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Luxembourg, 8 June 2000 8984/00 (Presse 196)

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,7(06'(%$7(' FUTURE CHALLENGES AND OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION SYSTEMS IN THE LEARNING SOCIETY: FOLLOW-UP TO THE LISBON EUROPEAN COUNCIL...... IV E-LEARNING INITIATIVE – DESIGNING TOMORROW'S EDUCATION ...... V EUROPEAN REPORT ON QUALITY OF SCHOOL EDUCATION: SIXTEEN QUALITY INDICATORS ...... V EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN QUALITY EVALUATION IN SCHOOL EDUCATION...... VI MOBILITY OF STUDENTS, PERSONS UNDERGOING TRAINING, YOUNG VOLUNTEERS, TEACHERS AND TRAINERS ...... VI

,7(06$33529(':,7+287'(%$7( ('8&$7,21 − European Year of Languages 2001 ...... VII ),6+(5,(6 − Control measures for Northwest Atlantic fisheries ...... VIII − Technical protection measures – shrimps and sandeels ...... VIII &86720681,21 − Customs duty exemption for polyurethane condoms...... VIII − Customs tariffs...... IX &203(7,7,21 − Cooperation agreement with ...... IX (1/$5*(0(17 − EU common positions for Accession Conferences ...... IX

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB )RUIXUWKHULQIRUPDWLRQFDOO25 3$57,&,3$176 The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows: %HOJLXP Mr Jean-Marc NOLLET Minister for Child Welfare, with responsibility for Primary Education, Childcare and the Role of the National Child Welfare Agency (French Community) 'HQPDUN Ms Margrethe VESTAGER Minister for Education and Church Affairs Mr Henrik NEPPER-KRISTENSEN State Secretary at the Ministry of Education *HUPDQ\ Mr Wolf-Michael CATENHUSEN Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Education and Research Minister for Education, Science, Research and Art of Land Schleswig-Holstein *UHHFH Mr Petros EFTHYMIOU Minister for Education and Religious Affairs 6SDLQ Mr Julio IGLESIAS DE USSEL State Secretary for Education and Universities )UDQFH Mr Jack LANG Minister for Education ,UHODQG Mr James Brennan Deputy Permanent Representative ,WDO\ Mr Tullio DE MAURO Minister for Education Mr Luciano GUERZONI State Secretary for the Universities and Scientific and Technological Research /X[HPERXUJ Ms Anne Brasseur Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sport 1HWKHUODQGV Mr Loek HERMANS Minister for Education, Cultural Affairs and Science $XVWULD Ms Elisabeth GEHRER Federal Minister for Education and Cultural Affairs 3RUWXJDO Mr Guilherme de OLIVEIRA MARTINS Minister for Education )LQODQG Mr Jan STORE Deputy Permanent Representative 6ZHGHQ Mr Thomas ÖSTROS Minister for Education 8QLWHG.LQJGRP Mr Nicol STEPHEN Minister of State for Enterprise and Life Long Learning (Scottish Executive) &RPPLVVLRQ Ms Viviane Reding Member )8785( &+$//(1*(6 $1' 2%-(&7,9(6 2) ('8&$7,21 6<67(06 ,1 7+( /($51,1* 62&,(7<)2//2:83727+(/,6%21(8523($1&281&,/

The Council held a public debate, broadcast live to the media and public concerned, on the "Future challenges and objectives of education systems in the learning society". The debate was held in response to the call by the Lisbon European Council (23/24 March 2000) which, in its conclusions, had asked the Education Council WR XQGHUWDNH D JHQHUDO UHIOHFWLRQ RQ WKH FRQFUHWH IXWXUH REMHFWLYHV RI HGXFDWLRQ V\VWHPV IRFXVLQJ RQ FRPPRQ FRQFHUQV DQG SULRULWLHV ZKLOH UHVSHFWLQJ QDWLRQDO GLYHUVLW\ ZLWK D YLHZ WR FRQWULEXWLQJ WR WKH /X[HPERXUJ DQG &DUGLII SURFHVVHV DQG SUHVHQWLQJDEURDGHUUHSRUWWRWKH(XURSHDQ&RXQFLOLQWKH6SULQJRI and to contribute in this way to the achievement of the new strategic objective for the coming decade, i.e. to ensuring that the European Union becomes WKHPRVWFRPSHWLWLYHDQGG\QDPLFNQRZOHGJHEDVHGHFRQRP\LQWKH ZRUOG FDSDEOH RI VXVWDLQDEOH HFRQRPLF JURZWK ZLWK PRUH DQG EHWWHU MREV DQG JUHDWHU VRFLDO FRKHVLRQ.

During the debate, Ministers welcomed the Lisbon European Council's recognition of the role of education and training in particular in seeking solutions for employment, thereby placing the Education Council at the hub of the process begun in Lisbon, alongside the Council's other configurations (Ecofin, Employment and Social Policy, etc.). The Portuguese Presidency was warmly thanked for having succeeded in meeting the challenge.

The President remarked at the end of the debate that the Ministers' contributions had shown that the Council was prepared to carry out the brief entrusted to it by the European Council and to start taking concrete action.

With regard to the implementation of the report on the future objectives and priorities of education systems which should, in accordance with the Lisbon conclusions, be submitted to the extraordinary European Council in the spring of 2001 in , the Presidency's view was that it should pinpoint specific future objectives and common concerns and priorities, while fully complying with the principle of subsidiarity. It should also set out the progress achieved, the initiatives under way and the areas of intervention at national and European level, and refer to the working methods chosen.

The President stressed that it was a matter of cooperating to exchange best practice in order to attain the objectives identified in Lisbon, with a view to achieving not harmonisation of educational systems (which is anyway ruled out by the Treaty), but approximation.

The Ministers also gave their consent to the Presidency's suggestion to include in the report proposals aimed at revising the Education Council's new "rolling agenda" working methods, as defined in the Resolution of 17 December 1999, and to incorporate new areas, notably life-long learning and information technologies.

Finally, the President noted broad agreement in principle that the report should also concentrate on the issues of education and training as factors for social cohesion and discuss the contribution of education and training to the Luxembourg and Cardiff processes, in accordance with the content of paragraph 27 of the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council.

The Commission was asked to cooperate with the Member States in preparing an initial version of the report to be discussed at the Council meeting on 9 November 2000. The draft, revised in the light of the discussion, will then be submitted for approval to the Council at the start of 2001 before being formally forwarded to the European Council in the spring of 2001.

With regard to the Luxembourg process, the President noted broad agreement among the Ministers on asking the Commission to give a higher priority to life-long learning and to new technologies in drawing up its proposal for the 2001 employment guidelines. In conclusion, the President remarked that the debate had demonstrated that the Education Council was fully committed to carrying out the brief entrusted to it by the Lisbon European Council.

The Lisbon European Council conclusions set a number of concrete objectives to be achieved: inter alia increasing per capita investment in human resources, reducing the number of young people leaving school without tertiary qualifications, linking schools to the Internet, establishing a European information technology diploma and preparing a common European format for curricula vitae.

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The Council listened and responded favourably to a presentation of the Commission communication on the initiative "e-learning – designing tomorrow's education" of 24 May 2000 that the Commissioner, Ms REDING, introduced in the context of the public debate (see previous item). The initiative is of particular importance because it because it includes certain key elements of the Lisbon European Council conclusions in the area of developing the learning society. Its purpose is to implement and supplement, in education and training, the "e-europe" initiative that the Commission had launched by means of a communication of 8 December 1999 to speed up the spread of digital technologies throughout Europe, in order to ensure that all Europeans have the necessary skills to make use of them.

The "e-learning" initiative is based on the observation that Europe, despite an educational level that ranks among the highest, is falling badly behind in the use of new information and communication technologies. It aims to bridge the gap by proposing action on infrastructure, training, educational content and networking of schools. The objective is to help schools and other educational establishments to enter the digital age more swiftly. To this end, it proposes precise deadlines and the mobilisation of Community instruments and programmes such as the Structural Funds, Community programmes in the areas of education, culture and training (Socrates, Leonardo, Culture 2000, Media Plus), and the involvement of the European Investment Bank.

Some of the specific objectives provided for in the context of the "e-Europe" initiative are:

– by the end of 2001: connecting all schools to the Internet and establishing an information network linking schools, universities, training centres, research institutes and firms; – by the end of 2002: training of teachers in Internet use; – by the end of 2003: ensuring that pupils master new information techniques.

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The Council heard a presentation by the Commissioner Ms REDING, of the Report on the quality of school education of May 2000. The report is the outcome of the discussions of a committee of experts from 26 European countries, including 15 Member States of the European Union and 11 associated countries (Cyprus, , Poland, , Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia). It identifies 16 indicators in the areas of the level attained in the various school subjects, success at school, monitoring and resources. It should be stressed, however, that the indicators must be considered as a starting point in the long reflection process.

Requested by the Conference of European Education Ministers (EC and associated countries) in Prague in June 1998, the report will also be submitted to the next Conference of European Education Ministers in from 18 to 20 June 2000. The report should be seen in the wider context of the recognition of the priority to be given to cooperation at European level to the quality of education, reflected in particular in the Treaty (Article 149 TEC) and in several Community initiatives. It is also in line with the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council which highlighted the need to establish quantitative and qualitative indicators, so as to enable best practice to be compared. The report is intended as a European instrument to facilitate evaluation of systems in the area of school education, at national level, and might thus prove useful for transposing the Recommendation proposed by the Commission regarding quality evaluation in school education (see next item).

The report identifies 16 indicators, concerning in particular:

– the level attained (in mathematics, reading, science, foreign languages, "learning to learn", information and communication technology and civics);

– success and transition (drop out rate from school, completion of upper secondary education and participation in tertiary education);

– monitoring of school education (parental participation, evaluation and steering of school education);

– resources and structures (educational expenditure per student, education and training of teachers, participation rates in pre-primary education and number of students per computer).

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Pending the Opinion of the European Parliament, expected at the beginning of July, the Council took note of oral information supplied by the Presidency on progress of work on the proposal for a Recommendation on European cooperation in quality evaluation in school education.

The proposal was submitted by the Commission in January 2000 and is following the codecision procedure. It is the follow-up to work carried out on the quality of teaching in higher education, and a pilot project carried out during the 1997/1998 school year with schools taking part in the Socrates programme.

The text of the Recommendation invites Member States to take concrete measures to improve evaluation of the quality of school teaching. The measures should include transparent quality evaluation systems with a view to encouraging school self-evaluation, and external evaluation as methodological support for self-evaluation. The Recommendation also encourages cooperation and networking between schools at European level to permit exchanges of information and good practice.

The Commission is invited to support these activities by means of existing Community programmes, and to establish a data base to disseminate effective tools and instruments for evaluating the quality of individual schools.

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Pending the Opinion of the European Parliament, expected in September, the Council took note of oral information from the Presidency on the progress of work on the proposal for a Recommendation of 24 January 2000 on the mobility of students, persons undergoing training, young volunteers, teachers and trainers in the Community. The proceedings began in February 2000, and the Council invited the Council's preparatory bodies to continue their examination, with a view to adoption of the text at the end of 2000, thereby making it possible to take action on the brief on mobility entrusted to it by the Lisbon European Council (paragraph 26 of the conclusions). It should be remembered that the proposal for a Recommendation comprises two aspects. On the one hand, measures applicable to all the groups concerned, namely information on the possibilities of, and conditions governing, mobility, financing arrangements or measures facilitating the recognition of experience acquired abroad. On the other hand, it deals with measures specific to each of the groups to which the proposal is addressed; for example, for students, recognition of academic qualifications; for persons undergoing training, maintenance of unemployment benefit in their country of origin where they undergo training in another Member State; for young volunteers, validation of the voluntary activity, and for teachers and trainers, European sabbatical periods to enable them to make use of the possibilities of mobility.

,7(06$33529(':,7+287'(%$7( (Decisions for which statements for the Council minutes have been made available to the public are indicated by asterisks; the statements in question may be obtained from the Press Office.)

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Following the Council's approval of all the amendments passed by the European Parliament at first reading, the Decision on the European Year of Languages 2001 is deemed adopted in the form of the Commission proposal as amended by Parliament. For the first time since the entry into force, with the Treaty, of the new provisions on the codecision procedure, it has thus been possible to adopt an act upon first reading thanks to close cooperation between the European Parliament and the Council. This will enable the Commission to launch preparatory measures in time for the European Year of Languages to commence on schedule, i.e. on 1 January 2001.

The Decision designates the year 2001 as "European Year of Languages" in keeping with the relevant Council of Europe Decision. Its objectives are, in particular:

(a) to raise people's awareness of the richness of linguistic and cultural diversity within the European Union, taking into account that all languages have equal value;

(b) to encourage multilingualism;

(c) to bring to the notice of the widest possible public the advantages of conjecture in several languages, as a key element in personal and professional development;

(d) to encourage the lifelong learning of languages, starting at preschool and primary school age, by all persons residing in the Member States, whatever their age, background or social situation ;

(e) to collect and disseminate information about the teaching and learning of languages, and about skills, methods and tools which assist that teaching and learning.

The measures to achieve those objectives include:

– meetings and events at Community and national level; – information and promotional campaigns (design of a logo, the setting-up of a website, the production of information materials, organisation of European competitions); – surveys and studies.

Part of the measures will enjoy 100% Community support; the rest will be 50% co-financed by the Community.

The overall budget for the European Year of Languages has been set at EUR 8 million. ),6+(5,(6 &RQWUROPHDVXUHVIRU1RUWKZHVW$WODQWLFILVKHULHV

The Council unanimously adopted a Regulation laying down certain control measures in respect of vessels flying the flag of non-Contracting Parties to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO).

The NAFO Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, to which the Community is a Contracting Party, provides a framework for regional cooperation in the conservation and management of fishery resources and the adoption of proposals for conservation and enforcement measures for the fishery resources of the NAFO Regulatory Area, which become binding upon the contracting parties.

The practice of operating fishing vessels under the flag of non-Contracting Parties to NAFO as a means of avoiding compliance with those NAFO measures remains one of the factors which seriously undermines the effectiveness of such measures. For that reason, NAFO adopted in September 1997 a "Scheme to Promote Compliance by Non-Contracting Party vessels with the Conservation and Enforcement Measures Established by NAFO", the objective of which is to ensure that the effectiveness of conservation and enforcement measures established by NAFO is not undermined by non-Contracting vessels.

That Scheme provides, inter alia, for the mandatory inspection of non-Contracting Party vessels when such vessels voluntarily enter the ports of Contracting Parties and, as regards multi-species fisheries in the Regulatory Area of NAFO, a ban on landings and transhipments if, in the course of such inspection, it is established that the catch has been taken in contravention of conservation and enforcement measures established by NAFO as well as certain other collateral measures to be taken by Contracting Parties.

The Regulation seeks to supplement at Community level the measures provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 2847/93 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy and ensure that the operations of such vessels in Community ports do not undermine the effectiveness of the conservation and enforcement measures established by NAFO.

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The Council adopted a Regulation amending for the fifth time Regulation (EC) No 850/98 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms.

This Regulation provides that: – in view of geographical and seasonal particularities, Member States are to set detailed rules for separator trawls or nets with a sorting grid used in shrimp fisheries by vessels flying their flag and registered in the Community;

– on the basis of scientific advice, sandeel fishing is to be closed in an area off the northeast coast of England and the east coast of Scotland;

– minimum sizes for a number of crustaceans and bivalve molluscs are to be revised or introduced. &86720681,21

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The Council adopted a Regulation amending Annex I to Regulation No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. This Regulation provides that polyurethane condoms, hitherto subject to 6,5% customs duty, are to be exempted therefrom.

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The Council adopted a change to Regulation (EC) No 2505/96 opening and providing for the administration of autonomous Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural and industrial products.

By Regulation (EC) No 2505/961, the Council had opened Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural and industrial products. Community demand for the products in question should be met under the most favourable conditions. New Community tariff quotas should therefore be opened at zero rates of duty for appropriate volumes and certain existing tariff quotas increased in size, while avoiding any disturbance to the markets for these products.

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The Council adopted a set of negotiating directives for the Commission to conclude a cooperation agreement between the European Communities and Japan on the application of the competition rules.

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The Council adopted European Union common positions on a number of chapters for the Accession Conferences to be held at ministerial level on 13 and 14 June 2000 with Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.