30.12.2006   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 394/1

(1)

Certain bilateral and regional agreements concluded between coastal states, such as the Helsinki and Barcelona Conventions of 1992 and 1976 respectively, provide for mutual assistance in the event of a maritime pollution incident.

(2)

Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 (3) established a European Maritime Safety Agency (hereinafter ‘the Agency’) for the purpose of ensuring a high, uniform and effective level of maritime safety and prevention of pollution by ships.

(3)

Regulation (EC) No 724/2004, which amended Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002, assigned to the Agency new tasks in the fields of preventing and responding to pollution caused by ships, in response to recent accidents in Community waters, particularly those of the oil tankers ‘Erika’ and ‘Prestige’.

(4)

For the purposes of implementing these new tasks of preventing and responding to pollution, the Administrative Board of the Agency adopted on 22 October 2004 an Action Plan for Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response, which determines the Agency's oil pollution response activities and is aimed at optimum use of the financial resources available to the Agency (hereinafter ‘the Action Plan’).

(5)

The pollution response action of the Agency, as defined in the Action Plan, relates to activities in the fields of information, cooperation and coordination and above all the provision of operational assistance to the Member States by supplying, on request, additional anti-pollution vessels to combat oil pollution and other types of pollution such as that caused by hazardous and noxious substances. The Agency is to pay particular attention to those areas identified as most vulnerable without prejudice to any other area in need.

(6)

The activities of the Agency in this field should not relieve coastal states of their responsibility to have appropriate pollution response mechanisms in place and should comply with existing cooperation arrangements between Member States or groups of Member States in this field. In the event of a maritime pollution incident, the Agency is to assist the Member State(s) affected, under whose authority clean-up operations are to be conducted.

(7)

In accordance with the Action Plan, the Agency is to play an active role in developing a centralised satellite imagery service for surveillance, the early detection of pollution and identification of the ships responsible. This new system will improve the availability of data and the effectiveness of the response to pollution caused by ships.

(8)

The additional means to be provided by the Agency to the Member States should be made available through the Community mechanism in the field of civil protection assistance interventions, including accidental marine pollution, established by Council Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom (4).

(9)

In order to ensure thorough implementation of the Action Plan and strengthen the prevention of and response to pollution caused by ships by expanding current anti-pollution activities, the Agency should be provided with a viable and cost-effective system for financing, in particular, its operational assistance to the Member States.

(10)

It is therefore necessary to provide for appropriate financial security for the funding of the tasks entrusted to the Agency in the field of pollution response and other associated actions on the basis of a multiannual commitment. The annual amounts of the Community contribution should be determined in accordance with the procedures in force.

(11)

The amounts to be committed for the funding of pollution response should cover the period 2007 to 2013, in line with the new financial framework.

(12)

A financial envelope covering the same period should therefore be provided for the implementation of the Action Plan.

(13)

The amount of that envelope should be regarded as the minimum needed to carry out the tasks entrusted to the Agency in the field of responding to pollution caused by ships.

(14)

In order to optimise the allocation of commitments and take into account any changes with regard to activities in response to pollution caused by ships, it is necessary to ensure continuous monitoring of the particular needs for action so as to allow for adaptation of the annual financial commitments.

(15)

The Administrative Board of the Agency should thus review the budgetary commitments, on the basis of a report to be produced by the Executive Director, to include any necessary adjustments to the budget of the Agency. Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 should therefore be amended accordingly,

(a)

‘the Agency’ means the European Maritime Safety Agency, established by Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002;

(b)

‘regional agreements’ means the bilateral and regional agreements concluded between coastal states to render mutual assistance in the event of a maritime pollution incident;

(c)

‘oil’ means petroleum in any form including crude oil, fuel oil, sludge, oil refuse and refined products as established by the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation, 1990;

(d)

‘hazardous and noxious substances’ means any substance other than oil which, if introduced into the marine environment, is likely to create hazards to human health, to harm living resources and marine life, to damage amenities or to interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea, as established by the Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Cooperation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000.

(a)

information and the assembling, analysing and disseminating of best practices, techniques and innovations, such as instruments for monitoring tank-emptying, in the field of responding to pollution caused by ships;

(b)

cooperation and coordination and the provision to the Member States and the Commission of technical and scientific assistance in the framework of the activities of the relevant regional agreements;

(c)

operational assistance and supporting, on request, with additional means, such as stand-by anti-pollution ships and equipment, Member States' pollution response actions in the event of accidental or deliberate pollution caused by ships.

(a)

The following point shall be added to Article 10(2):

(b)

The following point shall be added to Article 15(2):

30.12.2006   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 394/5

(1)

Mobility in education and training is an integral part of the freedom of movement of persons — a fundamental freedom protected by the Treaty — and one of the main objectives of the European Union's action in the field of education and training, based both on common values and on respect for diversity. It is an essential tool for creating a genuine European area of lifelong learning, for promoting employment and reducing poverty, and for helping to promote active European citizenship.

(2)

Mobility brings citizens closer to one another and improves mutual understanding. It promotes solidarity, the exchange of ideas and a better knowledge of the different cultures which make up Europe; thus, mobility furthers economic, social and regional cohesion.

(3)

Intensifying European mobility and exchanges for education and training purposes, and events such as the 2006 European Year of Workers' Mobility, have a key role to play in achieving the Lisbon goal of making Europe the most innovative and competitive knowledge-based economy by 2010.

(4)

Providing a better framework for mobility for education and training purposes within the EU will help to contribute towards the achievement of a knowledge-based economy central to the creation of employment, sustainable development, research and innovation in the Member States.

(5)

Increased support from all stakeholders, including public authorities, for mobility within the EU is needed to improve the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems in Europe.

(6)

Recommendation 2001/613/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 July 2001 on mobility within the Community for students, persons undergoing training, volunteers, teachers and trainers (4) was the first recommendation adopted with the aim of facilitating Community action to encourage mobility.

(7)

The work of the group of experts set up by the Commission in accordance with point III(a) of that Recommendation, and the first follow-up report, while showing the progress made both at national and at European level as regards mobility for education and training purposes, demonstrate the need to focus not only on increasing mobility in quantitative terms but, above all, on improving its quality.

(8)

This objective may be pursued, inter alia, by adopting, in the form of a Recommendation, a Quality Charter for Mobility, laying down a set of principles in this field, to be implemented on a voluntary basis.

(9)

The European Quality Charter for Mobility (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Charter’) should also allow for the specific needs of people with disabilities and for disadvantaged groups.

(10)

The Charter should help increase exchanges, facilitate the recognition of periods dedicated to education or training, and the recognition of titles and qualifications, and establish mutual trust so as to improve and strengthen cooperation between the relevant authorities, organisations and all the stakeholders in mobility. Attention should be paid to the issue of the portability of loans, grants and social security benefits.

(11)

The Charter is intended to complement, but not replace, the specific provisions outlined in the Erasmus Student Charter.

(12)

The Charter, in the respective languages of the recipients, should be made readily available by the authorities to all students and persons undergoing training, organisations and other stakeholders in mobility in countries of origin and host countries, and should be treated as a basic reference framework.

(13)

The advantages of mobility strongly depend on the quality of the practical provisions: information, preparation, support and recognition of the experience and qualifications acquired by participants during the study and training periods. The people and organisations involved can considerably improve its value by careful planning and suitable evaluation.

(14)

Europass (5) is a particularly useful instrument for developing transparency and recognition in order to aid mobility.

(15)

It is desirable that the principles laid down in the Charter apply not only to the period of mobility itself but also to the periods preceding and following it.

(16)

A learning plan should be drawn up in advance. General preparation of the participants is also necessary, taking account of linguistic preparation. In this regard, the competent authorities and organisations should provide assistance.

(17)

All administrative and financial questions, such as what financial support is available, who bears the costs, and insurance cover in the host country, should be solved before departure.

(18)

For the period spent abroad, the quality of mobility can be enhanced by the provision of schemes such as mentoring for participants.

(19)

A detailed and clear description of any courses or training followed in the host country, including the duration of the course or training, should help to facilitate their recognition on returning to the home country.

(20)

Transparency and good administration call for a clear definition of the stakeholders responsible for each stage and action of the mobility programme.

(21)

In order to ensure the overall quality of mobility, it is desirable to ensure freedom of movement for all EU citizens and to apply as far as possible the principles laid down in the Charter and the relevant recommendations to all types of mobility for learning or professional development purposes: education or training; formal or non-formal learning, including voluntary work and projects; short or long mobility periods; school, higher education or job-related learning; measures in connection with lifelong learning.

(22)

In view of the diversity of the nature and duration of mobility activities, Member States may adjust the implementation of the Charter according to circumstances, namely to adapt it to specific situations and programmes. Member States may make some of the points compulsory and consider others as optional.

(23)

Since the objectives of this Recommendation cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale and effects of this Recommendation, be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, the present Recommendation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives,

1.

adopt and promote the use of the attached Charter as a means to enhance personal and professional development;

2.

report on their implementation of this Recommendation and any complementary measures they may choose to take in favour of mobility, particularly in relation to the quality aspects thereof, in their national contributions to the Education and Training 2010 work programme, as from the second year following the adoption of this Recommendation;

3.

continue to cooperate closely and coordinate their actions with a view to eliminating obstacles which directly or indirectly impede the mobility of EU citizens;

4.

provide appropriate support and suitable infrastructures for mobility for education and training purposes in order to enhance the education and training levels of their citizens;

5.

take any necessary steps to promote mobility, to ensure that all relevant information is easily understandable and accessible to all, for instance by means of an introductory guide to mobility or a list of supporting organisations, and to improve the conditions for mobility,

1.

encourage the use of the Charter by national agencies and other organisations working in the field of education and training and mobility;

2.

continue to cooperate with the Member States and the social partners, so that useful information and experience concerning the implementation of the measures advocated in this Recommendation may be exchanged;

3.

improve or develop in close cooperation with the relevant authorities gender-specific statistical data on mobility for education and training purposes;

4.

consider the present Recommendation as forming a whole with Recommendation 2001/613/EC and therefore to include the biennial reports requested therein in the general reports of the Education and Training 2010 work programme.

30.12.2006   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 394/10

(1)

The Lisbon European Council (23-24 March 2000) concluded that a European framework should define the new basic skills to be provided through lifelong learning as a key measure in Europe's response to globalisation and the shift to knowledge-based economies, and emphasised that people are Europe's main asset. Since then, those conclusions have been regularly restated including by the Brussels European Councils (20-21 March 2003 and 22-23 March 2005), and in the re-launched Lisbon Strategy which was approved in 2005.

(2)

The European Councils of Stockholm (23-24 March 2001) and Barcelona (15-16 March 2002) endorsed the concrete future objectives of European education and training systems and a work-programme (the Education and Training 2010 work programme) to achieve them by 2010. These objectives include developing skills for the knowledge society and specific objectives for promoting language learning, developing entrepreneurship and the overall need to enhance the European dimension in education.

(3)

The Commission Communication ”Making a European Area of Lifelong Learning a Reality” and the subsequent Council Resolution of 27 June 2002 on lifelong learning (4) identified the provision of ‘the new basic skills’ as a priority, and stressed that lifelong learning must cover learning from pre-school age to post-retirement age.

(4)

In the context of improving the Community's employment performance, the European Councils of Brussels (March 2003 and December 2003) stressed the need to develop lifelong learning, with a particular focus on active and preventive measures for the unemployed and inactive persons. This built on the report of the Employment Taskforce, which emphasised the need for people to be able to adapt to change, the importance of integrating people into the labour market, and the key role of lifelong learning.

(5)

In May 2003 the Council adopted the European reference levels (‘benchmarks’), demonstrating a commitment to a measurable improvement in European average performance. These reference levels include reading literacy, early school leaving, completion of upper secondary education and participation of adults in lifelong learning, and are closely linked to the development of key competences.

(6)

The report of the Council on the broader role of education adopted in November 2004 stressed that education contributes to preserving and renewing the common cultural background in society and to learning essential social and civic values such as citizenship, equality, tolerance and respect, and is particularly important at a time when all Member States are challenged by the question of how to deal with increasing social and cultural diversity. Moreover, enabling people to enter and stay in working life is an important part of the role of education in the strengthening of social cohesion.

(7)

The report adopted by the Commission in 2005 on progress towards the Lisbon objectives in education and training showed that there had been no progress in reducing the percentage of low achievers in reading literacy at age 15 or in raising the completion rate for upper-secondary education. Some progress was visible in reducing early school leaving, but at current rates the 2010 European reference levels adopted by the May 2003 Council will not be achieved. Participation of adults in learning is not growing fast enough to reach the 2010 reference level, and data shows that low-skilled people are less likely to participate in further training.

(8)

The Framework of Actions for the Lifelong Development of Competences and Qualifications, adopted by the European social partners in March 2002, stresses the need for businesses to adapt their structures more and more quickly in order to remain competitive. Increased team-work, flattening of hierarchies, devolved responsibilities and a greater need for multi-tasking are leading to the development of learning organisations. In this context, the ability of organisations to identify competences, to mobilise and recognise them and to encourage their development for all employees represent the basis for new competitive strategies.

(9)

The Maastricht Study on Vocational Education and Training of 2004 indicates a significant gap between the levels of education required by new jobs, and the levels of education achieved by the European workforce. This study shows that more than one third of the European workforce (80 million persons) is low-skilled whilst it has been estimated that by 2010 almost 50 % of new jobs will require tertiary level qualifications, just under 40 % will require upper secondary schooling, and only about 15 % will be suitable for those with basic schooling.

(10)

The Joint Council/Commission Report on the Education and Training 2010 work programme, adopted in 2004, reinforced the need to ensure that all citizens are equipped with the competences they need as part of Member States' lifelong learning strategies. To encourage and facilitate reform, the report suggests the development of common European references and principles and gives priority to the Key Competences Framework.

(11)

The European Youth Pact which is annexed to the conclusions of the Brussels European Council (22-23 March 2005) stressed the need to encourage the development of a common set of core skills.

(12)

The need to equip young people with necessary key competences and to improve educational attainment levels is an integral part of the Integrated Guidelines for Growth and Jobs 2005-2008, approved by the June 2005 European Council. In particular, the Employment Guidelines call for education and training systems to be adapted in response to new competence requirements through better identification of occupational needs and key competences as part of Member States' reform programmes. Furthermore, the Employment Guidelines call for ensuring gender mainstreaming and gender equality in all actions and for achieving an average employment rate for the European Union of 70 % overall and of at least 60 % for women.

(13)

Τhis Recommendation should contribute to the development of quality, future-oriented education and training tailored to the needs of European society, by supporting and supplementing Member States' actions in ensuring that their initial education and training systems offer all young people the means to develop key competences to a level that equips them for adult life, and which forms a basis for further learning and working life and that adults are able to develop and update their key competences through the provision of coherent and comprehensive lifelong learning. Τhis Recommendation should also provide a common European reference framework on key competences for policy makers, education and training providers, the social partners and learners themselves in order to facilitate national reforms and exchange of information between the Member States and the Commission within the Education and Training 2010 work programme, with the aim of achieving the agreed European reference levels. Furthermore, this Recommendation should support other related policies such as employment and social policies and other policies affecting youth.

(14)

Since the objectives of this Recommendation, namely to support and supplement Member States' action by establishing a common reference point that encourages and facilitates national reforms and further cooperation between Member States, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States acting alone and can therefore be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Recommendation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives insofar as it leaves the implementation of this Recommendation to Member States,

1.

initial education and training offers all young people the means to develop the key competences to a level that equips them for adult life, and which forms a basis for further learning and working life;

2.

appropriate provision is made for those young people who, due to educational disadvantages caused by personal, social, cultural or economic circumstances, need particular support to fulfil their educational potential;

3.

adults are able to develop and update their key competences throughout their lives, and that there is a particular focus on target groups identified as priorities in the national, regional and/or local contexts, such as individuals needing to update their skills;

4.

appropriate infrastructure for continuing education and training of adults including teachers and trainers, validation and evaluation procedures, measures aimed at ensuring equal access to both lifelong learning and the labour market, and support for learners that recognises the differing needs and competences of adults, is in place;

5.

coherence of adult education and training provision for individual citizens is achieved through close links with employment policy and social policy, cultural policy, innovation policy and other policies affecting young people and through collaboration with social partners and other stakeholders;

1.

contribute to Member States' efforts to develop their education and training systems and to implement and disseminate this Recommendation, including by using the Reference Framework as a reference to facilitate peer learning and the exchange of good practices and to follow up developments and report on progress through the biennial progress reports on the Education and Training 2010 work programme;

2.

use the Reference Framework as a reference in the implementation of the Community Education and Training programmes and to ensure that these programmes promote the acquisition of key competences;

3.

promote the wider use of the Reference Framework in related Community policies, and particularly in the implementation of employment, youth, and cultural and social policy, and to develop further links with social partners and other organisations working in those fields;

4.

review the impact of the Reference Framework within the context of the Education and Training 2010 work programme and report, by 18 December 2010, to the European Parliament and to the Council on the experience gained and the implications for the future.