Education 2010

Vocational Education and Training 7 December

Informal Council of Ministers for Education and Training

Towards a stronger European collaboration on vocational education and training

The Belgian EU Presidency organises this two-yearly Ministerial Council for the Copenhagen Process (European cooperation in the field of vocational education and training). The Ministers of 33 countries (the EU, EEA and candidate Member States) will take note of the evaluation report on the past decade and outline the priorities of the programme of activities for the new decade (2010-2020). The objective is to achieve a reinforced European cooperation in the field of vocational education and training.

Detailed info

The framework for European cooperation on vocational education and training is known as the Copenhagen Process. The Copenhagen Declaration was signed in November 2002 and, on 7 December 2010 at the Provincial Court in Bruges, the Belgian EU Presidency is holding the biennial ministerial conference on the process. The Copenhagen Process originated from agreements reached during the previous Belgian EU Presidency in 2001 in Bruges, which is why this symbolic location was chosen. The ministers from 33 countries (the EU, EEA and candidate Member States) will come together in Bruges to peruse the assessment report on the previous decade and define the work programme for the next decade (2010-2020).

The day before the ministerial conference, a conference will be held, also in Bruges, on topics which are relevant to both the Copenhagen Process and the Bologna process (European cooperation in higher education). This conference will examine how quality assurance and transparency can form a bridge between vocational education and training, compulsory education and higher education, and thus promote mobility and lifelong learning.

Practical info

• Date: 7 December 2010
• Location: Brugge
• Venue: Provinciaal Hof
• Address: Markt 3, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
• Contact: Flemish Community, Department of Education and Training, International Relations
• Phone: + 32 2 553 98 62
• Fax: + 32 2 553 98 85
• E-mail: educ.presidency@vlaanderen.be