Each Member State of the European Union manages its own education and training system. The European Union supports national actions through a European framework for co-operation which seeks to improve coherence between national education policies.
In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, the European Union encourages cooperation between countries, whose action it can supplement if necessary. For example, it funds several initiatives in favour of education in Europe, whether it be the mutual recognition of qualifications abroad or the promotion of good practice.
The aim is to enable Member States to work together and learn from each other, while respecting their cultural and linguistic diversity, and leaving the content of education and the organisation of the education system entirely to the Member States.
Vocational education and higher education are subject to specific processes. The Bologna Process, initiated in 1998, aims to create a European Higher Education Area. It is based on the LMD (Licence/Master/Doctorat) system applied today, but also on the ECTS credits set up within the framework of Erasmus to ensure mutual recognition of university credits to validate diplomas.
The European Union’s main tool in the field of education and training is the Erasmus+ programme
This programme has five main objectives for the UN in education, training, youth and sport :
- improving the level of competence and key skills with particular regard to their relevance for the labour market and their contribution to social cohesion
- fostering quality improvement, excellence in innovation and the internationalisation of education and training institutions
- to promote the emergence and awareness of a European area of lifelong learning designed to complement policy reforms at national level
- to strengthen the international dimension of education and training
- improving language teaching and learning
The 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme has a strong focus on social inclusion, ecological and digital transitions and promoting the participation of young people in democratic life. As far as the education sector is concerned, a framework of actions has been defined to achieve these objectives: mobility of individuals for education and training purposes; cooperation in innovation and exchange of good practice; support for policy reform.