A4-0148/97

Resolution on the Commission Green Paper 'Education-Training-Research: The obstacles to transnational mobility' (COM(96)0462 - C4-0580/96)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission Green Paper (COM(96)0462 - C4-0580/96),

- having regard to Article B, first and third indents, of the EU Treaty, and Articles 2, 3(p), 8a, 126, 127 and 130g of the EC Treaty, together with the provisions concerning the free movement of workers, the right of establishment and the free movement of services,

- having regard to the secondary legislation concerning the above fields ((See Green Paper, p. 4.)),

- having regard to Council Directives 89/48/EEC of 21 December 1988 on a general system for the recognition of higher education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training of at least three years duration ((OJ L 19, 24.1.1989, p. 16.)) and 92/51/EEC of 18 June 1992 on a second general system for the recognition of professional education and training to supplement Directive 89/48/EEC ((OJ L 209, 24.7.1992, p. 25.)),

- having regard to European Parliament and Council Decision 95/819/EC of 14 March 1995 establishing the Community action programme SOCRATES ((OJ L 87, 20.4.1995, p. 10.)),

- having regard to Council Decision 94/819/EC of 6 December 1994 establishing an action programme for the implementation of a European Community vocational training policy ((OJ L 340, 29.12.1994, p. 8.)),

- having regard to European Parliament and Council Decision 95/818/EC of 14 March 1995 adopting the third stage of the Youth for Europe programme ((OJ L 87, 20.4.1995, p. 1.)),

- having regard to the amended Commission proposal ((OJ C 262, 20.9.1994, p. 27.)) and Council Decision 94/916/EC of 15 December 1994 adopting a specific programme of research and technological development, including demonstration, in the field of training and mobility of researchers (1994 to 1998) ((OJ L 361, 31.12.1994, p. 90.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 13 July 1995 on discriminatory treatment on the grounds of nationality for foreign language teachers ('lettori') at Verona University (Italy), in violation of Article 48 of the EC Treaty ((OJ C 249, 25.9.1995, p. 161.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 22 September 1995 on the establishment of European civilian service ((OJ C 269, 16.10.1995, p. 232.)),

- having regard to the Commission report to the European Parliament and the Council on the state of application of the general system for the recognition of higher education diplomas, draw up pursuant to Article 13 of Directive 89/48/EEC (COM(96)0046 - C4-0194/96), and the resolution of the European Parliament of 11 April 1997 thereon ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 4.)),

- having regard to the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision on the Community action programme 'European voluntary service for young people' (COM(96)0610 - C4-0681/96),

- having regard to the conclusions of the Council of Ministers for Education of 6 May 1996 on synergies between academic recognition and professional recognition of qualifications in the Community ((Press release 6802/96 (Presse 122), p. 27.)),

- having regard to the Council resolution of 15 July 1996 on the transparency of vocational training certificates ((OJ C 224, 1.8.1996, p. 7.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media and the opinions of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the Committee on Petitions (A4-0148/97),

A. whereas at present capital, goods and services still move more freely within the European Union than people,

B. whereas the obstacles to the free movement of citizens have an adverse effect on the implementation of Community programmes in the field of education, training and research, undermining the effectiveness and credibility of these programmes,

C. whereas, in particular, the Treaty envisages the establishment of an area without internal frontiers as one of the fundamental ways of promoting balanced and sustainable economic and social progress; whereas this area without frontiers must not be confined to economic aspects,

D. convinced that preparation for the European labour market is becoming increasingly important in creating new employment opportunities for young people and that, consequently, as many young people as possible - regardless of their place of residence, family background and financial possibilities - should have the opportunity to take part in EU exchange programmes, which is not currently the case,

E. whereas the Commission is to draw up a report on the link between the social situation of families and student participation in Community education, training and research programmes to see what conclusions may be drawn,

F. whereas the opportunity of studying or undergoing training in another Member State must also be offered to young people from less privileged backgrounds, as well as to those not going on to higher education; whereas the Community programmes available in the field of education and training should be supplemented by a mobility programme for apprentices,

G. whereas, with this in view, proper consideration should be given to education and training programmes when negotiating the next financial perspective; whereas these programmes should be given major priority in the budgetary and political guidelines, on a par, for example, with the framework research and development programme,

H. whereas, once it has received the report by a group of senior experts to be submitted at the beginning of 1997, the Commission will publish a White Paper proposing solutions to all obstacles to free movement, whether legislative, administrative or practical,

I. whereas the Commission should also put forward proposals at the same time on the obstacles to the transnational mobility of elderly and disabled people,

J. calling on the Commission to inform it regularly and in detail on the activities of the working party of high ranking experts mentioned above and of the Citizens First initiative,

K. whereas, in the light of the objective of economic and social cohesion, it is necessary to ensure that transnational mobility is not mainly concentrated, for linguistic reasons, within the triangle Germany-France-United Kingdom,

L. convinced that the advantages of modern information technologies are creating new possibilities for mobility in the information society and that children should therefore be encouraged to learn and use communication technologies at an early age,

M. whereas the Council of Education Ministers meeting on 6 May 1996 invited the Commission to examine, in cooperation with the Member States, 'the desirability of identifying (...) procedures at national or Community level which might facilitate amicable settlement of disputes concerning recognition of qualifications, in response to individual requests ...'; whereas firm action must be taken in response to this call,

N. whereas, with this in view, it is vital in order to implement the recommendations that will follow the Green Paper for a binding timetable to be established and a coordinating committee set up with the task of putting forward proposals that will enable the timetable to be met and facilitating the efforts to secure amicable settlements called for by the Council,

1. Welcomes the Commission's Green Paper, which offers an excellent analysis of the obstacles to transnational mobility in the field of education, training and research and opens the way for specific lines of action to be pursued;

2. Strongly supports the Commission's proposal to create a European area of qualifications, which on the one hand will require decisive progress in applying the system for the mutual recognition of diplomas - and the extension of this system to all higher education including non-university education - and, on the other, as advocated by the Green Paper, general use of the system for the transfer of educational credits, along the lines of the system introduced under the SOCRATES programme; with this in mind, calls on the Commission to disseminate the experience gained with the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) and to encourage the use of this system;

3. Points out that the petitions lodged with Parliament on the subject of the mobility of persons, in particular those concerning the recognition of diplomas and other certificates of qualification, constitute an important source of information on continuing obstacles to cross-border education and training; urges the Commission to draw in particular on the experiences recorded in petitions relating to Directives 89/48/EEC, 92/51/EEC, 93/96/EEC and 71/1408/EEC in developing a European area in the field of education and training;

4. Welcomes the Commission proposal to draw up a directive on a procedure for recognition of diplomas for the occupational activities falling under the liberalization and transition directives complementing the general rules on the recognition of diplomas (Directive 92/51/EEC);

5. Regrets the general lack of progress made with regard to the comparability of professional qualifications; considers it vital to ensure validation and certification of qualifications and skills acquired during initial vocational training or company in-house training, taking into account the system of business-based training which is usual in some Member States; calls on the Member States to move towards the mutual recognition of training courses and training periods;

6. Calls on the Council and the Commission to step up their efforts to include in Directive 89/48/EEC the requirement that occupational experience acquired subsequent to a qualification should be taken into account in order to guarantee satisfactory exercise of the right to freedom of establishment and freedom of movement;

7. Stresses the positive role played by the LEONARDO programme, which issues traineeship certificates to participants in transnational placement and exchange programmes;

8. Calls on the Commission, bearing in mind the substantial differences in national vocational training systems, to produce a clear-cut definition of the proposed 'modules' in initial vocational training and launch a debate on their possible advantages and disadvantages;

9. Calls on the Council to ensure that volunteers and trainees on placements are granted a specific legal status as soon as possible; calls for measures to be drawn up as a matter of urgency to provide volunteers taking part in the European voluntary service project and trainees on placements in a Member State other than their country of origin with legal security as regards right of residence, social security and tax arrangements; calls on the Commission, pending the adoption of these guarantees, to undertake to provide all necessary assistance to volunteers and trainees taking part in the European voluntary service project, who will face difficulties in engaging in such activities unless they are accorded this status;

10. Calls in this connection, particularly in view of the need for life-long learning, for the concept of trainee to be interpreted sufficiently widely to ensure that the pool of trainees is as large as possible;

11. Calls for a Community definition of apprentices to be adopted as a matter of urgency, whereby the status of apprentices should be placed at a high level in such a way as to ensure that an apprenticeship remains or is promoted as an attractive alternative to higher education;

12. Calls on the Commission to propose a specific mobility programme for apprentices along the lines of ERASMUS, taking account of the experience gained from the LEONARDO programme and drawing in particular on the 'worker and mate' system which has proved so successful in some Member States;

13. Expects, with a view to equal opportunities and social balance in access to the SOCRATES and LEONARDO programmes, that funds for these programmes will be increased significantly in the coming years in order to justify the concept of European education and training programmes;

14. Calls in particular on the European Parliament and the Council, within the framework of the legislative process and the budgetary procedure, to increase the budget allocation for the SOCRATES programme, bearing in mind in particular the growing number of applications and the consequent restriction on the amounts allocated to each participant, which undermines the effectiveness of the programme and restricts access to potential candidates from families with limited resources; calls for this allocation to be further increased when SOCRATES includes a specific mobility programme for apprentices;

15. Calls for the simplification of the application procedure in the context of SOCRATES and LEONARDO and the speedier disbursement of funds for approved training projects, since the organizers are generally not in a position to make advance payments when funds are received only after considerable delays;

16. Recommends that the Member States ensure as far as possible that funding from SOCRATES is added to that from national grants so as to help students with low incomes gain the widest possible access to this programme;

17. Hopes that practical obstacles will be removed so that persons with children need no longer be prevented from taking part in exchange activities; insists, in view of its increasing spread at all levels, that part-time working must not constitute grounds for exclusion when participants in European programmes are selected;

18. Calls for the entitlement to unemployment benefit to be extended beyond the current period of three months for unemployed persons undergoing training in another Member State;

19. Calls on the Member States, when making decisions on the allocation of study grants, not to discriminate between training at an establishment within their territory and training at an establishment in another Member State and, with this in view, to ensure that grants are transferable;

20. Stresses that the Council must cooperate fully in seeking a solution which goes to the root of the problem of the fiscal and social status of researchers moving between countries;

21. Believes that the mobility of researchers should be helped by better funding from the Fifth R & D Framework Programme and by forms of cooperation with other institutions of such a kind as better to meet the growing demand for posts of this kind;

22. Calls on the Commission to make continuing efforts to ensure that the administrative complexity of applications for Community grants is kept within bounds and is reasonably proportionate to the levels of assistance available;

23. Asks the Commission and the Council to ensure the requisite steps are taken to improve reintegration into the country of origin of students and grant- holders following their stay in the host country;

24. Urges the Council to adopt a common position on the Commission proposal (COM(91)0528) ((OJ C 46, 20.2.1992, p. 1.)) to extend the scope of Regulation (EEC) 1408/71 to include students already covered by a student social security scheme who are insured in accordance with the social security legislation of a Member State; notes that the Court of Justice of the EC ruled, in the 'Vougioukas' judgment of 12 November 1995 ((Case C-443, Cases I-4033.)), that the Council had failed to meet its obligations in this connection;

25. Requests that persons undergoing training in another Member State, and particularly students - even if they are not members of a general social security scheme in their country of origin - should in general be able to enjoy social protection in the host country and, with this in view, calls for the system applied to them to be brought into line with that of salaried and non-salaried workers and their families;

26. Calls on the Council to adopt the Commission proposal (COM(96)0452) ((OJ C 341, 13.11.1996, p. 6.)) to lift the immediate need condition in respect of healthcare for persons who, for reasons of study, are resident in a Member State other than the competent Member State;

27. Calls on the Council to ensure that students in countries applying for accession and in other countries where Community education, training and research programmes are available should not suffer discrimination by comparison with their counterparts in the Member States;

28. Urges the national authorities responsible to offer incentives to companies, particularly small and medium-sized companies, to encourage them to take on trainees and persons wishing to follow sandwich courses;

29. Calls on the Member States to make a more decisive contribution to introducing a European dimension in education as a standard option in schools, training and higher education and, in so doing, not to rely solely on European Union funding programmes but to ensure that, for example, language teaching at an early stage becomes standard practice in all types of school and in vocational training, the cross-border deployment of teachers and trainers is placed on a secure financial and legal basis and the number of bilingual schools and sections is expanded;

30. Considers it important to encourage language learning, particularly in vocational training, in such a way as to ensure knowledge of at least one foreign language, whereby greater attention should be paid in this debate to the concept of receptive language learning;

31. Considers that, although effective language learning should be encouraged and improved, the Commission's objective of attaining a level of excellence in two languages other than the mother tongue during secondary education can be achieved only by increased effort on the part of the Member States and incentive measures from the Commission that are more substantial than they are at present, and that in this connection young people from less privileged backgrounds should receive special attention;

32. Draws the Commission's attention to the specific situation of foreign language assistants in the universities of the Member States; calls on the Commission to draw up a comparative study of the working conditions applicable to this category in the various EU Member States in order to ensure genuine mobility and an end to any discrimination;

33. Calls on the Commission to put forward firm recommendations to encourage national bodies in charge of activities under Community education and training programmes to give particular encouragement to persons wishing to undertake training in another Member State in a less widely used language;

34. Considers it vital to improve the dissemination of information on the opportunities offered by Community programmes to young people who wish to spend a period of training outside their country of origin; is in favour, therefore, of a critical review of EU educational programmes to assess whether they are transparent and close to the citizen and calls for the creation of an efficient agency structure at local and regional level in order to provide appropriate points of contact for as many young people, parents, trainers and teachers as possible with a view to equal opportunities in access to the abovementioned programmes, whereby consideration might be given to existing facilities such as libraries and neighbourhood associations as suitable information offices;

35. Considers it urgent to respond to the call made by the Council of Ministers for Education in May 1996 for amicable solutions to be sought to disputes concerning the recognition of qualifications in response to individual requests; considers that these efforts should be extended to the recognition of training periods; in this connection, supports efforts to make certificates more transparent (e.g. multilingual format and a clear description of the content of training), which will facilitate individual recognition procedures;

36. Considers it essential, in order to respond to the call made by the Council in May 1996 and provide the follow-up to the Green Paper and Commission recommendations to which this document will give rise, that:

(a) after discussing these recommendations, the Council should adopt a binding timetable for their implementation;

(b) in order to facilitate the implementation, a Coordinating Committee should be set up at the Council consisting of senior representatives from the Member States and, as observers, a representative from the Commission and the European Parliament;

(c) the Coordinating Committee should meet regularly with the task of:

- submitting specific proposals for implementing the recommendations designed to facilitate transnational mobility in the field of education, training and research within the deadlines laid down;

- attempting to find solutions to disputes concerning the recognition of qualifications and training periods in response to individual requests, in accordance with procedures to be determined by the committee itself;

37. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.