Work in the EU
EU-related work is an important part of the activities at the Ministry of Education and Research and encompasses all of the ministry's policy areas: education and research.
The EU and education
The EU has only complementary powers in the field of education. This means that the member countries themselves decide on the organisation and contents of their educational systems, while cooperation at EU level complements national policies by promoting collaboration and exchange in various programmes. This cooperation has become increasingly intensive in recent years, largely because of a growing insight into the strategic importance of education for economic growth and competitiveness. Within the framework of the Lisbon strategy, the EU education ministers are engaged in a process to achieve a number of common goals for European educational systems by 2010: higher standards and greater effectiveness, easier access for all and greater openness towards the rest of the world.
The EU and research
The need for growth in Europe has characterised EU efforts in various areas as well as in the field of research. A range of growth measures have been taken that have also focused on the enormous importance of research and technological development for future expansion. The Commission has taken the initiative for creating a European Research Area. To strengthen this area, the ministers responsible for research in the member countries have decided that the Union should be the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010. Financial initiatives have also been taken, such as the decision to devote three per cent of GDP to fund research and innovation by 2010. The EU complements national activities, but can also coordinate various research activities and take initiatives of its own.
