Training, education: establishment of a European Year of Lifelong Learning, 1996

The purpose of this proposal for a decision by the European Parliament and the Council is to implement a European year of lifelong learning in 1996. The four main objectives of this European year are to: - raise public awareness in Europe of the importance of education and training; - promote better cooperation between education and training structures and enterprises in the Union; - help create a European education and training area by recognizing academic qualifications and introducing a European dimension to education and training; - highlight the contribution of education and training to equal opportunities between men and women. The Commission proposes to achieve these objectives by staging a series of thematic or general events and funding specific projects: . Projects funded from the Community budget: - seminars and meetings, - information and publicity campaigns (creation of a logo on the subject of the year, video clips, multimedia terminals for trade fairs etc., public awareness projects channelling the television media and a competition at European level; . Projects cofinanced (50%) from the Community budget: - promotion within a national or regional framework; - projects to highlight and disseminate examples of good practice, - local competitions. . Projects with no repercussion on the Community budget, such as voluntary projects by public or private operators (granting the EC logo and exploiting the subjects of the European year). A total of ECU 8 million has been budgeted in order to organize this European year (3 million in 1995 and 5 million en 1996).�