COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Building a stronger Europe: the role of youth, education and culture policies
Date: 2018-05-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, continuing education, cooperation in the field of education, culture, education policy, educational reform, innovation, student mobility, young person, youth policy

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 22.5.2018 COM(2018) 268 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Building a stronger Europe: the role of youth, education and culture policies  
 
 
1.  Introduction 

Europe is engaged in a debate about its future. In one year’s time, Leaders will meet in the 
Romanian  city  of  Sibiu  to  draw  conclusions  from  this  debate,  which  the  Commission 
launched with its White Paper on the Future of Europe1 in March 2017.  

One  key  issue  is  to  address  citizens'  expectations  and  respond  to  their  concerns  about  the 
future in a quickly changing world; a world that offers new opportunities but that also brings 
uncertainty. Many are worried about how work will develop; the future of the welfare state; 
how our democratic and diverse societies will evolve; and about Europe's place in the world. 
Europe  needs  to  enable  its  citizens,  especially  its  young  people,  to  make  the  most  of 
opportunities  offered  by  new  technologies  and  global  trends.  Education  and  training  offer  a 
way forward, as an investment for the individual and for society at large. 

The Union is first and foremost a Union of values, as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on 
the  European  Union,  and  education,  training  and  culture  are  crucial  for  transmitting  and 
promoting common values and building mutual understanding. 

On  the  economic  side,  although  the  crisis  left  its  mark  on  labour  markets  and  societies, 
Europe's social market economy showed its mettle in weathering the worst economic crisis 
in living memory. The ongoing work on completing the Economic and Monetary Union will 
further strengthen Europe's economic foundation. 

When  it  comes  to  social  priorities,  the  Union  has  made  clear  that  the  European  project  is 
about  much  more  than  economics.  The  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  was  jointly 
proclaimed  by  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  in  November 
20172.  The  Pillar  reinforces  the  principles  and  rights  in  the  employment  and  social  field  on 
which the Union is based, and establishes the right to quality education, training and lifelong 
learning as its first principle3. 

A stronger role for policies on youth, education and culture  
In  the  Rome  Declaration  of  March  20174,  EU  Leaders  pledged  to  work  towards  a  "Union 
where  young  people  receive  the  best  education  and  training  and  can  study  and  find  jobs 
across  the  continent;  a  Union  which  preserves  our  cultural  heritage  and  promotes  cultural 
diversity". If we want to build a stronger Europe, policies on youth, culture, education and 
training need to play an important role in the European project.  

Early on, this Commission took measures to address the situation of young people who had to 
withstand the worst of the crisis, and to give them better opportunities to participate actively 
in  the  European  project5.  A  lot  has  already  been  achieved.  To  build  the  future,  Europe 
requires the support and involvement of young people. Therefore, the Commission, together 
with the Council6, is maintaining its strong focus on young people.  

1  White Paper on the Future of Europe: Reflections and Scenarios for the EU27 by 2025 (COM (2017)2025). 
2  The Pillar of Social Rights builds on previous initiatives towards a more social Europe, including the Charter 

of Fundamental Rights of the EU.  

3  ‘Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain 
and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the 
labour  market.’  Source:  Interinstitutional  Proclamation  on  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  (2017/C 
428/09). 

4  http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2017/03/25/rome-declaration/pdf. 
5  The  Commission's  Communication  on  Investing  in  Europe's  Youth  gives  an  overview  of  these  measures 

(COM(2016)940). 

6  Council  Conclusions  on  strategic  perspectives  for  European  cooperation  in  the  youth  field  post-2018,  May 

2017. 

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More attention needs to be devoted to education, training and culture enabling them to 
unlock  their  full  potential  to  support  the  European  project.  Investing  in  skills,  competences 
and  knowledge  is  essential  to  boost  Europe's  resilience7.  Such  investments  in  people  drive 
innovation,  productivity  and  competitiveness,  helping  to  maintain  employability  and 
overcome  skills  mismatches  in  a  rapidly  evolving  labour  market  impacted  by  globalisation 
and technological change.  

Another  aspect  is  diversity,  which  is  a  distinctive  feature  of  Europe  and  a  source  of 
innovation  and  creativity.  Education  and  culture  heighten  our  awareness,  understanding  and 
appreciation  of  Europe's  rich  shared  cultural  heritage,  history,  experiences,  convictions  and 
values.  This  unites  people  across  borders,  helps  promote  equality  between  women  and  men 
and  gives  us  a  sense  of  belonging  together.  Education,  training  and  culture  can  help  us 
discover and experience what it means to be European.  

At the November 2017 Gothenburg Summit, EU Leaders chose education and culture for the 
Leaders'  Agenda  debate.  The  discussion  among  Leaders  was  informed  by  a  Commission 
contribution on  "Strengthening European Identity through Education and Culture"8, in 
which the Commission sets out its vision of working towards a European Education Area. 
The debate placed education and culture at the top of the policy agenda.  Europe is faced with 
a  variety  of  challenges,  including  populism,  xenophobia,  intolerance,  discrimination  and 
disinformation.  Moreover, few EU  countries  are high  performers in  all aspects of education 
and  training.  There  is  therefore  a  need  to  strengthen  the  education  and  culture  dimension 
within the Union. 

7  See also Commission Communications on School Development and Excellent Teaching for a Great Start in 

Life (COM(2017)248) and A Renewed EU Agenda for Higher Education  (COM(2017)247).  

8  Commission  Communication  on  Strengthening  European  Identity  through  Education  and  Culture 

(COM(2017)673). 

2 

 
 
                                                            
In  December  2017,  the  European  Council  called  on  Member  States,  the  Council  and  the 
Commission: 

 

 

to  take  work  forward  on  a  number  of  key  initiatives,  including  the  Erasmus+ 
programme, European universities, language learning, the European Student Card, 
the mutual recognition of diplomas and the European Year of Cultural Heritage;  

to  examine  possible  measures  addressing  the  skills  challenges  linked  to 
digitisation, cybersecurity, media literacy and artificial intelligence; the need for an 
inclusive,  life-long-learning-based  and  innovation-driven  approach  to  education 
and training; and the legal and financial framework conditions for the development 
of cultural and creative industries and the mobility of professionals of the cultural 
sector.  

In  response,  the  Commission  presented  on  17  January  2018  a  first  package  of  measures9, 
addressing key competences, digital skills as well as common values and inclusive education.  

 The  present  Communication  is  part  of  a  second  package  of  initiatives  responding  to  the 
European  Council.  It  brings  together  a  set  of  initiatives  in  the  fields  of  youth,  culture, 
education  and  training  policy  to  help  secure  a  more  competitive,  inclusive  and  cohesive 
Europe:  

  Building  on  earlier  actions  to  invest  in  young  people,  the  Commission  presents  a 
"Youth Strategy" for the period 2019 – 2027. The focus is on empowering Europe’s 
young people and giving them a stronger voice in EU policymaking; 

  As  announced  in  its  Communication  on  "Strengthening  European  Identity  through 
Education  and  Culture",  the  Commission  presents  "A  New  European  Agenda  for 
Culture".  This  initiative  will  be  instrumental  in  improving  awareness  of  Europe’s 
common  identity  and  heritage  and  in  supporting  the  Union's  relations  with  third 
countries;  

 

 

In  line  with  the  goal  to  work  towards  a  European  Education  Area,  the  Commission 
presents  two  proposals  for  Council  Recommendations  on  "Mutual  Recognition  of 
Diplomas"  and  improving  the  "Teaching  and  Learning  of  Languages".  Both 
initiatives are key to facilitating learning mobility in Europe;  

In  line  also  with  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights,  the  Commission  proposes  a 
Council Recommendation  on "High Quality Early Childhood Education and  Care 
Systems".  This  initiative  seeks  to  ensure  that  all  children  in  Europe  can  have  a  good 
start in life.  

As set out in the graphic below, work has commenced and will continue in the coming years. 
This cooperation will underpin the joint work towards the European Education Area.  

9  The  Commission  presented  a  Digital  Education  Action  Plan  (COM(2018)22),  a  proposal  for  a  Council 
Recommendation  on  Promoting  Common  Values,  Inclusive  Education,  and  the  European  Dimension  of 
Teaching (COM(2018)23) and a proposal for a Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong 
Learning  (COM(2018)24).  In  addition,  the  Commission  also  presented  in  April  2018  Communications  on 
Disinformation (COM(2018)236) and on Artificial Intelligence (COM(2018)237). 

3 

 
                                                            
4 

 
 
 
These initiatives are stepping stones in the process towards a strengthened Union on the 
road to Sibiu10. They 

 

reflect the importance that this Commission attaches to investing in young people 
and their future. Building on previous actions, in particular the Youth Guarantee11, 
the  Youth  Employment  Initiative12,  the  December  2016  Investing  in  Youth 
initiative13,  the  New  Skills  Agenda  for  Europe14,  the  Upskilling  Pathways 
initiative15,  and  the  European  Quality Framework  for  Apprenticeships16,  they  will 
help  give  young  people  of  all  backgrounds  more  promising  prospects  and  enable 
them to take a more active role in the European project; 

  will help people to share Europe's cultural diversity and shared heritage, helping 

them to experience what the European project is about; and 

  are part of a larger vision to work towards a European Education Area, which will 
help  to  promote  mobility,  overcome  obstacles  to  mobility  and  cross-border 
cooperation  and,  building  on  previous  initiatives17,  support  Member  States  in 
modernising and improving their education and training systems. 

2.  Working towards a European Education Area 

In its contribution to the Leaders' meeting in Gothenburg, the 
Commission  set  out  a  vision  for  a  European  Education 
Area  by  2025:  "a  Europe  in  which  learning,  studying  and 
doing  research  would  not  be  hampered  by  borders.  A 
continent, where spending time in another Member State – to 
study,  to  learn,  or  to  work  –  has  become  the  standard  and 
where, in addition to one's mother tongue, speaking two other 
languages has become the norm. A continent in which people 
have  a  strong  sense  of  their  identity  as  Europeans,  of 
Europe's cultural heritage and its diversity." 

10  Following  the  proposal  of  the  European  Commission,  the  European  Council  decided  to  hold  a  European 
Summit in Sibiu, Romania, in May 2019. The purpose is to take stock of developments in the areas set out in 
the Leaders’ Agenda and to prepare the future of the European Union with 27 Member States.  

11  Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee. 
12  European Council Conclusions of 7/8 February 2013. 
13  This package included Commission Communications on Investing in Europe's Youth (COM(2016)0940), on 
A  European  Solidarity  Corps  (COM(2016)0942)  and  on  Improving  and  Modernising  Education  (COM 
(2016)0941). 

14  Commission  Communication  on  A  New  Skills  Agenda  for  Europe;  Working  together  to  strengthen  human 

capital, employability and competitiveness (COM(2016)0381). 

15  Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults (2016/C484/01). 
16  Council  Recommendation  on  a  European  Framework  for  Quality  and  Effective  Apprenticeships 

(2018/C153/01). 

17  Including those set out in the May 2017 Commission Communications on School Development and Excellent 
Teaching for a Great Start in Life (COM(2017)0248) and on a Renewed EU Agenda for Higher Education 
(COM(2017)0247). 

5 

 
 
 
                                                            
The European Education Area should help achieve three objectives: 

  promote cross-border mobility and cooperation in education and training; 

  help  overcome  unjustified  obstacles  that  make  it  more  difficult  to  learn,  train  or 
work in another country with the aim of realising the "free movement of learners" 
and creating a genuine European learning space;  

  support  Member  States  in  improving  the  inclusive,  lifelong-learning  based  and 

innovation-driven nature of their education and training systems. 

Establishing  the  European  Education  Area  will  enable  the  EU  Member  States  to  do  more, 
faster,  to  drive  up  the  quality,  competitiveness  and  inclusiveness  of  their  education  and 
training  systems,  while  providing  inspiration  for  non-EU  countries  to  follow.  It  will  be 
implemented building on: 

 

 

the  flagship  Erasmus+  programme  and  its  successor  programme,  which  the 
Commission will propose at the end of May 2018. Erasmus+ is well-known for its 
successful promotion of learning mobility. There is a strong consensus for the need 
to  further  step  up  mobility,  accompanied  by  reinforced  strategic  partnerships  and 
policy  support,  to  drive  more  innovative  and  inclusive  education,  training  and 
youth policies.  

the  existing  European  cooperation  in  education  and  training  with  its  focus  on 
sound  empirical  evidence,  benchmarking,  exchange  of  experience  and  mutual 
learning. As this framework will end in 2020, the Commission will present in due 
time  proposals  to  take  this  cooperation  to  a  more  ambitious  level.  The  new 
framework  will  be  the  vehicle  for  setting  priorities,  guiding  policies  and  better 
targeting EU funding. The Commission will also propose a set of indicators and 
benchmarks  to  provide  evidence  on  how  education  and  training  supports  the 
development of skills and competences at all stages of life. 

While  the  Erasmus+  programme  and  the  future  European  cooperation  framework  for 
education and training will work in synergy to bring about the European Education Area, they 
will  be  supported  by  other  relevant  policies.  The  Union  will  continue  to  support  Member 
States'  reform  efforts  through  the  European  Semester  and  through  various  spending 
programmes, including the European Social Fund, as a tangible expression of how Europe 
invests in people and improves their lives.  

The competences for education and training lie mainly in the hands of Member States, with 
the Union having competences to carry out actions that support, coordinate or supplement the 
actions of the Member States. The work towards a European Education Area does not change 
this. It will bring the existing partnership and cooperation to a new, higher and more intensive 
level.  The  European  Education  Area  will  cover  learners  of  all  age  groups,  whatever  their 
background,  and  all  sectors,  including  early  childhood  education  and  care,  schools, 
vocational education and training, higher education and adult learning.  

In order to make the European Education Area a reality, and following the first package of 
January 2018, the Commission is presenting today a new set of specific policy initiatives on 
mutual  recognition,  language  learning  and  early  childhood  education  and  care.  It  will  also 
continue dedicated work under the ongoing cooperation framework and funding programmes 
to develop new actions, including in particular the European Student Card and the European 
Universities as set out below. 

- Automatic mutual recognition of diplomas and learning periods abroad 

Despite  30  years  of  Erasmus+  mobility  and  considerable  progress  under  the  inter-
governmental  Bologna  process  on  higher  education,  many  people  still  face  obstacles  when 

6 

 
 
they  ask  for  formal  recognition  of  their  tertiary  or  upper  secondary  level  qualifications  in 
another Member State. The same applies to learning periods abroad during both tertiary and 
secondary education. This creates uncertainty and unjustified barriers to mobility. 

To  overcome  this  problem,  the  Commission  is  proposing  a  Council  Recommendation  to 
establish  automatic  recognition  of  qualifications  as  a  default  position  by  2025:  any 
certificate  or  diploma  –  and  the  outcomes  of  learning  periods  abroad  of  up  to  one  year  – 
awarded by an accredited institution within the Union should be automatically recognised for 
the  purposes  of  further  learning  in  all  Member  States.  However,  such  an  ambitious  plan 
cannot be implemented in one go. It requires a step-by-step approach, building on strong and 
reliable  quality  assurance  that  brings  the  transparency  and  trust  needed  for  automatic 
recognition. A number of European countries18 are already pioneering automatic recognition 
schemes.  Drawing  on  this  experience,  EU-wide  solutions  will  be  developed  in  close 
cooperation with Member States. 

- Improved language learning 

Acquiring  foreign  languages  is  not  only  essential  to  meet  the  skills  needed  in  a  global 
economy, it also opens new perspectives, strengthens European citizenship and helps people 
to discover other cultures. Today, many students spend a lot of time studying languages but 
too  many  are  ultimately  unable  to  use  these  languages  in  real-life  situations.  While  most 
young Europeans study one foreign language, the ambition to learn a second foreign language 
is remarkably low.  

Against this background, the Commission is proposing a new, comprehensive approach to 
learning  languages  in  compulsory  education,  promoting  better  use  of  Europe's  linguistic 
diversity. The aim is to ensure that more young people become competent language users and 
can master two languages in addition to the language of schooling.  

- A European Student Card 

Against  the  backdrop  of  increasing  mobility,  a  European  Student  Card  can  help  reduce 
burden  and  costs  for  students  and  education  institutions  by  streamlining  administrative 
processes  before,  during  and  after a  mobility  period,  while  at  the  same  time  being  a  visible 
symbol of the European student identity. 

One  advantage  would  be  that  students  could identify  themselves  in  a  trusted  manner  at  any 
higher  education  institution  within  the  Union,  allowing  for  a  secure  electronic  exchange  of 
education-related  information  (which  can  include  credits  and  academic  records),  in  full 
respect  of  protection  of  personal  data  and  without  the  need  to  create  additional  information 
technology  infrastructure.  The  Student  Card  would  help  students  to  get  access  to  various 
services (library, transport, accommodation) before arriving at the institution abroad. It could 
be a vital step in making mobility for all a reality by enabling institutions to send and receive 
more exchange students, to do so more smoothly and to enhance quality in student mobility. 
Based on existing EU-funded pilot projects19 which will be scaled up in 2019, as well as on 
further  analysis  and  consultations  with  stakeholders,  the  Commission  aims  to  start  a 
progressive  roll-out  of  the  European  Student  Card  by  2021,  including  investigating  the 
possibility to extend the card to vocational education and training students. 

18  Examples include agreements in the Nordic, Baltic and Benelux regions.  
19  Projects 

the 
https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-telecom. 

Erasmus+ 

supported 

through 

and 

Connecting 

Europe 

Facility 

7 

 
                                                            
- European Universities 

Europe has a long and proud tradition of universities that cooperate across borders. The new 
‘European  Universities’  consisting  of  bottom-up  networks  of  universities  should  bring  this 
cross-border cooperation to the next level of ambition, where higher education institutions, 
sharing  the  same  vision  and  values,  develop  joint  long-term  institutional  strategies  for  top-
quality education, research and innovation.   

European  Universities  should  drive  the  development  of  highly  integrated  and  open  study 
programmes combining modules in different countries. Mobility should be a standard feature, 
embedded at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels. This should contribute to the emergence 
of ‘European degrees’ recognised throughout Europe.  

A  set  of  key  principles  will  underpin  these  European  Universities:  every  type  of  higher 
education institution in any Member State would be able to participate by means of fair and 
balanced  criteria.  The  networks  should  be  geographically  balanced  and  socially  inclusive. 
There  will  be  no  one-size-fits-all  model.  Institutions  can  propose  the  model  that  suits  their 
needs through a bottom-up, open and transparent approach and develop the level of ambition 
gradually. For funding to be sustainable, European Universities should be able to draw from a 
combination of EU and national resources.  

European  Universities  should  become  key  elements  of  the  European  Education  Area  by 
driving excellence and act as models of good practice for other higher education institutions, 
progressively  increasing  the  international  competitiveness  and  attractiveness  of  European 
higher education. They should operate on the basis of multidisciplinary approaches, allowing 
students,  lecturers  and  researchers  to  co-create  and  share  knowledge  and  innovation.  This 
could  help  to  address  the  big  societal  challenges  and  skills  shortages  that  Europe  faces.  It 
could also boost the contribution that higher education institutions make  to  their regions,  in 
particular  through  their  involvement  in  the  development  and  implementation  of  Smart 
Specialisation Strategies20.  

The Commission aims to foster the emergence of at least twenty European Universities by 
2024.  However,  to  put  such  an  ambitious  idea  into  practice  requires  time  for  sound 
preparation and sufficient resources. In the initial phase, the Commission is working closely 
with Member States and stakeholders to develop the concept. It will propose to launch pilots 
to  start in 2019 and 2020 under the Erasmus+  programme, and with full rollout as  of 2021. 
Based on these pilots and a mapping of existing networks21, the Commission will explore, in 
consultation with  stakeholders, the option of creating  a dedicated legal statute for European 
Universities by 2025.  

20  See Commission Communication on Strengthening Innovation in Europe's Regions: Strategies for Resilient, 

Inclusive and Sustainable Growth (COM(2017)0376). 

21  Many good examples of transnational networks exist, as well as EU initiatives such as Erasmus Mundus Joint 
Master Degrees, Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. 
The  Commission  will  soon  publish  a  mapping  of    existing  cooperation  models  between  European  higher 
education institutions, indicating the drivers and benefits of these collaborations, identifying challenges and 
presenting possible solutions.  

8 

 
                                                            
European Universities 

  bottom-up networks of existing universities  

 

top-quality education, research and innovation 

  multidisciplinary approach 

  geographically balanced 

  at least 20 European Universities by 2024 

 

first pilots in 2019 via Erasmus+ 

In  addition,  the  School  of  European  and  Transnational  Governance,  set  up  under  the 
European  University  Institute  in  Florence  in  2017,  will  strengthen  its  activities,  including 
through  the  development  of  partnerships  with  related  institutions,  to  train  managers  from 
public, private and civil society organisations. 

Other  actions  to  support  a  lifelong  learning-based  and  innovation-driven  approach  to 
education  and  training  will  also  be  developed.  For  instance,  the  provision  of  high  quality 
technical and specific vocational skills is essential to support innovation and competitiveness. 
To  this  end,  the  Commission  will  propose  to  support  the  establishment  of  Vocational 
Education  and  Training  Centres  of  Excellence.  These  centres  should  connect  reference 
vocational  education  and  training  providers  across  Member  States,  foster  cooperation, 
including  with  stakeholders,  and  strive  to  develop  high  quality  curricula  and  qualifications 
focused on sectoral skills needs. They should act as drivers of excellence and innovation and 
promote a proactive role for vocational education and training in local and regional economic 
development, including by acting as entrepreneurial incubators and catalysts for investment. 

All these specific actions are intertwined.  

Each  action  has  its  role  to  play  in  achieving  the  ambitious  overall  goal  of  establishing  a 
European  Education  Area.  Taken  together,  the  various  initiatives  will  create  synergies,  for 
example:  

  Mobility  and  language  learning  mutually  reinforce  each  other:  proficiency  in 
foreign languages increases interest in studying abroad; studying abroad improves 
language skills;  

  Language  learning  increases  the  understanding  of  other  cultures  and  one’s  own 

identity; 

  Vocational Education  and  Training  Centres of  Excellence  will  build  synergies 
with  universities,  thus  jointly  contributing  to  the  provision  of  the  range  of  skills 
needed to support innovation and competitiveness; 

  Automatic mutual recognition of diplomas and learning periods facilitates further 
learning  abroad  and  increases  the  demand  for  mobility  and  people's  interest  in 
language learning;  

  An  increased  number  of  mobile  participants  in  the  Erasmus+  programme  can  be 
handled more easily with smart use of digital solutions and simplification, which is 
one of the aims of the European Student Card; 

  European  Universities  should  become  a  key  element  towards  the  European 
Education Area by taking cross-border cooperation to a new, more ambitious level, 

9 

 
 
boosting  mobility  for  students  and  teachers  and  encouraging  language  learning, 
while serving as accelerators for automatic recognition of diplomas. 

3.  Conclusions and outlook  

The Union is placing youth, education, training and culture high on its policy agenda, in 
particular since the Leaders' meeting in Gothenburg and the European Council of December 
2017. The Leaders’  Agenda foresees taking  stock at the Summit in  Sibiu in  2019. With the 
packages adopted in January 201822 and today, the Commission is delivering an ambitious set 
of actions to support Member States in their efforts, boosting people's resilience in a world of 
diversity, mobility, migration, globalisation and technological change. The Commission will 
continue its work in partnership with the Council and Member States, notably by: 

  working towards a European Education Area, which will facilitate mobility and 
cross-border cooperation, support reforms and make full use of available tools and 
programmes. This will be achieved through: 

o  presenting a proposal for a stronger and more inclusive successor programme to 
Erasmus+  and  a  proposal  for  the  continuation  of  the  European  Solidarity 
Corps;  

o  presenting by 2020 proposals to modernise and strengthen EU-level cooperation 
in  the  field  of  education  and  training,  to  support  better  mutual  learning  and 
national reform efforts;  

o  continuing  close  cooperation  with  Member  States  and  the  Council  to  work 
towards  inclusive,  lifelong-learning-based  and  innovation-driven  approaches  to 
education and training;  

  addressing the legal and financial framework conditions for the development of the 
cultural and creative industries and the mobility of professionals in the cultural 
and creative sectors. 

Strengthening the youth, education, training and culture dimensions of the European project 
will  help  build  a  Union  that  empowers,  is  aware  of  its  achievements  and  has  the 
confidence to tackle future challenges:  

  a Union that is closer to its citizens, responding to their concerns and meeting their 

expectations;  

  a Union that makes clear what the European project stands for: peace, security, 
freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, solidarity and mutual respect, open 
markets, sustainable growth and social inclusion and fairness;  

  a Union that fosters, the awareness of cultural diversity and a sense of belonging 

together as Europeans. 

Building on their discussions in Gothenburg and the actions requested at the December 2017 
European  Council,  Leaders  will,  at  their  meeting  in  Sibiu,  be  in  a  position  to  harness 
education and culture when they lay the foundation for  a more united, stronger and more 
democratic Union.  

22  See footnote 9. 

10