COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT   Accompanying document to the   Proposal for a  COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION  Youth on the Move – promoting the learning mobility of young people    {COM(2010) 478 final} {SEC(2010) 1049}
Date: 2010-09-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: education, education policy, knowledge economy, student mobility, teaching quality, young person, youth policy

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 15.9.2010 
SEC(2010) 1050 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

Accompanying document to the 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION 

Youth on the Move – promoting the learning mobility of young people  

{COM(2010) 478 final} 
{SEC(2010) 1049} 

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

This  impact  assessment  will  accompany  the  proposal  for  a  Recommendation  of  the 
Council  to  promote  the  learning  mobility  of  young  people,  which  will  be  one  part  of  a 
suite of actions to be pursued within the framework of a Youth on the Move initiative. 

1. 

BACKGROUND 

Youth  on the Move (YoM) is a flagship EU initiative to support the Europe 2020 Strategy. 
The  aim  is  to  "enhance  the  performance  and  international  attractiveness  of  Europe's  higher 
education institutions and raise the overall quality of all levels of education and training in the 
EU,  combining  both  excellence  and  equity,  by  promoting  student  mobility  and  trainees' 
mobility, and improve the employment situation of young people1.  

Promoting  learning  mobility  is  a  core  objective  of  Youth  on  the  Move.  It  will  aim  to  boost 
(and improve the quality of) student mobility substantially. It will also aim to spread learning 
mobility  opportunities  more  broadly,  for  all  young  people,  notably  among  groups  such  as 
vocational training students and young people with fewer opportunities.  

It is, however, clear that EU programmes cannot on their own meet the high ambitions which 
lie  behind  the  initiative.  For  that  reason,  the  Youth  on  the  Move  Communication  envisages 
that  EU  programme  support  should  be  complemented  by  a  mobilisation  of  the  efforts  of 
Member  States  and  other  actors  in  support  of  learning  mobility.  An  important  element  will 
involve work in identifying and eliminating barriers to mobility.  

The Commission proposes a draft Council Recommendation as the means to synthesize good 
policy approaches at the national level to promoting learning mobility and to serve as a policy 
guide for the Member States in making their contribution to the general Youth on the Move 
objectives.  This  Impact  Assessment  focuses  directly  on  this  element  of  the  Youth  on  the 
Move package, in particular to tackle obstacles to mobility. 

2. 

PROBLEM DEFINITION 

As part of the freedom of movement of persons, learning mobility, i.e. transnational mobility 
for the purpose of acquiring new skills, is one of the fundamental ways in which individuals, 
particularly young people, can strengthen their future employability as well as their personal 
development. 

The  European  Union  has  a  long  and  highly-regarded  record  in  promoting  and  supporting 
learning mobility; a domain of direct and tangible benefit to the European citizen. Initiatives 
such as the Erasmus programme have made it possible for more than 2 million people to study 
in another country and to have those studies formally recognised.  

However,  for  too  many  of  Europe's  young  people  learning  mobility  is  still  not  a  realistic 
opportunity.  Still  relatively  few  young  people  reap  the  benefits  of  a  learning  experience 
abroad  and  some  groups,  such  as  young  people  from  disadvantaged  backgrounds  are 
particularly  underrepresented.  Linguistic,  cultural,  financial,  legal  and  administrative 

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obstacles  persist,  including  recognition,  validation  and  perception  of  quality  of  learning 
completed  abroad,  in  particular  outside  the  structured  EU  mobility  programmes.  In 
addition,  awareness  of  mobility  opportunities  remains  low  among  young  people.  Moreover, 
the  current  legislative  framework  adopts  a  sectoral  focus  (i.e.  tertiary  education,  vocational 
education  and  training,  volunteering,  teachers  and  trainers,  young  researchers)  which  can 
hinder joined up approaches. Whilst additional resources at both national and European levels 
(via  existing  programmes)  can  boost  mobility,  more  money  will  not  be  sufficient  alone  to 
realise the vision of mobility as a realistic opportunity for all. Member States must do more to 
remove obstacles which persist at national and regional levels. 

A 2001 Council  Recommendation2 on mobility within the Community  for students, persons 
undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and trainers exists but has fallen into disuse and is 
now  somewhat  out  of  date.  Evaluation  of  the  effectiveness  of  this  2001  Council 
Recommendation3  demonstrated  that  the  Recommendation  has  been  effective  to  a  certain 
extent  but  information  regarding  progress  in  implementing  the  specific  provisions  of  the 
Recommendation  is  not  comprehensive  and  easily  accessible.  There  is  a  pressing  need  to 
update, refocus and revitalise this Recommendation. 

3. 

ANALYSIS OF SUBSIDIARITY 

Education, Youth and Training Policy is an area where the EU has supporting competence 
as  defined  by  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union  (Lisbon  Treaty).  The 
Treaty  (article  165)  provides  that  'The  Union  shall  contribute  to  the  development  of  quality 
education  by  encouraging  cooperation  between  Member  States  and,  if  necessary,  by 
supporting  and  supplementing  their  action'  and  in  particular,  foresees  that  European  Union 
action shall be aimed at 'encouraging mobility of students and teachers, by encouraging inter 
alia, the academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study' as well as at "encouraging 
the development of youth exchanges and of exchanges of socio-educational instructors". 

The  EU  adopts  a  twin-track  approach  to  taking  forward  this  mission,  through  policy 
cooperation  with  EU  Member  States,  and  through  the  implementation  of  the  Lifelong 
Learning  (i.e.  Erasmus,  Comenius,  Leonardo,  Grundtvig)  and  Youth  in  Action  Programmes 
which provide funding in support of mobility actions.  

4. 

OBECTIVES OFF EU INITIATIVE 

The main policy objectives to be achieved are to make learning mobility an opportunity for 
all, via: 

–  The elimination of barriers to learning mobility at national/regional levels 
–  The promotion of learning mobility 

Specific objectives will be pursued as below:  

•  improve the availability and accessibly of information on the possibilities and benefits of 

study abroad  

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2001/613/EC. 
COM(2004) 21.  

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•  improve  language  skills,  consistent  with  the  aims  of  the  multilingualism  strategy4, 
including the target of "Mother tongue plus two (foreign languages) for every citizen"  
•  remove  legal  and  administrative  barriers  to  the  development  of  cross-border  joint  study 

programmes and other forms of learning mobility 

•  reduce legal and administrative barriers relating to health and social security coverage for 

young researchers, trainees and volunteers  

•  promote a coherent legal framework for the mobility of minors 
•  reduce or remove restrictions on the portability of student financial support  
•  improve  recognition  and  validation  for  formal,  non-formal  and  informal  learning 

completed abroad 

•  increase  opportunities  for  young  people  from  underrepresented  groups  (lower  socio 

economic backgrounds, minority ethnic, disabled people) to participate in mobility  

•  encourage a focus on improving the quality of mobility 
•  encourage cross-sectoral working to facilitate shared solutions common to different target 

groups 

•  enable a better comparison of progress between Member States and reinforce peer learning  

It  should  be  stressed  that  whilst  it  is  appropriate  to  set  out  the  areas  where  action  is 
particularly  needed  by  Member  States,  Recommendations  at  the  EU  level  in  the  area  of 
education  and  training  should  not  be  overly  prescriptive:  it  will  be  for  Member  States 
themselves, in respect of the subsidiarity principle, to define how this will be taken forward in 
light of their specific circumstances. 

5. 

POLICY OPTIONS 

Following an initial assessment of possible options, three main options emerge as those most 
realistic and feasible, and are in line with the narrow scope for EU intervention in the field of 
education and training. 

5.1. 

Option 1: No EU Action/Status Quo (baseline scenario) 

An existing 2001 Council Recommendation on mobility within the Community for students, 
persons undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and trainers, which has fallen into disuse. 

5.2. 

Option  2:  A  Council  Recommendation:  Youth  on  the  Move:  Promoting  the 
learning mobility for young people 

A  new  Council  Recommendation,  updating  and  refocusing  the  2001  Recommendation  and 
promoting  a  cross-sectoral  approach  to  removing  barriers  to  mobility  common  to  several 
target groups and more focussed monitoring.  

5.3. 

Option  3:  A  new  Open  Method  of  Co-ordination  (OMC)  for  the  learning 
mobility of young people 

A  new  stand-alone  'Open  Method  of  Co-ordination'  to  monitor  and  report  upon  existing 
Member State actions to increase learning mobility and to share best practice. 

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6. 

ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS OF OPTIONS 

6.1. 

Likely economic, social and environmental impacts of the short-listed options 

Whilst  the  option  "status  quo"  would  have  a  small  but  limited  economic  and  social  and 
environmental impact because it implies no further action at EU level, options 2 and 3 would 
lead  to  more  substantial  positive  economic  and  social  impacts  through  more  young  people 
engaging  in  learning  mobility,  which  has  proven  benefits  for  their  employment  and  cultural 
integration via the development of increased and broader skills. This increase in mobility is 
expected  to  result  from  more  information,  better  recognition,  smoother  administrative 
procedures, and improved support structures. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds 
or for whom mobility was beyond reach, are expected to benefit particularly from the removal 
of specific barriers which disadvantage them and as a result may benefit from increased social 
and economic (re)integration.  

6.2. 

Assessment of administrative burden 

Option 1 requires no additional administrative burden because it involves no further action on 
the  part  of  the  EU  or  national  authorities.  Option  2  will  imply  some  additional  costs  for 
implementing  agencies,  institutions  and  government  departments  in  responding  to  the 
Recommendation  e.g.  in  the  design  of  new  strategies  or  revision  of  legislation  to  make 
learning mobility easier for young people. Some additional costs will result from the creation 
of a mobility scorecard, although the overall effect will be neutral because it will be offset by 
a re-orientation of the existing monitoring and reporting requirements. Option 3 represents the 
most  significant  increase  in  administrative  burden:  whilst  implementation  costs  would  be 
broadly  in  line  with  Option  2,  additional  costs  would  result  at  both  EU  and  national  levels 
associated with the establishment of a new OMC monitoring and reporting framework. 

6.3. 

Impacts outside the EU  

Option 1 is expected to have a limited impact on extra EU mobility, since the 2001 Council 
Recommendation does not address this specifically. Option 2 will bring positive impacts for 
mobility outside the EU, given that a new Council Recommendation will explicitly target this 
aspect,  which  will  provide  an  important  update and  enhancement  compared  to  the  baseline. 
Option  3  will  have  more  limited  impact  for  extra-EU  mobility  as  the  absence  of  a  legal 
instrument might provide less of an incentive for action by Member States. 

7. 

COMPARISON OF THE OPTIONS BASED UPON THEIR LIKELY IMPACTS 

The  status  quo  might  allow  for  some  improvements  in  evolution,  but  these  are  likely  to  be 
insufficient to realise the aspiration of learning mobility as an opportunity for all. The 2001 
Recommendation  does  not  cater  for  important  developments  in  recent  years  within  the 
education  and  training  sector  which  have  influence  on  learning  mobility.  Furthermore,  its 
sectoral approach makes it difficult to address issues common to more than one target group. 
In  addition,  longstanding  obstacles  to  mobility  which  are  not  adequately  recognised  or 
addressed,  are  likely  to  remain  areas  of  concern.  Even  if  fully  implemented,  the  2001 
Recommendation  and  its  follow-up  as  part  of  the  Education  and  Training  OMC  would  be 
insufficient to address all current obstacles to mobility. Further action is therefore necessary 
to achieve the objectives set out in section 4 above. 

Options  2  and  3  offer  much  increased  potential  to  bring  about  changes  in  Member  State 
provisions to deliver upon the objectives outlined above. A new Council Recommendation, as 
put forward in Option 2, has the advantage of setting out a comprehensive and clear agenda 

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for change in specific areas of identified shortcoming against which progress can be assessed. 
This option would offer the potential to re-launch, revitalise and update work in this area via a 
new legal instrument focussing on horizontal obstacles common across sectors and give fresh 
impetus  and  an  increased  visibility  to  mobility issues, combined with the potential  for clear 
comparison  of  progress  between  countries;  and  therefore  would  be  expected  to  act  as  a 
stimulus to drive forward progress in this area. Option 3 is limited to its nature of 'soft law' 
which  could  weaken  its  potential  impact  compared  to  a  legal  instrument,  in  particular  as 
regards addressing legal and administrative barriers at the Member State level. As compared 
with Option 2, the absence of a Recommendation as the initial driver of the exercise risks to 
weaken  the  collective  effort.  Finally,  the  additional  administrative  burden,  both  at  national 
and EU levels which would result from the establishment and operation of a new OMC would 
be significant and would most likely meet strong opposition from the Member States. 

7.1. 

Preferred policy option 

On  the  basis  of  the  assessment  above,  the  preferred  option  is  Option  2  (A  Council 
Recommendation)  which  represents  the  best  combination  of  expected  impact  balanced  with 
cost and administrative burden. 

8. 

MONITORING AND EVALUATION 

Monitoring,  evaluation  and  reporting  would  take  place  within  the  existing  Strategic 
framework  for  European  cooperation  in  Education  and  Training  (Open  Method  of  Co-
ordination),  which  will  be  reoriented  to  this  end.  Based  upon  the  national  reports,  the 
Commission  would  present  a  biennial  assessment  of  progress  across  Member  States  and 
observations  at  country-level  regarding  strengths  and  weaknesses  in  removing  obstacles  to 
learning mobility in the format of a 'Mobility Scoreboard' which will allow for comparative 
assessment across countries. 

Core indicators of progress towards meeting the objectives will be based upon the following:  

•  Decrease  in  significant  problems  with  obstacles  to  mobility  reported  by  mobile 

students/volunteers/researchers (as measured by surveys) 

•  Specific  indicators  to  be  elaborated  based  upon  progress  in  each  field  of  obstacle,  to  be 

monitored via a proposed 'Mobility Scoreboard'  

•  An increase in the number of young people (15-35) engaging in learning mobility 
•  An EU-level mobility benchmark(s) for learning mobility will be proposed (foreseen in the 

context of the Strategic Framework on Education and Training ET2020) 

•  In  higher  education:  by  2020,  at  least  20%  of  those  graduating  in  the  European  Higher 
Education  Area  should  have  had  a  study  or  training  period  abroad  (Bologna  Process 
mobility benchmark) 

An independent external evaluation is proposed to assess progress after the first four years of 
implementation of the Recommendation (i.e. by end 2014). 

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