Education, youth, culture and sport
Education
Each Member State has authority over its own education system, but since the Maastricht Treaty came into force the EU has also been active in this field. The European Union encourages Member States to cooperate on education, complements their initiatives and works to promote innovation in this sector. It aims to create a European education and training area by encouraging student and teacher mobility. The best known example of this is the Erasmus Programme which was launched in 1987. The EU endeavours to raise the level of education systems and to create greater opportunities for people at every point in their lives.
Collaborative efforts in education between Member States and European Institutions were given additional impetus by the general Lisbon Strategy of 2000. The strategy of “Europe 2020: smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” has taken over. Education and training make a significant contribution to this strategy. Two main objectives have been established for education: to reduce the number of early school leavers to below 10% and raise to 40% at least the proportion of people between the ages of 30 and 34 years who graduate with tertiary education or equivalent qualifications.
Two flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy assume significant importance in the education and training fields: the “Youth on the move” initiative which aims to assist young people to draw maximum benefit from education and training and thus increase their chances of getting a job and the "New skills for new jobs" initiative which focuses on improving skills and increasing employability.
The education sector generally cooperates in accordance with the open coordination method which, in particular, makes it possible to exchange good practices, measure progress and compare results throughout Europe.
The European Union also has a number of financing programmes to assist in achieving priority objectives. Such mechanisms provide both organisations and individuals with financial and technical support; they thus make it possible to set up and participate in projects throughout the EU. The most well-known is the programme integrating education and Lifelong Learning, running from 2007 to 2013, which is responsible for cooperation, exchange and mobility projects for individuals throughout the EU at all stages in their lives.
European Commission’s education and training policy
Youth
The EU’s role regarding matters on the youth was officially recognised with the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993. In the Treaty, it is specifically stated that the EU is to encourage the development of exchange programmes for young people and socio-educational instructors.
Before 2001, the activities of the European Institutions focused mainly on implementing specific action programmes, but a there was consensus on the fact that: young people themselves needed to be more involved in policy matters. To move beyond existing programmes and to further widen and deepen the political debate, the European Commission issued a White Paper on Youth in 2001.
The White Paper contained a proposal to the Member States to increase cooperation in four priority areas: participation, information, voluntary activities and a greater understanding of young people.
There is also a proposal to consider the impact on young people more carefully, especially when considering other policy areas such as education and training, employment, health and the fight against discrimination.
The White Paper calls on young people to become involved citizens. This base document created a framework for political cooperation on youth policy which was further developed to meet the changing expectations of young people and to promote social and professional integration of young people.
In 2009, the European Commission proposed a new strategy for youth policy which spans the next 10 years: investing and empowering young people. This strategy recognises the youth’s vulnerability during this period of financial and economic crisis, as well as their value as human capital in an ageing society.
The new youth strategy builds on the Renewed Social Agenda announced by the Commission in 2008 and it proposes a trans-sector approach. The main goals within the new framework are:
• to create more educational and employment opportunities for young people;
• to promote involved citizenship, social integration and solidarity among young people.
Culture
An EU authority since 1993
The European Union contributes to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States, while stressing common cultural heritage. First and foremost, however, the responsibility for culture lies with the Member States. The EU supports and complements the measures the Member States take but it does not replace them. The EU also encourages cooperation between Member States. Culture has been an EU competence since the Maastricht Treaty entered into force in 1993 and through its programmes and policies it contributes to promoting cultural activities. The Union also considers the cultural aspects of all actions which it undertakes to respect and encourage cultural diversity.
A European agenda for culture
In 2007, a European agenda for culture based on three common sets of objectives was accepted. The first set of objectives deals with cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. To promote cultural diversity throughout the EU it encourages mobility among Member States of people working in the cultural sector and increase of the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic products and work.
The second set of objectives involves culture as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. In this context culture integrated the Lisbon Strategy on economic growth and its successor, the Europe 2020 Strategy. The impact of the cultural and creative sectors on the economy continues to be underestimated. Cultural industries are a major asset for the European economy and its competitivity.
Creativity assures technological and social innovation and, in doing so, stimulates economic growth and job creation.
Promoting culture as a major component in external EU relations makes up the third set of objectives. As a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression, the EU has committed itself to developing a more active cultural role for Europe in its external relations and to including culture as a key factor in political dialogue with partner countries and regions.
European culture capital
One of the EU’s most obvious cultural initiatives is the European culture capital. Every year, two European Member cities bear this title. To be selected, candidate cities have to draw up a cultural programme which reflects the European character of the event and involves the city’s residents. In 2015 it will be a Belgian city’s turn: Mons will be allowed to bear the title of European cultural capital for the entire year.
Sport
Since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1 December 2009, the Union has contributed equally to developing a European sport policy by promoting honesty in sporting competitions and collaboration with sporting organisations, and by protecting the physical and moral integrity of sport.
In January 2011, the European Commission published an article on sport entitled: “Developing the European Dimension in Sport”. This is the Commission’s first policy document in the field since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force. In it, the Commission explains its vision on the intervention of the EU in the field of sport. Practical actions to be taken by the Commission and/or the Member States are grouped in three main themes: sport’s social, financial and organisational roles. The Council and Parliament are expected to react during the course of the year 2011.
