Eerste resultaten Raad Onderwijs, Jeugdzaken en Cultuur, 20 en 21 november 2008 (en)
The Education, Youth, Culture and Audiovisual Council is meeting in Brussels on 20 and 21 November.
Session on Culture and Audiovisual media
Christine Albanel, the French Minister for Culture and Communication, chaired today's Council of the ministers for culture and audiovisual matters of the European Union, which saw the adoption of several important texts negotiated by the French Presidency in recent months.
In the session on culture, the culture ministers adopted the proposed European heritage label, the aim of which is to reinforce Europeans' sense of sharing a common European heritage.
The ministers then emphasised the cultural dimension of multilingualism, following the Conference on Multilingualism held on 26 September last in Paris. They expressed the desire that Member States be asked - with the support of the Commission - to coordinate and reinforce their actions to promote translation, the surtitling of live performances and the subtitling of audiovisual works and films.
Next the ministers adopted conclusions on the promotion of intercultural dialogue and cultural and linguistic diversity in the external relations of the European Union, with a view to reinforcing the role of culture in relations with non-EU countries and the international dissemination of European cultural and audiovisual goods and services.
The EU ministers also adopted conclusions on the contribution of architecture to sustainable development, in developing an approach going beyond technical standards in terms of overall, economic, social, cultural and environmental objectives.
The session on audiovisual matters saw the ministers reach an agreement on supporting and ensuring the durability and development of the proposed European digital library. This library, launched today at the end of the Council, will make over two million documents (books, archives, collections from European museums) accessible to all.
Lastly, the ministers unanimously approved draft conclusions on developing the range of cultural and creative content legally available online and preventing and combating piracy in the digital environment. The 27 Member States also recalled that the right balance must be struck between the protection of personal data, the freedom of expression, and the protection of intellectual property.
The Youth Session
At the youth session of the EYC Council, chaired by Bernard Laporte, the French Minister of State for Sport, Youth and the Voluntary Sector, the 27 ministers adopted two important texts in the field of youth.
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-A resolution on the health and well-being of young people: This resolution advocates giving specific and transverse consideration to young people in public health policies and to health issues in youth policies. It emphasises the need for young people to be actively involved in matters concerning their health.
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-A recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers in Europe: This text aims to develop the possibilities for young volunteers to exercise this activity in another Member State of the European Union through the creation of networks, synergies and exchanges between European organisers of voluntary activities.
In this public debate, the ministers discussed the mobility of young people in Europe, and agreed unanimously that mobility contributed effectively to helping young people integrate socially and professional.
This Council also gave rise to a productive and constructive exchange of opinions on the action taken at European level in the area of youth, which will be revised in 2009.
The Council was preceded by an informal forum during which the ministers of the presidency trio (France, Czech Republic, Sweden) and the previous presidency (Slovenia), along with the Commissioner for Youth, representatives of the General Secretariat of the Council and the European Parliament will debate with the European Youth Forum, the platform of national youth councils and youth NGOs in Europe.
Session on higher education
Valérie Pécresse, the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, chaired the Education, Youth and Culture Council session on higher education on Friday 21 November. The session focused largely on the mobility of young people, one of the priorities of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the field of higher education.
The ministers reiterated how mobility for young people in Europe is an important way of:
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•developing a sense of European belonging;
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•promoting social and professional integration;
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•ensuring the competitiveness of the European economy in a globalised environment.
Despite the success of the Erasmus programme, which has already enabled over 1.7 million students to go study in other European countries, the mobility of young people is still too often the exception rather than the rule, often for the benefit of the better-educated and better-off students. Only 4% of European students have studied abroad for a period and only about one establishment in five in Europe proposes an Erasmus programme for its students.
The European ministers for higher education are calling for the development of periods of studying abroad, and for greater possibilities for international mobility in different fields of education and training and as part of voluntary activities.
The conclusions have fixed objectives inviting Member States to offer each young person the chance to participate in a form of mobility (foreign study or training course), and to develop this ambition in the field of schooling, particularly higher education, and also vocational training. The idea is to make mobility part and parcel of learning curricula in Europe.
The Member States and the Commission are also being invited to lift obstacles to mobility, particularly for the more under-privileged students. Among the initiatives adopted are: providing better information on existing mobility programmes; simplifying procedures; widening and diversifying sources of financing to promote mobility for young people, e.g. through recourse to the European Social Fund and the European Investment Bank.
Lastly, the European Commission was asked to produce a report on the medium-term development of European mobility for young people by the end of 2010.
Final agreement was reached with the European Parliament on the second phase of the Erasmus Mundus programme (mobility and cooperation programme), essential for attracting the best students from non-EU countries to Europe, encouraging international partnerships and enhancing the worldwide appeal of higher education in Europe. This new phase, set to start on 1 January, includes plans to extend the mobility programme at doctorate level. It will also simplify administrative procedures by considering, for example, the creation of a ‘one-stop shop’ to make it easier to organise periods abroad by promoting information about mobility programmes and their financing at Community, national and local level.