The Council concludes its work today
Debate on Education and Youth
The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Mr. Prodromos Prodromou participated today in the second day of the EU Council of Education, Youth, Culture and Sport in Luxembourg, during which Ministers focused on Education and Youth issues.
It is noted that in the light of the developments in Ukraine, the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, Mr. Serhiy Shkarlet and the Minister of Youth of Ukraine, Mr. Vadym Huttsait were invited to the Council for an informal exchange of views.
The main topic on the agenda of the Education Ministers was the management and anticipation of crises in the European Education Area. In his statement, the Minister of Education first of all referred to the successful response to the challenges in the field of education in the context of the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, underlining that the initiatives taken at European level were successful due to the support of the Member States by the institutions and the coordinated actions of the partners. We hope that the experience, strong structures and existing mechanisms will also contribute to the support of Ukrainian pupils, students and teachers. After informing his counterparts about the way in which Cyprus manages the integration of Ukrainian students into the Cypriot education system, the Education Minister suggested the creation of a permanent European coordination mechanism, which will be responsible for the formulation of guidelines for crisis management in the field of education.
The Education Ministers then attended a working lunch during which they exchanged views on investment in European universities and the potential for long-term cooperation in the field of education. In his intervention, Mr Prodromou advocated continued financial support for European Universities both through the Erasmus+ and Horizon Programmes and other EU funding programmes. As far as Cyprus is concerned, the Minister of Education referred to the provision of one-off support by the Government to the two state higher education institutions - the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus University of Technology - that participate in the European University Network, noting that with this action the Government wishes to encourage other universities in Cyprus to participate in university alliances.
The proceedings concluded this afternoon with a discussion on youth issues. The main topic of discussion was the mobility of volunteers, with the '27' exchanging views on ways to strengthen synergies between national volunteering activities and European solidarity programmes, as well as on measures that can be taken to enhance the involvement of young European volunteers in actions promoting the values of peace, solidarity and democracy.
In his intervention, Mr Prodromou referred first of all to the actions undertaken at national level. In this context, he informed his counterparts that the National Agency for the Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps programmes is the Cyprus Youth Organisation, which also promotes the relevant national actions, which allows for the best possible coordination at national and European level. He added that in the National Strategy for Youth, the issues of youth participation, mobility and volunteering are addressed in an integrated way, in order to facilitate complementarity. The Government actively supports volunteering, Prodromou stressed, noting that organisations implementing volunteering activities will be further supported with information and networking campaigns, especially in the context of this year's European Year of Youth. Referring in particular to mobility issues, Mr Prodromou stressed that it is important to ensure the participation of young people in European programmes from remote geographical areas, such as Cyprus. After noting that we are going through a period where stability and peace are threatened, Mr Prodromou pointed out the need to strengthen targeted actions in European and national programmes that emphasise the promotion of the values of peace, solidarity and democracy.
(SX)
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