A commentary by MEP Petra Kammerevert, member of the S&D group and chair of the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), on the European Education Area.

Our society is facing major challenges that don’t end at the next border fence, whether that be with our neighbour or neighbouring country. This is not just apparent in the present COVID-19 crisis, the severity of which is not affecting all the EU’s Member States to the same extent, but which is having a drastic effect on public life across Europe. The fact that certain challenges require a European response can also be witnessed in many other respects.

The education sector is a striking example, as it was pre-corona. Throughout the Union, our children are being educated in rather dilapidated and poorly equipped schools. In all Member States, a desperate search is on for skilled workers that our education systems simply do not bring forward anymore.

The digitisation of all areas of our lives requires the acquisition of new and different knowledge and skills. However, school curricula in the vast majority of Member States have so far devoted very little attention to this. In addition, it has also become normal for many EU citizens to live, study and work throughout the EU. The fact that the cross-border (non-) recognition of qualifications and diplomas is often an obstacle to this is highly regrettable.

Read the full article here.