Governments of South East Europe (SEE) today decided that Zagreb should host the regional secretariat for the Stability Pact’s Education Reform Initiative, to be set up by the end of 2004.

In another positive development, Romania signed the SEE Memorandum of Understanding on Education , in which governments reaffirm support for the Education Reform Initiative, and pledge to increase cooperation with regard to ongoing reform processes.  

The region is now united in its commitment to implementing European standards in the field of education.

"This marks an important step ahead for the region," commented Special Coordinator Erhard Busek.  "The modernisation and harmonisation of education policies will lead to a better skilled and more flexible work force, which is indispensable on the long and windy road toward EU membership,” he said, adding that the new secretariat is a clear example of the region’s increased ownership of the process.

The vote and the signing ceremony were held as side-events of an annual EU ministerial conference in Oslo, Norway, which was also attended by SEE countries, EU candidate nations and EFTA states.  The conference focused on reform efforts in the framework of the so-called “Lisbon Strategy”, under which EU governments work on modernising their education systems in an attempt to create a competitive knowledge-based economy, capable of sustainable growth, as well as greater social cohesion.

In order to link the SEE region to this process, SEE governments endorsed an education reform Action Plan under the auspices of the Stability Pact in May 2003.  In this plan, ministries from the region identified nine priority areas for education development and reform, which include the harmonisation of relevant legislation and curricula with EU standards, the decentralisation of education management and administration, the development of life-long learning strategies, as well as the widening of access to quality education.

Attachment:      Memorandum of Understanding (http://www.stabilitypact.org/education/030628-mou.pdf)