PRESS RELEASE

Subject :

The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows:

The Council approved the report on concrete future objectives of education and training systems, as requested by the European Council in Lisbon in March 2000. The Lisbon conclusions invited the Education Council "to undertake a general reflection on the concrete future objectives of education systems, focusing on common concerns and priorities while respecting national diversity, with a view to contributing to the Luxembourg and Cardiff processes and presenting a broader report to the European Council in the Spring of 2001".

It is the first time that such a report has been elaborated and is a reflection of the enhanced role given to the Education Ministers in contributing to the European Employment Strategy and, in a wider sense, to the new strategic goal set in Lisbon ( 1).

The report will now be submitted to the Heads of State and Government meeting at the Spring European Council in Stockholm on 23 and 24 March 2001. The Council also decided to forward the report to the European Parliament for information.

The Council, furthermore, initiated a debate on the priorities for work in view of the follow-up report to be presented to the European Council in spring 2002.

The report is divided into three chapters: it identifies common challenges, lays down concrete objectives and outlines the future role of education in the Lisbon follow-up.

As common challenges, the report identifies the changes in working life implying continuous adaptation of knowledge, the demographic structure of the society, equal opportunities and social exclusion as well as the enlargement.

In the third chapter the report lays down broad guidelines for a work programme for the next decade. The work programme will be further examined by the Education Council during 2001, in order to define how to measure achievements, the work to be undertaken at European level and possible areas for peer review and exchange of good practice, where appropriate, using benchmarks and indicators. The outcome of this process will be the subject of a new report to the European Council in spring 2002. In addition, the Education Council intends to report at regular intervals to the European Council on the implementation of the mandate it received in Lisbon.

The Council held an exchange of views on the theme of developing strategies for lifelong learning. The discussion centred on the Memorandum on the same issue produced by the Commission and on the implementation of the Employment Guidelines for 2001 where lifelong learning has become one of the horizontal objectives.

The Commission's Memorandum dated 30 October 2000 has launched a wide-ranging debate at European level and in the Member States on how to develop a coherent overall strategy for lifelong learning in Europe. In the framework of the European strategy for employment, the Member States are currently preparing their National Action Plans for Employment in implementation of the Employment Guidelines for 2001 requesting them to define coherent strategies for lifelong learning.

Delegations generally welcomed the approach chosen by the Commission in its Memorandum and the policy areas defined. In view of the ongoing consultation process, delegations did not wish to pre-empt these discussions. However, they indicated certain priorities for action and areas which, in their view, could most benefit from strengthened cooperation at European level.

The President concluded by thanking delegations for their valuable contributions which would be used in preparing a more substantial reaction to the Memorandum from the Commission for the meeting of the Education Council in May. The Commission stated that it had taken due note of the comments made and will take them into account when preparing the action plan it intends to present at the end of 2001.

Commissioner REDING presented the Council with the conclusions of the final evaluation report on the first phase of the Community action programme in the field of vocational training "Leonardo da Vinci" which covered the years 1995-1999. The evaluation report, dated 12 January 2001, was provided for in the decision establishing the Leonardo programme.

The Commission stated that the programme had proved to be extremely valuable for the promotion of transnational initiatives. Strong points were, in particular, the increased mobility and the possibility for participation by the countries which are candidates for accession to the EU. With a total budget of 602 MEUROs, the programme financed more than 2500 pilot projects in 29 countries. Around 127 000 people have participated in the programme.

Problems have, however, been encountered in the implementation of the programme due to the complexity of the centralised management structure and the lack of complementarity with other training-related programmes. Commissioner REDING assured the Council that the Commission has taken the appropriate steps for the second phase of the Leonardo programme, in particular through the adoption of simplified procedures and an increased decentralisation of the management of the programme.

The Council was informed by the Commission on the start of the "European Year of Languages 2001". Commissioner REDING reported on actions undertaken so far and further activities envisaged. In Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain the "Year of Languages" has already been successfully initiated. The formal launch will take place in Lund (Sweden) on 18-20 February. In mid-April, a Guide for learning languages will be published. A website, operating in 11 languages, is already in place. The Commission has made two calls for tender, the first has been completed, with 32 projects out of more than 500 being selected. The deadline for the second call for tender is February 15.

It is recalled that the "European Year of Languages" is a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. The aim is to testify to the richness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to raise awareness of the benefits of learning languages. The "Year of Languages" will sponsor meetings and events, finance information and promotional campaigns and commission surveys and studies.

The Council was informed by Commissioner REDING on the opening of the third phase of the trans-European co-operation scheme for higher education (TEMPUS III) to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. TEMPUS III, which covers the period 2000-2006, is the framework for co-operation with the non-associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the new independent States of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia in the area of higher education.

The Council was provided by the Presidency with information on the joint ministerial meeting of Education and Research Ministers in Uppsala on 1-3 March 2001. The aim of the Presidency is to focus the debate in particular on the challenges posed by the changing demographic structure and on ways to stimulate the interest of young people in scientific and technical careers where Europe is confronted with a skills gap.

(Decisions for which statements for the Council minutes have been made available to the public are indicated by asterisks; the statements in question may be obtained from the Press Office.)

Following agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council on a joint text in the Conciliation Committee meeting on 22 November 2000, the Council formally adopted the Regulation allowing for voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS). Subject to confirmation by the European Parliament - the vote is scheduled for the plenary session of 12-15 February - the Regulation will be definitively adopted.

The new Regulation broadens the scope of the initial EMAS system (Regulation 1863/93/EEC of 29 June 1993) and thus improves EMAS' contribution to environmental protection. It extends participation from the industrial sector to all economic sectors, providing the organisations interested, which participate on a voluntary basis, with a means for continually improving their environmental practices (For further details see press release no 13661/00 Presse 444.)

In preparation for the negotiations taking place in the International Maritime Organisation's Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC 46) from 23 to 27 April 2001 in London, the Council has adopted the conclusions reproduced below.

It is recalled that the MEPC was asked by the IMO Assembly to develop a legally binding instrument to protect the marine environment and human health from the harmful effects of anti-fouling systems used on ships. Such an international convention should, in particular, prohibit organotin compounds (e.g. TBT) which act as biocides in anti-fouling systems.

"The Council

Following the meeting of the Culture and Audiovisual Council of 23 November 2000, the Council formally adopted the following texts:

The text of the Resolutions can be found in press release no 13437/00 Presse 442.

The Council not being in a position to approve all the amendments adopted by the European Parliament to the common position with a view to the adoption of a directive on measures for the harmonisation and approximation of the laws, regulations or administrative provisions of the Member States regarding the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products, a conciliation committee is convened, in accordance with the provisions of the co-decision procedure of the Treaty.

The Council adopted the decision concerning a set of actions relating to the trans-European network (TEN) for the collection, production and dissemination of statistics on the trading of goods within the Community and between the Community and non-member countries (Edicom).

The objective of this decision is to develop and to modernise the trans-European network for intra- and extra-Community trade statistics, which, by reason of their scale, are better achieved at Community rather than at national level only.

Following the political agreement reached at its session of 19 December last, the Council adopted its common potision with a view to the adoption of a regulation laying down the rules for the prvention and control of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

In accordance with the commitment made in its final consolidated report to the Temporary Committee of the European Parliament instructed to monitor the action taken on the recommendations made concerning bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), this common position aims to establish a legal basis to permit the control and prevention of all animal TSEs. This text also incorporates all the decisions taken in previous years as safeguard measures, adapting or supplementing them to take account of developments in scientific opinions and the work carried out within the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). It gives the Commission, via the regulatory committee procedure, the necessary tools to manage the BSE crisis.

The Council adopted the decision appointing Mr Luciano DEL FRE an alternate member of the Committee of the Regions in place of Mr Paolo AGOSTINACCIO, for the remainder of the latter's term of office, which runs until 25 January 2002.

The Council adopted, by written procedure on 2 February 2001, the Decision authorising the Commission to open negotiations setting up the South-West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission.

________________________

Footnotes: