BY DANIEL DEBONO

EU AFFAIRS MANAGER, HEAD OF BRUSSELS OPERATIONS, MALTA BUSINESS BUREAU

Throughout recent years, the EU has been working to create opportunities and a better environment for young people to flourish and contribute towards the future. Building upon the first Education Package released in January 2018, the latest set of initiatives published in May seeks to actualise this goal.

Taking a tripartite approach, the proposals target one of the following key areas; youth, education and culture. On youth, the accompanying communication sets out the EU’s approach for the years stretching from 2019 until 2027.  Entitled ‘Engaging, Connecting And Empowering Young People: A New EU Youth Strategy’, the principal objectives are to engage youth within civic and democratic activities, empowering youth through greater support and recognition of their contribution, and connecting youth throughout Europe. These objectives all aim to foster better mobility, solidarity and cultural understanding.

From a policy aspect, the strategy promises to give greater value to European youth through increased dialogue with Union institutions. The new role of an EU Youth Coordinator will facilitate this dialogue, while also boosting current initiatives such as the European Youth Portal. Finally, the European Commission will ensure greater coherence between EU youth policy and the activities within the dedicated programmes such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.

With regards to education, the Commission has presented three additional proposals that will contribute towards building a ‘European Education Area’ by the year 2025. The priority is to ensure that youth mobility programmes become the norm, professional qualifications are fully recognised cross-border, the ability to communicate in multiple languages, that quality education is accessible to all, and it contributes to a strong European identity.

The package also includes the methods through which a ‘European Education Area’ is to be achieved. These include reinforcing the Erasmus+ programme, which is expected to see its funding doubled in the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (2020-2027) and fostering increased policy cooperation in the field of education and training through the European Semester.

The Commission likewise highlighted current plans to introduce a ‘European Student Card system’ by 2021, which would help boost student mobility by reducing costs and administrative burdens for both students and educational institutions. Similarly, the creation of ‘European Universities’ will ensure greater cross-border cooperation, facilitating the mobility of both students and lecturers.