EDUCATION COUNCIL : MINISTERS UNDERLINE IMPORTANCE OF CLOSE COOPERATION.

• Position: Brief article

The Education Council highlighted the importance of cooperation to raise the performance of education and training systems, and overall skill and competence levels.aOn 15 February, the ministers held a policy debate on the ongoing or planned reforms on their territory. They also adopted a series of conclusions calling on the European Commission and the member states to fully take advantage of the possibilities provided by team cooperation and learning established under the open method of coordination. Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou expressed her view that while education is a complex matter, she was convinced that the EU could overcome current difficulties by stepping up cooperation with as many partners as possible, ie ministers, commissioners, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), etc.

The conclusions follow the Commission communication Rethinking education' and the 2013 Annual growth survey'. They call on the member states to tackle the...