In his first visit to the European Training Foundation (ETF), new Director of Lifelong Learning at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC), Mr.  Pierre Mairesse, made a strong statement in favour of education as a key element for European future.

Director of Lifelong Learning at the European Commission's DG EAC, Pierre Mairesse has the European Training Foundation (ETF) in his portfolio which also includes the EU's lifelong learning strategy, the European Qualifications Framework, Europass, Entrepreneurship, Social Inclusion and the key competences framework. During meetings with ETF management and staff, Pierre Mairesse encouraged the ETF to use the new, enlarged mandate on human capital develoment to its full potential in order to promote reform of education and training in the EU neighbourhood.

Reforming educational systems to meet future needs

"Vocational education and training forces social cohesion in partner countries, and therefore education is high on the political agenda," highlighted Mr. Mairesse, adding that “education and training play an important role in the EU's vision for 2020, and both EU Member States and neighbouring countries are invited to reform their education and training systems to meet future needs”.

Pierre Mairesse referred to the seven EU flagship initiatives, agreed by the EU Council, and underlined that four of these "flagships" have elements of education and training. The flagship initiatives are the main tool to implement the targets of the EU 2020 strategy, and the European Commission sees these initiatives as a “powerful tool to shape new economic governance, supported by the internal market, our budget, our trade and external economic policy and the disciplines and support of economic and monetary union.”

EU 2020 flagship initiatives

• “Innovation Union”
• “Youth on the move”
• “A Digital Agenda for Europe”
• “Resource efficient Europe”
• “An industrial policy for the globalisation era”
• “An Agenda for new skills and jobs”
• “European Platform against Poverty”