Slovenian presidency conference: Quality in Mobility in the Lifelong Learning Programme Talks
Ljubljana, 13 June 2008

Dear Minister,
Dear Mrs Rodrigues,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the Slovenian Presidency for organising this large conference and for choosing a topic that will certainly be one of our top priorities in the coming months and years.

Mobility should become an option for everybody who wants to seize such a learning opportunity in the EU. And we should not only speak of the quality of mobility but also more of the quality of education. We must create “win-win” situations for individuals, societies, enterprises and Member States.

The tendency to invest more in education is a good sign. In particular, our Lifelong Learning Programme is a programme that is very close to the European Citizens; 85% of the budget are distributed the participating countries directly and with the help of National Agencies; 7 Mio Euro are given this year to Slovenia to support learning activities in the framework of the Programme.

I am especially pleased to meet stakeholders and representatives from all the 31 countries that cooperate thanks to the Lifelong Learning programme. And I send a particular word of welcome to the representatives from Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia who are getting ready to join the programme.

We only have two years left in the ‘Lisbon agenda decade’, this is the perfect time to step back and think about the future of its central policies beyond the horizon of 2010.

The free movement of ideas, practices and people among our centres of training and learning is certainly one of those central policies.

Many people have travelled within the Union to pursue their interests, seek a better job, or teach, learn and do research. These are often the motivations that push people to explore the opportunities Europe has in store for them.

But studying, working or simply living in another country brings interesting side–effects as well.

Many of those who have responded to the appeal of Europe become more open and flexible as a consequence; above all, they learn to understand and mediate between the different cultures of the EU.

And this is a huge asset today, especially for the young and their job prospects.

The creation of a genuinely European labour market depends on people’s willingness to travel; and people who have travelled as students or trainees are more likely to travel as workers later in life.

I do not need to tell you about the other benefits of mobility, especially its contribution to the emergence of a sense of belonging to our united Europe.

Here I would like to make an important point. The social, personal and occupational gains of mobility should be open to all.

Especially, they should not be limited to those who can afford the extra expenses of a semester abroad or a placement in a foreign company, which—unfortunately—is too often the case today.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

When asked about our mobility programmes, most Europeans would think of Erasmus. But we know that there are many more, such as the schemes under Comenius, Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig.

Overall, the Lifelong Learning Programme—our umbrella programme for all education and training—devotes over the 70% of its total budget to mobility; this translates into 7 to 8 hundred million Euros a year.

This is sizeable support and goes to very many different actions.

Thanks to these programmes pupils, students, trainees, adults, professionals, professors and teachers at all levels are given the opportunity to study, train and work abroad.

For instance, school–to–school partnerships encourage pupils from different European countries to work together on specific topics. They also help teachers exchange experiences as part of their training.

And that is vital. They also need first–hand experience of other countries and cultures; they need to understand Europe if they are to teach it.

There is a mobility action under Grundtvig as well, a programme that is bound to become more important in the present demographic trends.

Grundtvig is not reserved to older people only. Much of its support goes to young people aged 16 or more who—for some reason or another—dropped out of education.

Now, we know that marginalised groups often have high drop–out rates; so, in effect, the programmes gives a second chance to disadvantaged young people and helps build a socially inclusive Union.

450,000 people got LdV mobility grants in 2000-2007; 50,000 adult learners and staff of Learning Partnerships under Grundtvig; About 3,000 Comenius school partnerships involved 12,430 schools only in 2006; Erasmus sends abroad about 160,000 students and 26,000 teachers a year.

All these examples can sketch a picture of European support to mobility today.

I believe we can be proud of our work. But I also believe we must raise the bar in the age of globalisation and the knowledge economy, both in quantitative and in qualitative terms.

This is why I have launched a reflection on the future of mobility.

At the start of the year, I have set up a group of eminent personalities and I asked them to look beyond the 2010 horizon.

The eleven experts will look into higher education but also into vocational education and training, adult learning, and the movement of young artists, entrepreneurs, and volunteers.

Their chairperson, Ms Maria João Rodrigues, will outline the current state of discussion during this conference.

I am looking forward to receiving the final report of our experts early next month. I am sure it will help us a great deal in designing our strategy for the future.

Why are reflections like this so crucial?

Because, the quality and the accessibility of our systems of education and training have never been more important.

Europeans, young and old, need new and better knowledge and skills to sustain growth and ensure social cohesion.

Companies are becoming more and more international, intercultural and multi–lingual.

They are looking for people who can master several languages and work in multicultural teams.

More in general, a well educated and skilled worker can make the most of the modes of production that are emerging today.

The labour market is changing much faster than in the past; it is increasingly unlikely for any company to offer jobs for life.

This means that workers must be flexible and adaptable, but the progressive disappearance of job security can also be a cause of instability and anxiety.

Education and training are the best antidotes for these negative effects.

People who keep their skills updated throughout their lives have fewer reasons to worry.

In essence, this is the difference from job security to employment security.

There is a word that sums up the story: flexicurity, the combination of flexibility and security.

What is the responsibility of public authorities here?

First, of course, we need to make sure that everyone has access to education and training throughout their lives.

Second, we need to provide information and career guidance compatible with the needs of the labour market.

For many years, education has been the most efficient social escalator; in the new reality I have just depicted, it will have an additional impact: education and training will empower people.

That is why schools, universities and training centres must be paragons of equality.

Early school leavers, migrants, older workers and young unemployed should all have a chance to enter or re–enter the labour market through learning.

How can we create the best conditions for Europeans to improve their skills and guarantee for themselves better jobs?

We need bold measures and original ideas.

I want to share with you some ideas on how the European Commission should approach mobility in the future.

I believe ideas and discussion should be articulated around the following lines:

Mobility for all.

We need to make mobility opportunities more accessible.

We are circulating leaflets that collect many success stories. And “creating opportunities” is the motto we have chosen for them.

New partnerships with EU countries.

How can we organise a shared responsibility between the EU and the Member States?

How should funding be allocated?

How can we optimise the impact of existing programmes?

Bringing mobility programmes closer to the people.

We should also tell our fellow Europeans that mobility is a life–changing and enriching experience.

We should encourage them to learn foreign languages so as they are ready to take advantage of mobility actions.

On a more technical note, it is definitely necessary to improve the recognition of qualifications gained through mobility.

Proper implementation of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and the newly adopted European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) will help reduce recognition issues.

They will also contribute to the modernisation of our educational systems.

I am convinced that this conference—in particular the workshops that will be held this afternoon—will already give us fresh ideas and interesting approaches.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Now, Dr. Zver and I will hand out the bronze, silver and gold medals to the winning projects and courses.

These have been selected in 5 categories: Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig and Languages.

I am told that it has not been easy to select the winners among the many projects indicated by the national agencies and the Executive Agency—all of them were excellent in one way or another.

Above all, I would like to congratulate the hundreds and thousands of people who carry out their projects under with the help of our Lifelong Learning Programme.

Thank you.