TEXTS ADOPTED Provisional edition. European Parliament resolution of 14 September 2017 on the future of the Erasmus+ programme (2017/2740(RSP))

Transcription

1 Eurpean Parliament TEXTS ADOPTED Prvisinal editin P8_TA-PROV(2017)0359 The future f the Erasmus+ prgramme Eurpean Parliament reslutin f 14 September 2017 n the future f the Erasmus+ prgramme (2017/2740(RSP)) The Eurpean Parliament, having regard t Articles 165 and 166 f the Treaty n the Functining f the Eurpean Unin (TFEU), having regard t the Charter f Fundamental Rights f the Eurpean Unin, in particular Article 14 theref, having regard t Regulatin (EU) N 1288/2013 f the Eurpean Parliament and f the Cuncil f 11 December 2013 establishing Erasmus+ : the Unin prgramme fr educatin, training, yuth and sprt and repealing Decisins N 1719/2006/EC, N 1720/2006/EC and N 1298/2008/EC 1, having regard t its reslutin f 2 February 2017 n the implementatin f Regulatin (EU) N 1288/2013 f the Eurpean Parliament and f the Cuncil f 11 December 2013 establishing Erasmus+ : the Unin prgramme fr educatin, training, yuth and sprt and repealing Decisins N 1719/2006/EC, N 1720/2006/EC and N 1298/2008/EC 2, having regard t its reslutin f 12 April 2016 n Erasmus+ and ther tls t fster mbility in vcatinal educatin and training (VET) a lifelng learning apprach 3, having regard t its reslutin f 19 January 2016 n the rle f intercultural dialgue, cultural diversity and educatin in prmting EU fundamental values 4, having regard t the questin t the Cmmissin n the future f the Erasmus+ prgramme (O /2017 B8-0326/2017), 1 OJ L 347, , p Texts adpted, P8_TA(2017) Texts adpted, P8_TA(2016) Texts adpted, P8_TA(2016)0005.

2 having regard t Rules 128(5) and 123(2) f its Rules f Prcedure, A. whereas, in the current cntext, the 30th anniversary f the Erasmus+ prgramme shuld be nt nly a mment fr celebratin, but als an pprtunity t reflect n hw the prgramme can be made mre accessible and inclusive, and imprve the develpment f Eurpean citizens and rganisatins active in the fields f educatin, training, yuth and sprt; B. whereas educatin is a fundamental human right and a public gd which shuld be accessible t all applicants, especially students with a lwer incme; 1. Stresses that Erasmus is ne f the mst successful EU prgrammes and an essential tl t supprt activities in the fields f educatin, training, yuth and sprt, and in bringing Eurpe clser t its citizens; acknwledges the extremely psitive impact it has had n the persnal and prfessinal lives f mre than participants in and utside Eurpe, including in neighburing and candidate cuntries, ver the last 30 years; 2. Underlines the rle f Erasmus+, which, thrugh mbility and strategic cllabratin, has cntributed t enhancing the quality f educatin and training institutins in the EU, increasing the cmpetitiveness f the Eurpean educatin sectr, creating a strng Eurpean knwledge ecnmy and achieving the Eurpe 2020 gals; 3. Believes that the Erasmus+ prgramme and its successr shuld fcus, in particular, n lifelng learning and mbility, cvering frmal, nn-frmal and infrmal educatin, and that, in s ding, it can supprt the develpment f skills and key cmpetences fr persnal, scial and prfessinal fulfilment, which ges tgether with the prmtin f demcratic values, scial chesin, active citizenship and the integratin f migrants and refugees in enabling a wider intercultural dialgue; 4. Emphasises the need fr a cherent apprach t educatin, training, yuth and sprt plicies acrss learning sectrs, in particular thrugh crss-actin pprtunities and synergies with ther EU funds and prgrammes; ntes, in this respect, that the upcming renewal f the framewrk fr Eurpean cperatin in the yuth field is an ideal pprtunity t align the pririties f the successr f Erasmus+ with the new EU Yuth Strategy and ther EU-funded prgrammes; 5. Believes that Erasmus+ shuld als be viewed as a key instrument f the EU strategy t prmte the sustainable develpment gals wrldwide; 6. Ntes, given the high rate and imprtance f mbility between educatinal establishments and rganisatins n the cntinent and in the UK, that the Brexit negtiatins shuld bring abut a mutually satisfying agreement n the status f EU students and teachers participating in Erasmus+ mbility schemes in the UK and viceversa; Yuth unemplyment and persnal and scial fulfilment 7. Is f the pinin that the Erasmus+ prgramme has evlved significantly, enabling mre participants t benefit frm the prgramme and helping them t imprve their knwledge and clse their skills and cmpetency gaps, in particular with the extensin f Erasmus+ t the vlunteering, infrmal and nn-frmal educatin and training

3 sectrs and the expansin f its gegraphic scpe beynd the EU; 8. Recgnises that mbile higher educatin students are twice as likely t be in emplyment ne year after graduatin than their nn-mbile peers and that almst 90 % 1 f all vcatinal educatin and training (VET) learners n mbility prgrammes say that their emplyability has increased as a result f this experience; ntes with regret, hwever, that yung peple are mst at risk f unemplyment; recgnises the need, therefre, fr Erasmus+ t lend strng supprt t actins geared twards delivering better emplyment pprtunities; 9. Stresses that vlunteering encurages the develpment f civic participatin and active citizenship, while als helping t bst participants chances f finding a jb; stresses, therefre, that funding under the Erasmus+ prgramme shuld be part f a wider plicy strategy aimed at creating in Eurpe an envirnment cnducive t vlunteering, nt duplicating but strengthening existing successful initiatives; recalls, hwever, that ptential quality jbs can never be replaced with unpaid vlunteering activities; 10. Outlines the fact that Erasmus+ shuld fcus n innvatin and develpment and place a greater emphasis n enhancing key skills and cmpetences, such as self-cnfidence, creativity, entrepreneurship, adaptability, critical thinking, cmmunicatin skills, team wrk and the ability t live and wrk in a multicultural envirnment; highlights the fact that thse cmpetences can be develped mre fully thrugh a balanced cmbinatin f frmal, nn-frmal and infrmal learning, and that the acquisitin f key cmpetences is vital frm a very yung age and shuld be enhanced further thrugh increased investment in actins targeting mbility during the earlier stages f educatin and training; 11. Ntes that Erasmus+ shuld fster strnger links between educatinal and training establishments and the business cmmunity in rder t increase the skills and emplyability f its participants and the cmpetitiveness f the Eurpean ecnmy; 12. Emphasises the rle f Erasmus+ VET in helping participants t develp skills and acquire the experience required in the labur market, thus cntributing t higher emplyability and scial integratin; encurages imprvements t Erasmus+ VET with a view t making it mre mdern, accessible, simplified and fit fr the digital age; 13. Recgnises the high ptential fr expanding the mbility f VET learners t shrt-term and lnger-duratin (Erasmus Pr) placements t reinfrce the EU s cntributin t the fight against yuth unemplyment; urges the Cmmissin and the Member States t reinfrce the pprtunities fr VET learner mbility and the prfessinal apprenticeship dimensin f the prgramme, bth in recgnitin f the inherent value f apprenticeships and t fster natinal refrms t develp prfessinal training and qualificatins further and prmte their recgnitin; reaffirms, at the same time, that an internship is a frmative pprtunity that is nt a substitute fr paid emplyment; Scial inclusin and accessibility 14. Regrets that fewer than 5 % f yung Eurpeans benefit frm the prgramme n 1 Erasmus+ dashbard, data extracted n 28 March 2017; see: p. 29.

4 accunt f sci-ecnmic factrs, limited funding, grwing inequalities between and within Member States and the cmplexity f applicatin prcesses and administrative management; calls n the Cmmissin and the Member States t make the prgramme mre pen and accessible, delivering mre fr the final beneficiaries and maximising supprt, in particular fr peple frm disadvantaged backgrunds and thse with special needs; 15. Urges the Cmmissin and the Member States t make Erasmus+ even mre inclusive in rder t reach mre yung peple thrugh different tls, digital in particular, and rganisatins, including frmal and nn-frmal educatinal institutins at all levels, yuth rganisatins, arts and grassrts sprts rganisatins, vlunteer rganisatins and ther civil sciety stakehlders, by mainstreaming the Inclusin and Diversity Strategy thrugh the prgramme and targeting thse with special needs and fewer pprtunities; 16. Recalls that a lack f crdinatin and prtability f rights amng EU scial systems represents a serius barrier t the mbility f peple with disabilities, despite effrts t make the Erasmus+ prgrammes and ther mbility initiatives mre inclusive; calls n the Cmmissin and the Member States t strengthen cllabratin and thus imprve the mbility f vulnerable peple; 17. Acknwledges that ne f the main bstacles t invlving mre students in higher educatin mbility is the lack f clarity and cnsistency in the recgnitin f Eurpean Credit Transfer and Accumulatin System (ECTS) credits gained during the mbility perid; calls n the Member States and cmpetent authrities, higher educatin institutins in particular, t fully implement learning agreements as a mandatry part f the mbility prcess and t ensure the smth recgnitin f ECTS credits gained during Erasmus+ higher educatin mbility perids; 18. Believes that the yunger generatins shuld have better pprtunities t design the future f the prgramme, as they are best placed t enhance its visin and take it t the next level, in accrdance with their current and future needs and the challenges they face when wrking, vlunteering and studying; 19. Encurages a certain degree f flexibility when designing the new prgramme t ensure that it is in a psitin t respnd quickly t emerging challenges and strategic pririties at Eurpean and internatinal level; highlights the fact that all new initiatives shuld cmplement existing nes and shuld be equipped with a budget that is sufficient t ensure their effective functining; Eurpean identity and active citizenship 20. Firmly believes that the Erasmus+ prgramme shuld cntinue t stimulate active citizenship, civic educatin and intercultural understanding and develp a sense f Eurpean identity; insists, therefre, that all educatin and training and frmal and nnfrmal learning mbility activities financed by Erasmus+ als raise yung peple s awareness f the added value f Eurpean cperatin in the field f educatin and encurage them t engage in Eurpean issues; 21. Believes that, where apprpriate, incrprating educatinal mbility as part f higher educatin and vcatinal training prgrammes culd be beneficial fr bth students

5 persnal and career develpment and the prmtin f intercultural understanding; 22. Calls n the Cmmissin t develp a Eurpean student ecard giving students Eurpewide access t services; Financing f the prgramme 23. Regrets that the lw success rate f prjects launched under sme Erasmus+ actins, limited grants and high demand fr prgramme participatin may jepardise the success f Erasmus+ as a flagship EU prgramme; strngly believes that Erasmus+ shuld ultimately be targeted twards all yung peple and that these higher sights fr the next Erasmus+ prgramming perid must be matched by significant additinal funding which shuld be reflected in an increased budget s as t unlck the full ptential f the prgramme; calls, therefre, n the Member States, the Cmmissin and relevant stakehlders t generate strnger and mre visible supprt fr the Erasmus prgramme in anticipatin f the upcming multiannual financial framewrk (MFF) negtiatins; 24. Stresses the imprtance f the smth intrductin f the new Erasmus+ prgramme, with a strategically planned budget frm the utset; encurages the use f reginal and scial funds t increase the financial cntributin f Member States t Erasmus+ mbility grants; recalls that the cnsistent applicatin f prgramme rules acrss the natinal agencies, including cmpliance with shared quality standards and prject evaluatin and administrative prcedures, is essential fr guaranteeing the cherent implementatin f the Erasmus+ prgramme; 25. Instructs its President t frward this reslutin t the Cuncil, the Cmmissin, and the gvernments and parliaments f the Member States.