the competences set out in the eight-level descriptors should include knowledge not only

7.
of social and ethical, but also of cultural issues;

Considers that the organisation and validation of lifelong learning are a matter for the Member States

8.
and cannot easily be brought within the purview of the EQF;

Considers that the three horizontal areas (‘knowledge’, ‘skills’ and ‘personal and professional compe-

9.
tence’) should also be revised to make them clearer and more comprehensible;

Stresses, also, that the different types of learning outcome, taken together, form part of an educa-

10.
tional whole that cannot be quantified simply in terms of the level achieved in each individual area;

Regards the third horizontal area,

‘personal and professional competence’, as an interesting way in
11.
which directly to incorporate into the EQF the latest findings of modern research on learning; would,
however, welcome a review that would make it clear how ‘soft skills’ and ‘personal competence’ could be
tackled methodologically;

Recalls that the EQF must serve primarily to classify certification procedures based on the outcome
12.
of vocational training and to that end, calls for simple, workable descriptors to be used and the number of
levels reduced; notes that comparative experiments have shown that the more fragmented the levels and the
more numerous the criteria, the more difficult it is to coordinate them;

13.
Takes the view that, as a meta-framework for all forms of learning, the EQF is also relevant to the
labour market; welcomes the fact that, as a result of the Lisbon Strategy, greater attention is being devoted
to lifelong learning in the workplace and hence to the recognition of qualifications acquired at work; stresses
that each of the eight proposed reference levels should emphasise abilities that can be gained via various
educational pathways and take account of professional abilities and experience as well as their potential
value in terms of professional advancement; therefore calls for the descriptors to be changed, not only
taking into account and maintaining the Bologna precepts linked to academic education, but complement-
ing them by also taking greater account of vocational training and further training systems;

14.
Urges a change to the present system of automatically matching reference levels six, seven and eight
to the three academic levels of the Bologna qualifications framework (bachelor, master and doctor), so that
the individual's actual knowledge, abilities and personal and occupational skills gained are classified irrespec-
tive of the place they were acquired;

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15.
Calls for the improvement of Table 2, which is intended further to explain the reference levels;
considers that it should be clearly subordinated to the outcome-oriented approach, as it focuses on formal
education; welcomes, therefore, the recommended cautious approach to Table 2; takes the view that the EQF
as a general meta-framework should leave such questions of detail such as the design of Table 2 to actors at
local or national level;

16.
Calls for stronger support and promotion of common European principles on providing and validat-
ing non-formal and informal learning processes on lifelong learning particularly regarding the acquisition of
technological and scientific knowledge and skills and taking account of the particularities of the various
professional disciplines and of the different regions and countries; takes the view that it is essential to pay
particular attention to methods and systems of evaluating learning outcomes achieved by non-formal or
informal methods, as the development of skills in the context of lifelong learning takes place in a wide
range of everyday work situations;

17. Maintains that the development of an EQF will lead to the introduction of common reference indica-
tors, facilitating career planning by those in training and employment in the context of lifelong learning;

18.
Calls for every country to have its own national or regional qualifications frameworks, organised in
cooperation with the responsible organisations and bodies as appropriate, ensuring compatibility with the
EQF; takes the view that in countries which do not yet have a national qualifications framework and in
which informal and non-formal qualifications are neglected, it makes sense for the EQF to be introduced;

19.

Calls on the Commission to launch the process of harmonising conceptual approaches and terms;

Calls on the Commission to clarify the relationship between the framework of qualifications envi-
20.
saged under the Bologna process and the EQF, and to specify whether the indicators proposed under the
EQF will constitute the sole point of reference for a common European area of lifelong learning;

Rejects the setting of prescriptive criteria for learning pathways or for the duration and location of

21.
education and training courses;

Takes the view that further instruments to support the EQF should be fostered in order to facilitate
22.
public access to the EQF, with the main focus on the Copenhagen and Bologna conclusions, to which the
EQF should form a logically structured starting point; takes the view that special attention should also be
given to the contribution of international organisations and European centres such as the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational
Training in the field of learning and the acquisition of qualifications and skills; calls on the Commission
to progress the development of the European Credit of Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) system
to further develop and promote the Europass and to develop the ‘Ploteus’ data bank and to promote further
innovative approaches to the recognition of informal and non-formal learning;

23.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to enhance the role and structure of the National
Europass Centre (NEC) and to make it easier for the NEC to fulfil its core tasks and to achieve the objectives
laid down by the European Union, with particular reference to the wider dissemination of the instruments
directly managed by the NEC (European Curriculum Vitae, Mobility Europass) and the progressive adoption
of the Europass system;

Underlines that the implementation of EQF on a voluntary basis requires the support and commit-

24.
ment of national and sectoral stakeholders;

25.
Recognises that EQF, as a translation tool among different qualification systems, requires consistency
and mutual trust; recommends that principles of transparent and trustworthy quality assurance mechanisms
be drawn up so that comparisons may be made allowing for the mutual recognition of the qualifications of
EU citizens;

26.
Emphasises that the EQF can make a significant contribution to the mobility of the European labour
market if the decision of a Member State to match individual national qualifications to a particular EQF level
is accepted by others; takes the view that, in the context of quality assurance, the Commission's proposal to

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oblige Member States to observe a number of common principles is an important element in the successful
cooperation between stakeholders at various levels; notes, however, that this will only be the case if it
does not duplicate existing quality assurances systems, such as the Standards and Guidelines for Quality
Assurance;

27.
Takes the view that mutual trust should be a result of increased cooperation between the Member
States in the context of the EQF and also a precondition for the efficient functioning of the EQF an appro-
priate trial period, an impact assessment and a supporting evaluation are essential
for the continual
improvement and adaptation of the EQF; calls on the Commission to develop and propose appropriate
methods and strategies to make this possible;

Urges that EQF is further developed reflecting stakeholders' requests for clarification presented in the

28.
consultations process;

29.

Calls on the Commission to revise its proposal on the basis of Parliament's observations;

Points to the importance of a wide and well-structured communication and dissemination strategy to

30.
raise awareness and interest in EQF's benefits;

Takes the view that it is essential for the success of the EQF to provide something of practical use for

31.
end users, thus for citizens, employees and employers as well as for educational institutions;

Calls on the Commission to brief Parliament on the outcome of the national consultations and to

32.
hold further exchanges of views before drawing up its final proposal;

33.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

P6_TA(2006)0369

Banning seal products in the European Union

Declaration of the European Parliament on banning seal products in the European Union

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Rule 116 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas more than one and a half million harp seal pups have been slaughtered in the North West
Atlantic over the last four years and the vast majority of these animals were less than three months old,

B. whereas the last time the annual number of seals now being killed was slaughtered in the 1950s and

1960s the seal population was reduced by two thirds,

C. whereas, on average, sealers receive less than 5 % of their income from sealing, which provides only a

few days' work each year,

D. whereas a team of international veterinarians concluded that 42 % of the slaughtered seals they exam-

ined may have been skinned whilst still conscious,

E. whereas the import of whitecoat harp seal and blueback hooded seal furs and furskin products was
banned within the Community in 1983 pursuant to Directive 83/129/EEC (1); whereas sealers now wait
a few days until harp seal pups have moulted and whereas the products of these animals are still
imported into the European Union,

(1) OJ L 91, 9.4.1983, p. 30.