EU best practices

by Simone CaramelEurogems aps

Education & Training

• http://ec.europa.eu/education/index_en.htm• Lifelong Learning Policy• European strategy and co-operation in education and

training• Objectives and targets• There are three overall objectives:• improving the quality and effectiveness of education and

training systems; • facilitating access to education and training systems; and • opening up EU education and training systems to the

wider world.

Education & Training• Five EU-level benchmarks are set for 2010:• the average rate of early school leavers should be no

more than 10%; • the total number of graduates in maths, science and

technology should increase by at least 15%, while the gender imbalance in these subjects should be reduced;

• 85% of 22 year olds should complete upper secondary education;

• the number of low-achieving 15 year olds in reading, mathematical and science should half; and

• the average participation of working adults population in lifelong learning should rise by at least 12.5%.

Education & Training

• Working together• Monitoring• European reference tools• General Policy Framework for Education and T

raining • Mobility and lifelong learning instruments • School education • Higher Education

Higher Education in Europe• Curricular reform: The three cycle system

(bachelor-master-doctorate), competence based learning, flexible learning paths, recognition, mobility.

• Governance reform: University autonomy, strategic partnerships, including with enterprises, quality assurance.

• Funding reform: Diversified sources of university income better linked to performance, promoting equity, access and efficiency, including the possible role of tuition fees, grants and loans

Higher Education in Europe

• The most recent EU policy initiatives include:• In the field of University-Business Cooperation we

develop a platform for a structured dialogue between the relevant stakeholders and look at ways to reinforce the links between higher education and companies in areas such as curriculum development, governance, entrepreneurship, continuing education, mobility and knowledge transfer.

• A Council Resolution on modernising universities for Europe's competitiveness in a global knowledge economy of 23rd November 2007

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• The Leonardo da Vinci strand of the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 provides important financial support for the implementation of the VET policies

• the European Commission supports skills competitions such as EuroSkills

• • Adult Learning • Innovation and Creativity • Research and Analysis • Lifelong Learning Programme• Erasmus for higher education

Erasmus

• Erasmus is the EU's flagship education and training programme, enabling two hundred thousand students to study and work abroad each year, as well as supporting co-operation actions between higher education institutions across Europe. It caters not only for students, but also for professors and business staff who want to teach abroad and for university staff who want to be trained abroad.

Erasmus

• the Erasmus programme places great importance on mobility and furthering career prospects

• Studies show that a period spent abroad not only enriches students' lives in the academic field but also in the acquisition of intercultural skills and self-reliance.

• Around 90% of European universities take part in Erasmus and 1.9 million students have participated since it started in 1987.

Erasmus

For students:• studying abroad • working abroad • linguistic preparation

Erasmus

• For university/higher education institute staff:

• teaching abroad • receiving training abroad

Erasmus

• For universities/ higher education institutes:• intensive programmes • academic and structural networks • multilateral projects

Erasmus

• For enterprises:• student placements • teaching abroad • university cooperation

Other program’s actions

• Leonardo da Vinci for vocational training • Comenius for school education • Grundtvig for adult education • Transversal Programme • Jean Monnet for European Integration

Jean Monnet Programme for understanding European integration• Jean Monnet Programme, originally launched in

1990, stimulates excellence in teaching, research and reflection on European integration in higher education institutions throughout the world.The Jean Monnet programme stimulates teaching, research and reflection on European integration at higher education institutions throughout the world. With projects across the five continents, the programme reaches up to 250 000 students every year.

Jean Monnet programme

• Support for University-level projects on European integration

• Support for six specific academic institutions • Support for European-wide associations

High-level Jean Monnet policy

• Jean Monnet Conferences• Jean Monnet Thematic Groups • Jean Monnet policy support

Culture programme

• The EU’s Culture programme (2007-2013) has a budget of €400 million for projects and initiatives to celebrate Europe’s cultural diversity and enhance our shared cultural heritage through the development of cross-border co-operation between cultural operators and institutions.

Culture programme: objectives

• to promote cross-border mobility • to encourage the transnational circulation of

cultural and artistic output• to foster intercultural dialogue

Culture programme: strands

• For the achievement of these objectives, the programme supports three strands of activities:

• Cultural actions• European-level cultural bodies• Analysis and dissemination activities

Support for cultural actions

• Multi-annual co-operation projects, running over a period of three to five years.

• Co-operation measures, running over a maximum period of two years.

• Special measures, which relate to high-profile actions of considerable scale and scope. The support to European Capitals of Culture falls under this sub-strand.

Support for cultural bodies

• This strand supports cultural bodies at European level. They encourage exchanges between cultural organisations in different European countries, identify the European artistic community’s needs, represent the sector in dealing with EU institutions, participate in the public debate on cultural issues, and act as European cultural ambassadors.

Support for analysis and dissemination activities

• This strand supports analysis and dissemination activities, which help to raise awareness of the Culture programme and its activities in various ways. The first focus is on providing support for analyses in the field of cultural co-operation and policy development. The second is by supporting cultural contact points which have been established to ensure the effective grassroots dissemination of practical and targeted information on the program locally in all participating countries. The third focus is on supporting the collection and dissemination of information, so that cultural operators can make use of the output and results of previous EU-funded projects.

Youth

• http://ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.htm• Youth policies• Active citizenship of young people• The EU encourages young people to

participate actively in society (community life, civil society, political life), to shape their own future and to contribute to the development of the European Union.

The White Paper on Youth• The springboard for co-operation among Member States on youth

issues was the White Paper on Youth (2001), which identified four priority areas for action: participation, information, voluntary activities and a greater understanding and knowledge of youth.

• “Getting young people more involved in the life of the local, national and European communities, and fostering active citizenship thus represent one of the major challenges, not only for the present but also for the future of our societies,” the White Paper notes.

• And this priority was voiced by young people themselves during the consultation phase of the White Paper: “The young people who were consulted see themselves as responsible citizens. They want to be more involved in community life. They want their views to be heard on a wide variety of subjects.”

How does the EU contribute to the active citizenship of young Europeans? Youth policy falls under the remit of the Member

States. This means that there is no EU-wide legislation in the field of youth policies. However, in 2002, Member States decided to use the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) to co-operate in enhancing the four priority areas identified by the White Paper. An example of this co-operation is the sharing of best practice on how to increase young people's participation in electoral processes or on how to increase the participation in society of young people with fewer opportunities.

Youth in Action programme

• Youth in Action• Youth in Action is the EU Programme for

young people aged 15-28 (in some cases 13-30). It aims to inspire a sense of active citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the Union's future.

Youth in action for all

• Youth in Action is a programme for all! It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social and cultural background.

Youth: actions• With a total budget of 885 million euros for

seven years (2007-2013), the Programme supports a large variety of activities for young people and youth workers through five Actions.

• Duration: 2007-2013• Geographic reach: EU Member States, Iceland,

Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, the EU neighbours (Eastern Europe and Caucasus, the Mediterranean region, South-East Europe) and other partner countries in the world

• Age brackets: 15-28 (in some cases 13-30)

Youth: program objectives• The Youth in Action Programme aims to achieve the

following general objectives:• promote young people’s active citizenship in general and

their European citizenship in particular; • develop solidarity and promote tolerance among young

people, in particular in order to foster social cohesion in the European Union;

• foster mutual understanding between young people in different countries;

• contribute to developing the quality of support systems for youth activities and the capabilities of civil society organizations in the youth field;

• promote European cooperation in the youth field.

Youth in action: actions• Action 1 - Youth for Europe

encourages young people's active citizenship, participation and creativity through youth exchanges, youth initiatives and youth democracy projects.

• Action 2 - European Voluntary Service

helps young people to develop their sense of solidarity by participating, either individually or in group, in non-profit, unpaid voluntary activities abroad.

• Action 3 - Youth in the World

promotes partnerships and exchanges among young people and youth organizations across the world.

• Action 4 - Youth Support Systems

includes various measures to support youth workers and youth organizations and improve the quality of their activities.

• Action 5 - Support for European Co-operation in the Youth fieldsupports youth policy co-operation at European level, in particular by facilitating dialogue between young people and policy makers.

Youth: program priorities• Program priorities• The Youth in Action program has four permanent priorities which

potential projects will have to be aware of as they frame their bids for support:

• European Citizenship: A key goal of the program is to raise awareness in young people that they are citizens of Europe, as well as citizens of their own countries. The aim is to get youth actively involved in shaping the future of the European Union. Projects will have to show a strong European dimension if they are to receive programme backing.

• Participation of young people: Youth in Action promotes and supports young people’s involvement in democratic life, spurring them on to be active citizens who care about their communities and understand the value of representative democracy.

Program priorities

• Cultural diversity: Respect for people’s cultural origins is at the heart of the Youth in Action program, as is the desire to fight against racism and xenophobia – forces that undermine European values and people’s solidarity.

• Inclusion: The focus is on ensuring that young people with fewer opportunities get access to the Youth in Action program, as well as on encouraging projects with a thematic focus on inclusion.

• In addition to these permanent priorities, each year the focus is also placed on specific annual priorities

How to participate

• There are two main ways to get involved in the Programme:

• 1. You are …• … a young person aged between 13-30 or a youth worker…• … full of energy, creativity and ideas and would like to find

a way to develop them…• … looking for opportunities to meet and exchange ideas

and practices with other young people or youth workers from different countries…

• … interested in volunteering in another country…• As an individual you can be a participant in one of the

activities supported by the Program.

How to participate

• Take a look at the Youth in Action Programme guide – it will give you a deeper insight into the Actions and types of activities that can be supported by the Programme.

• Get in touch with your National Agency or Eurodesk national office for further information and advice.

How to participate• 2. You are …• … a non-governmental youth organization,• … an informal group of young people,• … a local or regional public body,• … a body active at European level in the field of youth

…• … willing to develop a project and submit an

application for funding under the Youth in Action Program…

• Become a promoter of an activity to be supported by the Program!

How to participate• If you would like to get involved and submit a project application for

funding, the first port of call for additional information after this website is the Youth in Action Programme Guide.

• Read it carefully!• It will help you understand the Program's objectives and criteria, and to

identify the types of projects that can be supported by the Program.• Think through your project idea and make sure it respects all the criteria

and conditions described in the Guide…• Fill in the official application form for the Action you want to apply for.• Make sure you respect the deadlines!• Remember!• Depending on the type of organization, promoters may submit their

application to their National Agency (national level) or to the Executive Agency (European level).

Languages

• http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/index_en.htm

• EU Language Policy• The European Union contributes to the

development of quality education by promoting citizens’ mobility, designing joint study programs, establishing networks, exchanging information, and through a commitment to lifelong learning.

Languages• Languages are a basic building block behind these

activities. Multilingual citizens are better equipped to take advantage of the educational opportunities created by an integrated Europe.

The EU’s language policy promotes multilingualism and aims for a situation in which every EU citizen can speak at least two foreign languages in addition to their mother tongue. This follows the call by EU leaders at the March 2002 Barcelona European Council that every child in the EU should be taught at least two foreign languages from an early age.

EU PROGRAMMES

• Lifelong Learning Programmes• The LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAMME offers

a wide range of actions designed to support language learning, for pre-school, students, adults, teachers, educational institutions and individuals who could benefit from using another language in their work.

EU PROGRAMMES

• Languages Key Activity• The LANGUAGES KEY ACTIVITY is designed to

encourage linguistic diversity throughout the European Union. Its objectives include the improvement of access to language resources and the development of new techniques and practices in language teaching.

EU PROGRAMMES

• Comenius• COMENIUS focuses on the first phase of

education, from pre-school and primary to secondary school. It addresses pupils, teachers and school staff members, as well as parent associations, local authorities and non-governmental organisations.

EU PROGRAMMES• Leonardo da Vinci• LEONARDO DA VINCI aims to increase access to

vocational training in Europe as well as improving its quality through innovation and enhanced support.

• Erasmus• ERASMUS seeks to enhance higher education

programs by encouraging co-operation among universities, including student and teacher exchanges, joint development of curricula, networking among faculties and credit transfers.

EU PROGRAMMES• Grundtvig• GRUNDTVIG is a program for adults of any age who

want to increase their language skills for professional, social or academic reasons. It encourages language learning in both formal and informal settings, as well as helping individuals to learn on their own.

• ICT Key Activity• The ICT KEY ACTIVITY encourages the use of new

information and communication technologies in learning, especially in promoting access to educational resources.

•

Citizenship

• http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/index_en.htm• Program priorities• The Europe for Citizens program has a number of key

priorities geared at fulfilling its mission to give the citizen an active role in the development of the European Union.

• Europe for Citizens main priorities include encouraging citizens to become actively involved in the process of European integration, empowering them to develop a sense of European identity, and enhancing mutual understanding between Europeans.

Citizenship• Program overview• The Europe for Citizens program aims to give the citizen a key role

in the development of the European Union. Between 2007 and 2013, its four action areas will provide strategic direction and funding for the task of bringing people closer to the European project.

• Promoting Europe’s common values and history, fostering a sense of ownership of the EU among its citizens, and developing ideas and activities with a European context are core components of the program.

• Over its seven-year lifetime, Europe for Citizens will focus on four key actions to bring about change: ‘Active citizenship for Europe’, ‘Active civil society for Europe’, ‘Together for Europe’ and ‘Active European remembrance’.

Actions

• Action 1, ‘Active citizenship for Europe’, aims to bring people from different parts of Europe together in order to promote mutual understanding, a sense of ownership of the EU and the emergence of a European identity. It focuses on town twinning, as well as citizens’ projects and support measures.

• Action 2, ‘Active civil society in Europe’, seeks to help European civil society play a more active role on the European stage by supporting NGOs, trade unions, think tanks, associations, and other non-governmental bodies.

Actions• Action 3, ‘Together in Europe’, works to boost the

concept of European citizenship through effective high-profile events that will inspire people to identify with the European project, helping them to realize that values can be shared across national borders. The Commission will also carry out studies, surveys and opinion polls in order to get a better understanding of active European citizenship.

• Action 4, ‘Active European remembrance’, seeks to keep the painful memories of Nazism and Stalinism alive in order to provide lessons on the value of the peace, stability and democracy we take for granted in today’s Europe.

Sport

• http://ec.europa.eu/sport/index_en.htm• Sport and...• Health • Doping • Education and training • Volunteering

Sources• Europe• European Commission• http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm• Education & Training• http://ec.europa.eu/education/index_en.htm• Culture• http://ec.europa.eu/culture/index_en.htm• Citizenship• http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/index_en.htm• Youth• http://ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.htm• Languages• http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/index_en.htm• Sport• http://ec.europa.eu/sport/index_en.htm