Kiri

Courtesy translation Lisboa, the 30th of June of 2021 Subject: Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union - Education, Youth and Sports - Acknowledgements Dear Colleagues, The best adventures are rarely the ones that we go through alone. This adventure of ours was a great one. Great in terms of the days that were spent on it, great in terms of the places we got to and great in terms of the consensus that we contributed towards. From the difficulties brought on by the pandemic situation, which we all (still) lived through this semester, we were able to make additional efforts to involve, listen to and mobilize the concerns, priorities and wishes of each one of your Member States, while working on the priorities for the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the areas of Education, Youth and Sports. Together, we have reached June 2021 and established education as an essential pillar of the European social model. We have progressed on the valorisation and the reinforcement of inclusive and quality education and training, of lifelong learning, of competences and competence recognition, of pedagogical innovation, of educational success and of citizenship, along with the valorisation of the Union as an exemplary place for taking part in global citizenship in a common effort for peace and cohesion. Throughout our Presidency, from the informal meetings on January and February to the May Council held in Brussels and including the high level event on Digital Education and the online platform on the response to the pandemic, we have upheld the importance of an inclusive access to education and training, of creating equal opportunities and conditions for success. We underlined the importance of a continuous investment in education, in self-training and in professional and artistic training, with particular emphasis on digital and green competences. We have promoted the debate on digital education, distance, and blended learning and on pedagogical innovation. Particular attention was paid to the establishment of the Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training towards the achievement of the European Education Area in 2025 and beyond (2021-2030), following up also on initiatives within the new Skills Agenda and the new Digital Education Action Plan.  Courtesy translation In the area of youth, we reinforced the importance of young people's participation in decision-making processes, thus moving forwards on important priorities and objectives of the EU in terms of the development of youth policies. We of course did not forget the role of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes as main ambassadors for European citizenship, and so we held a true celebration of youth in Viana do Castelo, where we underlined the importance and contribution of mobility and youth and education policies, through the launch of both these programmes. We also looked at the "future of Sport" and mapped out its inclusion in the upcoming EU Work Programme for Sport, emphasizing its role and nature as a driver for innovation and its great potential as a place for new ways of supporting European diplomacy. During this Presidency, which we now hand over to the Slovenians, we believe we have reached further. We have done so as committed partners for all future presidencies, and we will give our support so that each one of them can always achieve more and more. I wish all the best success to Slovenia and to the Member States that will follow. Thank you to each and every one of you, for being our committed partners, just as we hope to have been for you. Moving forward, please count with our support, just as we counted on yours. Tiago Brandão Rodrigues Education Minister Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021 Education, Youth and Sports