Under the EU treaties, Member States are primarily responsible for education and training (E&T), youth and sport policy. However, the EU can support their cooperation on challenges affecting all or most of them. On 16 July 2024, the new legislative term of the European Parliament began. Following this, the new Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) has been established. With the view of setting priorities for their work for 2024-2029, the following questions are of interest to the new CULT Committee members:
- What is the current situation and key recent developments in the three policy fields falling under the remit of the CULT Committee – E&T, youth and sport?
- What are the key issues and future considerations the new CULT Committee members will need to address in these policy areas in the next five years?
Our recent study “EU education, youth and sport policy – overview and future perspectives” commissioned by the European Parliament CULT Committee and implemented by Visionary Analytics with the support of highly experienced external thematic experts attempts to answer these questions. The study provides a comprehensive overview of the current legislation and policy initiatives and forward-looking insights into EU E&T, youth and sport policy in the 2024-2029 term of the European Parliament.
Main challenges: all policy fields
The study findings has revealed that many issues relevant to EU E&T, youth and sport policy fields are similar. For example, all three policy areas need to adapt to the challenges of the green and digital transitions and to further strengthen social inclusion and gender equality. All of them are also still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from negative impacts on the mental health and well-being of young people, learners, teachers and athletes to decreasing physical activity in the general population. Governance and funding, including the lack of funds and the quality of investment, are other ongoing issues relevant to all three policy areas.
Main challenges: E&T and youth policies
EU E&T and youth policies are affected by insufficient democratic participation among young people. Both policy fields are also concerned with increasing learning mobility and volunteering by reducing the barriers to participation for those currently not taking advantage of the available opportunities. Furthermore, in the field of EU E&T policy, the shortage of competent teachers, trainers and school leaders persists and is expected to worsen in the coming years due to, among other factors, ageing and unattractive working conditions. The EU youth policy field experiences other ongoing challenges regarding access to employment, education, traineeships, apprenticeships, and housing for young people.
Main challenges: EU sport policy
EU sport policy is affected by issues relating to dual careers, uncertain professional futures of athletes and the use of doping. Broader issues, such as the emergence of closed leagues, media rights, match fixing and decreasing number of volunteers are also relevant.
Overarching recommendations
To address these challenges a number of initiatives are already taking place in the EU. However, looking forward to 2024-2029, it is important to reinforce the role of the European Parliament and the CULT Committee in the three policy fields to address the remaining challenges. To achieve this, among other recommendations, in the study we stress the need for the CULT Committee members to:
- Strengthen the dialogue with stakeholders and civil society organisations by establishing regular consultation formats.
- Engage more actively in interinstitutional cooperation formats, especially in EU youth and sport policy fields.
- Continue advocating for increased funding for E&T, youth and sport policies in the light of shifting funding priorities due to the current economic and geopolitical situation in Europe.
Thematic recommendations: EU E&T policy
Key recommendations in E&T policy field include the need to: develop a comprehensive plan to tackle the lack of competent teachers, trainers and other educational staff; address the increasing impact of the educational technology (EdTech) sector in E&T; and further support schools, teachers and trainers in developing sustainability and citizenship education and introducing innovative forms of learning assessment.
Thematic recommendations: EU youth policy
In EU youth policy field, key recommendations include the need to: strengthen young people’s democratic participation (including continuing youth mainstreaming efforts); ensure their access to mental health services; support volunteering by introducing a European Volunteering Status and addressing the impact of digitalisation and climate change; and ensure affordable housing for young people.
Thematic recommendations: EU sport policy
Key recommendations in EU sport policy field include the need to: address the decreasing volunteering rates in sport; revise and strengthen the EP’s sport diplomacy strategy; and revise the 2008 EU physical activity guidelines.
Interested in learning more?
If you are keen to learn more about the findings of the study, and to see the full list of recommendations, check out the full study here or at-a-glance summary here.
