Summaries of EU legislation

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Education, training, youth, sport

With its programmes for education, training, youth and sport, the European Union (EU) is developing and strengthening the European dimension, promoting mobility and encouraging international cooperation through the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. Education and training also play essential roles in a knowledge-based economy, as do policies for youth and sport. They all support recovery, growth and employment by encouraging the emergence of a highly qualified, versatile and adaptable population.

The EU supports and complements the EU Member States ’ actions in accordance with Articles 165 and 166 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. While fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for teaching content and the organisation of education systems, the European Education Area is based on a shared vision: by 2025, everybody should have access to quality education and training in a genuine common European learning space. Learners and teachers should be able to move easily between education systems in different Member States, while a culture of lifelong learning should become the norm.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the long period of school closures have further highlighted the need to address the challenges and opportunities of digital education. With the 2021–2027 Digital Education Action Plan , the EU supports the sustainable and effective adaptation of the Member States’ education and training systems to the digital age.