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.