Besluitpunt "GREEN PAPER - PROMOTING THE LEARNING MOBILITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE Mr FIGEL' presented the Green Paper on promoting the learning mobility of young people which he was tabling for approval. He thanked the Commission members and their departments for the excellent cooperation shown in preparing the dossier. He pointed out that this was a horizontal initiative aimed not only at exploring the means of encouraging young people to take more advantage of the opportunities available to them for spending a period abroad but also at identifying the barriers to youth mobility and making proposals with a view to reinforcing programmes and setting up partnerships for youth mobility both inside and outside the EU. The initiative covered all aspects of education and training: school, university studies, work placements, apprenticeships, youth exchanges, volunteer work, vocational training and mobility for young entrepreneurs. It also covered all areas ­ technology, science, arts and sport. He referred to the meeting held on 28-29 April at Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve of ministers or representatives in charge of higher education in the 46 countries participating in the Bologna Process. The ministers had formulated the goal that by 2020 at least 20% of those graduating in the European Higher Education Area final (8 July 2009) final 18 should have had a study or training period abroad. He spoke of the benefits of mobility, not only for enabling people to improve their knowledge of languages and intercultural skills and to develop their sense of European citizenship but also for increasing the international outlook and competitiveness of schools, universities and other educational establishments and businesses. He also pointed out the significant benefits for the European economy of a better qualified, more flexible workforce better equipped for the challenges posed by the economic crisis. The initiative would also have positive effects on European society as a whole, since youth exchanges would help not only to combat xenophobia, racism and the risks of isolationism but also to develop European awareness among young people. He emphasised that the medium and long-term goal was to create a single area of education, learning and training in Europe. With reference to Community initiatives and programmes, he told the meeting that in 2006 around 310 000 young people had participated in a Community exchange programme. He cited as an example the highly positive results of the launching of the Erasmus programme in 1987 and reminded the meeting that on 1 July the Commission had announced that around 10 000 projects would be financed by the Erasmus Mundus programme for the academic year 2009-2010. However, certain issues needed to be looked at in depth. These were how to increase the number of young people able to participate in the exchange programmes, how to further reinforce and systematise the programmes, particularly in areas other than university studies, how to cover additional dimensions such as culture, how to improve organisation of the financing of the programmes and how to reinforce volunteer programmes, bearing in mind that the Commission had declared 2011 the European Year of Volunteering."

The Commission then held an exchange of views, covering the following points in particular:

­ the contributions the initiative could make to overcoming "mental barriers", enhancing mutual understanding, increasing contacts between people in PV(2009)1881 final (8 July 2009) PV(2009)1881 final 19 different Member States and developing the European awareness of the citizens of tomorrow;

­ the need to strengthen the communication strategy in order to make youth mobility programmes and initiatives more widely known to the general public as well as providing more targeted information to young people;

­ the importance of the contribution to be made by the Member States, since Community initiatives could only supplement efforts at national level, for example in the area of foreign language learning;

­ the importance the Commission attached to mutual recognition of diplomas and to simplifying recognition procedures and removing barriers in this area.

­ the importance of significantly increasing the percentage of researchers who had acquired professional experience in another Member State.

Mr VERHEUGEN closed the exchange of views by expressing the Commission's full support for the Green Paper.

The Commission approved the Green Paper in COM(2009)329 i /4, for transmission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, and to the national parliaments.

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