School education: European cooperation in quality evaluation. Recommendation

The Commission notes with satisfaction that the common position of the Council respects the substance and spirit of its proposal. It notes that the Council shares the common objective of the proposal, which is to strengthen European cooperation in the quality and evaluation of school education. The Commission welcomes the fact that the Council has accepted the amendments relating to: - strengthening the follow-up measures recommended in the Commission's proposal; - introducing explicit references to the crucial role played by performance indicators and benchmarks; - extending and clarifying the political scope of the recommendation; - introducing new recitals which clarify the proposal and stress the various objectives behind efforts to evaluate the quality of school education. In conclusion, on the basis of this common position, the legislative procedure can now move ahead constructively with the second reading at the European Parliament. The Commission fully supports the Council's common position.�