Stronger European programmes for education, training and youth!

ESN, among other major European Stakeholders in Education, Training and Youth, believes that the necessary transformation of national education and training systems and development of educational networks can only be achieved by European cooperation which is a prerequisite of realising a knowledge based society.

EU programmes should aim to support organisations and individual learners in building the Europe-wide learning space step by step. This Area should aim at making lifelong learning a reality for all its citizens.

The current programmes are crucial for millions of learners and educators in Europe. They benefit from a wide recognition but their impact remains limited due to scarce resources. With the adoption of the “EU2020 strategy”, education and training is at the heart of the European project. Community programmes represent a real added value in reaching these objectives.  The next  generation should thus have the means to contribute to these objectives notably in terms of equal access to lifelong learning (accessing the formal system but also developing access to non-formal and informal learning). To reach “EU2020” targets it is crucial that the  EU and its Member states consider investing in people as a top priority in the next financial perspectives.

We welcomed the broad consultation launched by the European Commission in preparation of the future of the Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus Mundus and Youth in Action in 2010. This vision paper is a logical next step in this process as through our networks several hundred million learners and educators engage with the EU to develop the next generation of EU programmes.

Read the full position paper

Position-ECProgrVision.pdf

Position-ECProgrVision.pdf (443.01 KB)