topic Education

Towards the European Education Area: The Work Programme of the EU Education Ministers

EU Work Programme - Structured European Education Cooperation

In 2001/2002, the Education Ministers defined the objectives of European education cooperation and adopted a detailed, long-term work programme for education and training. Three major objectives with 13 sub-objectives were agreed on: 1. 1. Increasing the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems in the EU; 2. Facilitating access to education and training systems; 3. Opening up education and training systems to the world.

The Work Programme of the Education Ministers covers all activities in the education sector at EU level and includes the Copenhagen Process. The progress made with the implementation of the Work Programme is presented every other year in a joint report by the Council and the Commission. At the same time, the next steps are agreed on. The activities are often implemented with support from the Lifelong Learning Programme. Indicators and benchmarks provide a clear picture of the development in the Member States.  

The Work Programme will be revised in 2009.

Cooperation Instruments

A central concern in the European Education Area is to encourage and support mobility, transparency and comparability. A prominent example is the recommendation on the establishment of the European Qualifications Framework. The aim of the European Qualifications Framework is to interact with national qualifications frameworks to enable the classification of the acquired knowledge, skills and competences and their assignment to a set of eight reference levels. The European Qualifications Framework is to act as a translation device between different national qualifications systems.

Reference instruments and conclusions are used to encourage and support national reforms. Cases in point are the recommendations on key competences which every individual should have, on the quality of higher education and vocational training, and on efficiency and equity in education. The structured exchange of experience is another central element. Representatives and experts of the Member States discuss current issues of common interest in a number of thematic clusters. 

The BMBF, supported by the National Agency Education for Europe, is promoting the implementation of the Work Programme of the Education Ministers by organizing information events, specialist conferences, and meetings.