The Council discussed the future of European education, youth engagement and integrity in sport
The Council of the EU met on 27-28 November to discuss education, youth, sport and culture. What were the results?
At the end of November, ministers and representatives of the Member States responsible for education, youth, culture and sport met in Brussels to discuss important issues during a two-day meeting.
Education
In the area of education, ministers focused on the role of vocational education and training (VET) in strengthening Europe's competitiveness and resilience. Ministers focused on how to better align the content of VET programmes with labour market needs in order to ensure high-quality and inclusive education for all. They discussed how to address the shortage of skilled labour force and how to increase the overall attractiveness of VET for young people. They also paid particular attention to the issue of gender balance in technical and STEM fields.
Furthermore, the Council took note of the state of play for the resolution on the second cycle of the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training for the period 2026-2030. This document will set out the priorities and work programme for EU-level cooperation in for the next five years and set out the objectives for the European Education Area by 2030.
The meeting also included a progress report on the state of play of the preparation of the Erasmus+ programme for 2028-2034. The proposal for a regulation foresees a budget of €40.8 billion and will join Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps into one programme, which is intended to expand opportunities for mobility, learning and volunteering across the EU and outside of it. Discussions on the draft regulation for the new Erasmus+ programme will continue during the Cypriot and Irish Presidencies of the Council of the EU and we will continue to report regularly on the results of these discussions.
Youth
The youth part of the meeting focused on how the new Erasmus+ programme (2028-2034) can strengthen young people's resilience and their active role in society. Ministers discussed how to strengthen the civic and democratic engagement of the younger generation at the European level, how to support their ability to critically evaluate information, and how to ensure wider access to international opportunities. At the beginning of the meeting, a representative of the Danish Youth Council presented the results of the last EU Youth Conference held in Copenhagen in September as part of the EU Youth Dialogue.
Sport
On Friday, ministers focused on democracy and transparency in the sport environment. The discussion focused on how the EU and its Member States can contribute to a more robust, open and accountable governance of international sport organisations and strengthen the use of democratic, transparent and ethical procedures. Ministers also addressed issues of how to defend and promote the democratic and social foundations of the European sports model, in particular in the context of the phenomena of breakaway competitions and the relocation of European competitions outside of Europe.
Furthermore, a resolution was adopted on the review of the representation of EU Member States on the Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the coordination of common European positions ahead of WADA negotiations. The aim of this review is to update the 2023 resolution to provide clearer procedures for the development of common EU positions, improve reporting mechanisms and adjust the allocation of seats for EU representatives on the WADA Board.
Other items and more information
In the following parts of the meeting, the Danish Presidency representatives also presented the state of play of the negotiations on the regulation for the newly proposed Agora EU programme, which is to cover culture, media and civil society.
More information on all adopted documents can be found on the Council of the EU website (27 November, 28 November).