Date of release : 01-02-2005

Policy area : Education, Youth and Culture Education, Youth and Culture

Mady Delvaux-Stehres, Minister for National Education and Vocational Training and President of the European Union’s "Education" Council, and Jan Figel, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism, have just launched the Europass Initiative.

At the launch conference held in Luxembourg from 31 January to 1 February, Mady Delvaux-Stehres underscored that this is "an instrument that certifies one’s qualifications and competencies using a more legible tool recognized throughout Europe." "We hope that the public will use this instrument more," she added, since it facilitates the recognition of qualifications and cross-border hiring.

Europass consists of five sub-instruments, two of which can be completed immediately by the citizens. The Europass CV provides a harmonised structure in all the languages, which should facilitate reading for potential employers. The Europass Language Passport provides a better presentation of language skills. The other instruments are issued to citizens who have successfully completed training or a special apprenticeship, such as international experiences or internships as part of their apprenticeships, degrees of higher education or vocational training certificates.

"Europass is the Bologna Process for vocational education," Mady Delvaux-Stehres explained. "The European ministers work in a frame of reference for vocational training similar to that of Bologna for higher education. We want to establish levels of European training. Europass can become an instrument that goes along with and accelerates the preparation of this project," she said.

The Europass documents, a voluntary initiative at this point, will be available in all the official languages of the Union toward the end of February, Jan Figel noted. According to the European Commissioner, the main objectives are to guarantee and increase the mobility of European students and workers, to make European educational systems more compatible, and to make qualifications transferable.
For more information, visit http://europass.cedefop.eu.int/