Foreword

For the next six months I will have the pleasure of taking over the baton of the European agenda in the field of education, training and youth.

Education and training constitute the foundation of the knowledge based society. Therefore, education and training have a high priority for the Danish government. The same is the case in the other Member States. And it is a priority that is reflected on a European as well as on a global level.

The European cooperation in education and training is subject to constant development. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the development of instruments which encouraged increased mobility, greater transparency and new pedagogical insight, was the focal point of our actions in the area. This was primarily implemented through a number of programmes, the activities of which have had a direct impact on the education and training courses which millions of citizens have availed themselves of.

In recent years, the European cooperation has taken new forms:

The annual meetings of all ministers of education underline that there is a common European agenda in the field of education and training. Now, representatives from 35 countries are invited to these meetings.

The implementation of the Bologna-process in higher education on the one hand contributes to the integration of the applicant countries into the European cooperation, and on the other hand it contributes to a strengthening of the area in all participating countries.

The work on the implementation of the report on the concrete future objectives of education and training systems up to 2010 has been the focal point of the cooperation in the field of education and training since the meeting of the European Council in Lisbon in March 2000.

Due to the priority given to education and training in the European employment strategy, the principle of lifelong learning is exerting an increasing influence on the framework for the development of the entire education system.

The increasing attention to the need for an effort to be made in relation to the vocational education and training systems, including the issues of quality assurance, transparency and recognition of qualifications and competencies, led the European Council to call for the implementation of a Bologna-like process in this field at its meeting in Barcelona in March 2002.

The main objective of the Danish Presidency in the field of education and training is to continue on the European agenda. We will do this in a constructive cooperation with the European Commission and the other Member States. We will furthermore involve other relevant players, including the social partners, in the work, where this should prove relevant.

We will particularly focus our efforts on the implementation of a Bologna-like process in the field of vocational education and training. We will moreover - in the light of the Council's conclusion on lifelong learning - carry on the work in this area. We will also contribute to concretising both the vision of creating a European area of knowledge and the need for establishing a basis for cooperation with third countries.

During the Danish Presidency, we will hold a Council meeting on 12 November 2002 as well as a meeting of European ministers in Copenhagen on 29 - 30 November 2002, where a declaration on strengthened European cooperation in the field of vocational education and training can be signed. Seen in the light of the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union, it will be natural to involve the candidate countries fully in this work.

We will hold three Presidency conferences on quality, lifelong learning and science and technology, respectively. In cooperation with various national and international players, we will furthermore arrange a great number of events, which are described on the following pages.

Regarding young people, we will work to give them a direct influence on the work of the Convention on the future of the European Union. As the Convention will finalise its work in the Spring 2003 the next six months will constitute a historic chance for the young to exert an influence on the framework of the development, which they themselves will take over the responsibility for in a few years.

In the course of the Danish Presidency, a number of events will be organised where young people will get a chance to discuss the future of the European Union as well as to elaborate concrete proposals for it. The proposals will be presented to the Danish Presidency and the European Convention.

We will hereby give substance to the principle of "participation" from the White Paper "A new impetus for European youth".

This publication also comprises educational initiatives which originate from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the European Commission, the other Member States as well as other actors for an obliging and constructive cooperation in connection with the preparation of the Danish Presidency. I hope that all the involved parties will support us in our work of continuing on the European agenda in the course of the next six months.

1 July 2002

Ulla Tørnæs
Minister of Education

Denne side indgår i publikationen "The Danish Presidency of the European Union 2002 - Education and Youth" som engelsk forord
© Undervisningsministeriet 2002