The green and digital transformations and the related skill needs, as they are promoted by the European Year of Skills, feature in the Spanish EU Presidency programme.
Spain took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second half of 2023 on 1 July. Its main theme is ‘Europe, closer’ and its four priorities:
- Reindustrialise the European Union and guarantee its open strategic autonomy;
- Make progress in the green transition and in environmental adaptation;
- Promote greater social and economic justice;
- Strengthen European unity.
Education in focus
The Presidency programme notes that ‘education is at the heart of the European project’ and promises to complete the mid-term review of the European Education Area 2025 by promoting its social, democratic and digital pillars.
During the European Year of Skills, the Spanish Presidency ‘will work for the future of our young people, structuring an inclusive, digital and competitive educational framework, while also seeking to mitigate the impact that the economic, health and social crises have had on young people.’
In this context, it will work on the adoption of a tripartite declaration with the European social partners.
Another of the Spanish Presidency’s goals is to accelerate the EU’s digital transformation ‘to ensure that it is equipped with the necessary skills to meet the ambitious objectives of the Digital Decade policy programme 2030.’
The acquisition and development of digital skills, the programme notes, is fundamental to citizens’ personal, social and professional growth and development.
Companies and training
The Spanish Presidency will propose two Council Recommendations on improving digital skills in education and training and on the key enabling factors for successful digital education and training. The European Year of Skills highlights ‘the importance of these skills, and of professional training, ongoing training and lifelong learning’. In this framework, work will be done to improve the integration of companies into the training system.
As part of its first priority, the reindustrialisation of the EU, the Presidency aims to place the Union at the forefront of the technological revolution and to ‘advance towards responsible digitalisation, bridging the digital divide and guaranteeing digital privacy for all Europeans’.
A green economy, ‘one which ensures quality jobs and the competitiveness of European companies,’ forms part of the second priority. And the third, greater social and economic justice, seeks, among others, ‘progress in the initiatives and goals set forth in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan’. Education, training and lifelong learning form the first of the Pillar’s 20 principles.
