The Lisbon Strategy's implications for education, training and social inclusion were the focus of a seminar organised by the Committee of the Regions' Commission for Economic and Social Policy (ECOS), in Logroño, Spain, today, 6 June. The event, held at the invitation of Pedro Sanz Alonso, President of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, highlighted the importance of providing young people with the skills needed for an increasingly competitive labour market.

Keynote CoR speakers at the seminar included President Sanz Alonso (ES/EPP), Constance Hanniffy (IE/EPP), chair of the Commission for Economic and Social Policy, Henk Kool (NL/PES), deputy mayor of the Hague and rapporteur for the CoR's opinion on modernising social protection, and Declan McDonnell (IE/ALDE), rapporteur on the contribution of volunteering to economic and social cohesion.

The seminar concluded that particular attention needs to be drawn to the needs of young people because, without them, the objectives of the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs cannot be achieved in the long run. Regional and local authorities have a major responsibility for meeting these needs because they are the main providers of the education, skills training and mobility services that are key to entry into the labour market.

The dual training system, popular in Austria and other countries in central Europe, was highlighted as an example of best practice: it provides young people with the opportunity to combine school studies with training at work to improve their employability.

Speakers also stressed the need for social participation, especially for those who are not fit for regular work or sheltered employment due to psychological and/or physical handicaps. Both social and workplace issues need to be addressed in all policy areas of the EU, the seminar concluded.

What is the Committee of the Regions?

The Committee of the Regions is a consultative body, which was created in 1994 to give representatives of local government a say over the content of these laws. The CoR organises five plenary sessions a year, where its 344 members vote on reports, known as opinions, issued in response to proposed legislation. The European Commission, which initiates EU laws, and the Council of Ministers, which determines the final content of the legislation (usually in tandem with the European Parliament), are obliged to consult the CoR on a wide range of policy areas including the environment, employment and transport.