ESC opinion on Commission's "White Paper on education and training"
The Economic and Social Committee of the European Union has published its opinion on the Commission's "White Paper on education and training - Towards the Learning Society", adopted by the Commission in November 1995. The White Paper proposes five objectives for education and training in Europe: - Encourage the acquisition of new knowledge; - Bring schools and the business sector closer together; - Combat exclusion; - Proficiency in three Community languages; - Treat capital investment and investment in training on an equal basis. The ESC, in its opinion, supports the aims of the White Paper, stating that the development and modernization of education and training are essential for European development in the economic, cultural and social fields. The ESC recognizes that the White Paper is a positive and important contribution by the Commission to the future of the EU. It stresses, however, that the problems of European education and training must be dealt with by the whole of society. The ESC accepts that the five objectives can be regarded as key aims but suggests that an additional, central aim should be added: that of ensuring the humanist dimension of the Learning Society. It also stressed the need for a specific financial allocation to be made in order to ensure that the Commission's proposals do not remain ineffectual.