11.2: Education and culture

(I) Education

There was little reference to education in the Treaty of Rome, except for the need for the mutual recognition of diplomas and vocational training. Apart from Directives aimed at mutual recognition of professional qualifications, EU policy on education has taken the form of voluntary programmes.

Developments include:

In February 1976 the Council adopted a 6-point Community programme for education that covered:

Improved cultural and vocational training for migrant workers and their children.
Better mutual understanding of the different European educational systems.
The collection of basic documentary information and statistics.
Cooperation in HE.
The improvement of foreign-language teaching.
The equality of opportunity of access to all forms of education throughout the Community.

Projects have been developed including:

Eurydice: an information service network.
Erasmus: the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.
Comett: designed to stimulate and strengthen cooperation between universities and industry.
Lingua: designed to promote the teaching of foreign languages.
Eurotechnet: concerned vocational training for new technologies.
The European University Institute (EUI).
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), which was set up in 1975. The European Schools project: offered an international syllabus.

(II) Culture

European cultural policy is primarily the responsibility of the non-EU Council of Europe. The EU's budget for cultural affairs is small and the EU's effort is concentrated on:

Free trade in cultural goods.
The improvement of conditions for artists.
Widening the audience for culture.
The conservation of the Community's architectural heritage.

The EU designates European Capitals of Culture.

Concerning audiovisual and media matters, the EU's landmark piece of audiovisual legislation was the "Television Without Frontiers" (TWF) Directive of 1989, updated in 1997.

RL, February 2007