05 May 2008

News from the EU

 

EU initiative to facilitate mobility in vocational education & training

On 10 April 2008, the European Commission presented a project for a European Credit System in Vocational Education and Training (called ECVET), aiming to build on the success of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) in higher education, that would make it easier for citizens to get formal recognition of knowledge, skills and competences they have gained in another country. The EU Member States are encouraged to sign up to this voluntary scheme that does not seek to replace national systems but to facilitate the transfer between them. Furthermore, having your educational and professional qualifications recognised in another country is a step closer to realisation since 23 April 2008, as the presidents of the Council and the European Parliament signed a joint recommendation on boosting the mobility of learners and workers across Europe (European Qualifications Framework (EQF)). The EU Member States can now adopt this scheme that will promote lifelong learning and mobility by making it easier to understand and compare individuals’ qualifications around Europe.

 

For further information, click here & here.

Long-term Care in the European Union

The European Commission has published a report entitled “Long-term Care in the European Union”, drafted based on the national reports provided by the EU Member States under the EU system of common objectives, assessment and reporting for social protection and inclusion, the so-called 'Open Method of Coordination'. The report reveals the main challenges Member States face in the field of long-term care, such as: Ensuring access for all to long-term care services, Promoting home or community-based care rather than institutional care to help dependent people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible; and Improving the recruitment and working conditions of formal carers and supporting the informal ones; and highlights the need for the EU Member States to adapt their national health systems to prepare the increase in long-term health services.

 

For further information, click here.

Structured cooperation between the Council and the European Commission

Meeting on 18 April 2008, the 27 European Ministers for Health underlined the need to implement structured cooperation between the Council and the European Commission as the key to achieving EU Health Strategy goals and to resolving other strategic EU health issues. In cooperation with the Member States, the Slovenian Presidency drafted a proposal for a structure to enable strategic cooperation. The final proposal will be approved at the Council of Health Ministers meeting in June 2008.

 

For further information, click here.

New statute for the European Ombudsman

On 22 April 2008, the European Parliament voted in favour of the changes to the Ombudsman statute. The most important ones include: Ombudsman full access to EU documents during its inquiries (all EU institutions and bodies will have to provide the information and documents required); facilitated co-operation with his national counterparts and international institutions; and improvement of the service provided for citizens, thus strengthening their trust in the EU and its institutions. The next step in the procedure is for the Commission to give an opinion, and the Council approval for the changes to enter into force.

 

For further information, click here.

HealthPROelderly Project

Some of the National Reports on the detailed evaluation of models of health promotion are now available in the project website.