The Presidency of the Council of the European Union: the priorities in the fields of education and training, presented by Romanian Minister of National Education, Ecaterina Andronescu - Main contents

On Tuesday, 22 January 2019, Minister Ecaterina Andronescu presented the priorities of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in education and training. The presentation took place within the hearings of the ministers of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports in the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education (CULT).

The Minister of National Education reaffirmed Romania’s commitment to promoting the common interests of Romania and the European Union. Our country is firmly dedicated to European values, as proven by its history, culture and aspirations. This is underlined by the presidency motto - Cohesion, a common European value.

The motto chosen for our priorities in the field of education is `Education that connects`. It encompasses three major dimensions: mobility, inclusion and excellence, all of them presented in the Presidency Trio programme.

„On this basis and during our Presidency, we aim to facilitate the adoption of the Council Recommendations on High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Systems and on a Comprehensive Approach to the Teaching and Learning of Languages, respectively. The two recommendations are instruments to establish the European Education Area until 2025”, asserted Minister Ecaterina Andronescu.

The new Erasmus + Program is a dossier of the highest importance for the Romanian Presidency - and an instrument aligned to the endorsed goals of the aforementioned European Education Area (international mobility and intercultural exchange).

Excellency in education and training is a key element of the European Education Area. The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will support the continuation of efforts to develop European universities’ networks, as well as centres of excellence in professional and technical training.

Background information:

An important topic for the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union concerns the co-operation between Europe and Asia, alongside the broadening of the education across international borders. To this end, the Summit of Education Ministers involved in the ASEM process will take place this May in Bucharest. It will be preceded by the meetings of rectors and students from Asia and Europe. The main topics of these reunions will be mobility and the contribution of universities to sustainable development.

According to current procedures, the Presidency of the EU Council debates the sector-specific priorities in the respective committees of the European Parliament. The relevant Ministers present the main objectives and hold talks with the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), providing answers to their questions and comments.