The economic crisis continues to keep Europe in a tight grip, and unemployment, especially youth unemployment, is shockingly high in many member states.
Education and creativity are essential for growth, jobs and innovation, especially in these times of crisis- Androulla Vassiliou
At the same time, Europe is undergoing a transition towards a knowledge-based economy which will create new and different demands on its labour force.
Education and creativity are essential for growth, jobs and innovation, especially in these times of crisis. In short, it has never been more important for Europe to invest in the talents of its people in order to prepare them – and Europe – for the future.
The Europe 2020 strategy places a strong emphasis on education and creativity as a path to recovery. That is why the Commission is proposing to invest €19 billion in education, training, youth and sport in 2014-2020. This constitutes an increase of about 70 per cent compared to the budget for 2007-2013.
The Commission also wants to boost Europe’s cultural and creative sectors, vital contributors to the economy and labour market, by setting up the world’s largest support scheme for these areas with a budget of €1.8bn, a 37 per cent increase compared to the current scheme. The total investment proposed in the area of education and creativity represents less than 1.8 per cent of the overall EU budget for 2014-2020 – and a tiny fraction of national budgets.
The best-known EU education programme is Erasmus, which for 25 years has provided grants for higher education students to spend part of their studies or training abroad. It is because of the wide public awareness of the Erasmus brand that I proposed to name the new comprehensive programme ‘Erasmus for All’.
Under this new programme, the EU will help not only higher education students, but also those in vocational training and young people in non-formal learning, such as volunteering, to acquire new skills abroad, as well as teachers, trainers and youth workers. This will contribute to enhancing the quality of teaching and education in the EU and beyond.
Through Erasmus for All, the number of people who would benefit from EU grants to go abroad to learn and develop would nearly double. In fact, I am proud to announce that nearly five million Europeans would receive support for study, training and volunteering opportunities abroad.
The benefits for these individuals will also bring benefits for the EU economy as a whole.
The Commission is also proposing new initiatives, including a loan guarantee scheme to help Masters degree students to finance their studies abroad.
Erasmus for All would bring various international programmes together to increase opportunities for EU students to study outside the EU and to attract students from non-EU countries to study in Europe.
Higher education students are an important focus for the new programme, with more than two million students set to benefit over the seven years. We also propose to fund learning periods abroad for more than 700,000 vocational students and for nearly 550,000 young people to be able to volunteer in a foreign country or participate in youth exchanges.
Teachers are crucial for improving the education system – and play a fundamental role in developing the skills of their pupils and students. That is why we also want to create more opportunities for teachers to study, train and teach abroad. Under Erasmus for All, nearly one million teachers, trainers, other staff and youth workers would benefit.
These initiatives would be coupled with a renewed drive to modernise education and training through more cross-border cooperation. Higher education institutions, youth organisations and other actors, in particular businesses, would link up through strategic partnerships, knowledge alliances and sector skills alliances, to foster innovative approaches in education and to bring the world of work closer to the world of education.
Similarly, the successful e-twinning initiative, which connects schools via the internet, would be strengthened and extended to vocational training, adult learning and youth.
Finally, Erasmus for All would support the European dimension of grassroots sports and the fight against doping, violence and racism in sport.
Creativity is a core element of the drive towards a new knowledge-driven economy.
The creative sector, including culture, cinema, TV and the video games industry, is a strong and growing contributor to the economy, accounting for 4.5 per cent of the EU’s GDP, and 8.5 million jobs. Yet the potential for this sector remains underexploited. Creative Europe would bring together the current Culture, Media and Media Mundus programmes while at the same time providing additional support and funding.
EU investment would help artists, culture and audiovisual professionals to make the most of the opportunities created by the Single Market. Without this support it would be difficult or impossible for them to reach new audiences in Europe and beyond.
Creative Europe is also promoting cultural and linguistic diversity, and contributing to our objectives for job creation and sustainable growth.
The new programme would allocate more than €900m in support of the cinema and audiovisual sector and almost €500m for culture.
We also propose to allocate more than €210m for a new financial guarantee facility, which would enable small operators to access up to €1 billion in bank loans, as well as funding for policy cooperation to foster innovation.
In 2014- 2020, Creative Europe would help 300,000 artists and cultural professionals and their works to reach new audiences; more than 1,000 European films and 2,500 cinemas would receive support, and the EU would finance the translation of over 5,000 books. At least 100 million citizens would be directly reached through the projects financed by the programme.
My wish to increase investment in education, youth, creativity and innovation stems from my conviction that these are growth areas where Europe can undoubtedly make a difference by speeding up the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Erasmus for All and Creative Europe will make a solid contribution to the prosperity and well-being of citizens.
The Commission’s proposals will now be discussed by member states and the European Parliament, who will make the final decision on the future EU budget. I hope they will follow the Commission’s proposals and invest in our future.
Ms Vassiliou is European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth.