Interview with Johannes Laitenberger, head of the cabinet of Commission President Barroso, on adult education in Europe and the Europe 2020 strategy.

Citizenship education in Germany has its own history and tradition. The focus is on conveying democratic competence. In addition to information about the structures of the state and society, this also involves the qualification for personal engagement on behalf of the state and society. From your perspective, is the German concept of citizenship education transferable to the European level, and where is it not?

 Citizenship education in Germany has achieved extraordinary things. The exchange of experiences and best practices with other European countries is to be welcomed. The EU promotes this by supporting contacts and activities in the field of education which extend across borders and are almost always received with mutual curiosity and accompanied by the taking up of interesting ideas. In a Europe in which social and civic contacts across borders are routine, the prerequisites are of course present for informing about positive experiences with citizenship education in other countries, which can in turn make use of these as a source of inspiration and an enrichment of their own practices. Conversely, German citizenship education can also surely learn from the traditions and different approaches in other countries and develop further.

 What are the strengths of this citizenship education in a European context and what new tasks can arise from this?

 
One major strength of citizenship education in Germany is without doubt the fact that it is not limited only to civic institutions, structures and processes, but rather places the focus on personal engagement on behalf of the state and society. Involvement with the European Union has also in the meantime become a solid component of citizenship education in Germany. This is to be welcomed and we hope that this orientation will be maintained.

 Might citizenship education in this context be a suitable instrument for the EU in conveying the civic objectives and structures of the "Europe" project?

 Yes. This is already the case today and is also clearly reflected in the funding criteria of the individual EU programmes. Particularly in the wake of the negative referenda on the constitutional treaty in France and the Netherlands in 2005, the promotion of democracy, including of social and civic engagement and an involvement with Europe, has become an important feature of many European programmes in the education, culture and youth areas. These EU programmes to this extent serve as catalysts for ideas, methods and content of citizenship education, even where this term is not specifically used.


Anchoring the idea of a unified Europe in people is a major challenge for adult education. How does the Commission hope to gain the broad approval of the population for Europe with the “Europe 2020” initiative?
 
Laitenberger: If it is to be successful, the EU Europe 2020 strategy cannot only be a matter for the EU institutions. The European Commission therefore emphasised from the start that it must be implemented in partnership with and in the member states. Both the national level, but also in the regions – in Germany the federal states – and the municipalities are called upon to make this strategy their own and to push its concrete realisation forward in partnership with civil society. The European Union and the Europe 2020 strategy are not just matters for “Brussels”, but rather also for Berlin and Warsaw or Paris, just as much as for Bonn and Turin or Turku. Organisations of civil society and, of course, educational institutions should become actively involved in the implementation of the strategy and explain this ambition in their countries.
 
The Europe 2020 initiative attaches great importance to education as a central prerequisite for maintaining the competitiveness of the European Economic Area. Doesn’t the European Commission need to invest more in the field of education in order to realise this and to equalise the differences in educational levels in the individual member states? 

Laitenberger: The Europe 2020 strategy is the framework for our common efforts aimed at creating growth and jobs. Educational and social policy are central elements of this strategy because they help us to avoid the growth of unemployment in Europe. Of course, European coordination and support doesn’t mean that EU laws or harmonisation initiatives should be anticipated because in this case the EU clearly only has supplementary and supporting competences and the main responsibility is borne by the member states. We don’t intend to change anything here. It also doesn’t mean that the EU can provide the bulk of the required investment. With an EU budget of approximately 1% of the EU gross domestic product, it is in no position to do so. It is a common misunderstanding that something that is in the common interest, for example, a coordinated economic, education or social policy, must lead to complete harmonisation, to comprehensive European legislation or to massive European allocation of resources. Both for reasons of effectiveness and of subsidiarity, a graduated procedure is appropriate. The Commission is very pleased that, after detailed and in some cases controversial discussions with the member states, it was able to see to it that goals and initiatives for the promotion of education and employment in the context of Europe 2020 are being accepted and implemented. However, in accordance with the contractually defined division of work, the main responsibility in this case clearly lies with the member states, which have in turn been encouraged to cooperate with social partners at the regional and local levels.
 
With the “Youth on the Move” initiative, Commission President Barroso has initiated a discussion about the restructuring of the Lifelong Learning programme as of 2014. What new impulses are to be expected here?
 
Laitenberger: The main initiative “Youth on the Move” aims to increase the labour market chances of youths by expanding the mobility offering for students and trainees and to improve the quality and attractiveness of education and training in Europe. “Youth on the Move” is a fixed component of the Europe 2020 strategy. It is based on the conception of President Barroso that by the year 2020 almost all young people in Europe should be given the opportunity to complete a part of their training in another member state. In addition to other impulses for improving the qualification possibilities of young people, this main initiative does in fact provide an impulse for the reorientation of the EU Lifelong Learning programme as of 2014. The Commission will be providing concrete suggestions with reference to objectives, structure and financial funding of the new programme in the coming months. It is already clear that the European Union will continue to need an effective and ambitious instrument for promoting lifelong learning, especially because achieving our Europe 2020 goals depends to a considerable extent upon this. However, as I wish to emphasise expressly, this applies not only to the young generation. It would be a serious error to characterise this focus on young people as the neglect of the dimension of lifelong learning in other phases of life.
 
Continuing education/adult education only occupy a marginal position in the Lifelong Learning programme. There is no comparable institution like CEDEFOP (initial training) or Eurydice (school). How can non-formal and informal learning be reinforced by measures of the Commission?

Laitenberger: The current participation of adults in “lifelong learning” varies greatly and is still unsatisfactory in many EU countries. However, adult education is a decisive component among the measures of lifelong learning and is indispensable throughout Europe for competitiveness and the capacity to promote employment, social integration, civic engagement and personal development. The objectives, structure and financial funding of future programmes as of 2014 are currently being discussed. The Commission will present its suggestions for the new programme generation in the coming months. In this context, not only formal education and training but also non-formal and informal learning will continue to play a role. Examples of this include the promotion of youth encounters, volunteer services, the training of youth leaders and the recognition of learning results. We are ambitious and demanding in the process. Greater efforts are required to ensure that even more adults take part in educational activities throughout their entire lives.

However, it is important to make it completely clear that in a time of economic, financial and debt crisis, programmes can only be justified when a European added value of the promoted campaigns can be demonstrated; meaning that support at the European level is more effective than at the national level. Europe would not be doing itself a service if it allowed itself to be viewed as a symbol of useless expenditures or as an institutional end in itself, the benefits of which for citizens remain unclear.

One of the measures of the Commission meant to strengthen adult education in Europe was the Action Plan on Adult Education. Its results were presented and discussed in March on the occasion of a conference in Budapest. In your opinion, what must the next action plan of the Commission, which builds on this, take into account?

Experts did in fact discuss the EU Action Plan on Adult Education (2008–2010) from 7 – 9 March 2011 in Budapest. The conference underlined the necessity of adult education more than ever before. The participants agreed that future priorities should concentrate on assisting adults in adapting to changes and transitions in their lives. Particular emphasis was placed on the challenge of expanding adult education in times of tight budgets. On the occasion of the conference, the Commission published the results and achievements of the Action Plan on Adult Education in the period from 2008–2010 (http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/news2835_en.htm). The Commission intends to take on a new Action Plan on Adult Education already in 2011 on the basis of these findings.

 
Johannes Laitenberger, born in 1964 in Hamburg, is a lawyer and has been active in various positions with the EU Commission since 1999. In the Cabinet of Viviane Reding, he was Head of Cabinet from 2003 until the end of the term of office of the Commission under Romano Prodi in the autumn of 2004. In the Cabinet of the Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Laitenberger first held the office of Spokesperson of the European Commission. Johannes Laitenberger has been Head of Cabinet since 1 November 2009.

Interview: Markus Schuck, askb (aksb-inform)