Treaty Establishing the European Community

Part Three - Community Policies

Chapter 3: Education, Vocational Training and Youth

Article 149 (ex Article 126)

1. The Community shall contribute to the development of quality education by encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their action, while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity.
2. Community action shall be aimed at:
   • developing the European dimension in education, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of the languages of the Member States;
   • encouraging mobility of students and teachers, inter alia by encouraging the academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study;
   • promoting cooperation between educational establishments;
   • developing exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the education systems of the Member States;
   • encouraging the development of youth exchanges and of exchanges of socio-educational instructors;
   • encouraging the development of distance education.
3. The Community and the Member States shall foster cooperation with third countries and the competent international organisations in the field of education, in particular the Council of Europe.
4. In order to contribute to the achievement of the objectives referred to in this Article, the Council:
   • acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251, after consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, shall adopt incentive measures, excluding any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States;
   • acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission, shall adopt recommendations.

Article 150 (ex Article 127)

1. The Community shall implement a vocational training policy which shall support and supplement the action of the Member States, while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the content and organisation of vocational training.
2. Community action shall aim to:
   • facilitate adaptation to industrial changes, in particular through vocational training and retraining;
   • improve initial and continuing vocational training in order to facilitate vocational integration and reintegration into the labour market;
   • facilitate access to vocational training and encourage mobility of instructors and trainees and particularly young people;
   • stimulate cooperation on training between educational or training establishments and firms;
   • develop exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the training systems of the Member States.
3. The Community and the Member States shall foster cooperation with third countries and the competent international organisations in the sphere of vocational training.
4. The Council, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251 and after consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, shall adopt measures to contribute to the achievement of the objectives referred to in this Article, excluding any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States.

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