유럽연합 교육정책의 현황과 전망

Abstract

The Treaty of Rome, the fundamental law of the present EU, did not provide competence for Community action in education. Hence, the word “education”was seen as taboo in the early years of the EC. Nevertheless, EC leaders have talked about the educational cooperation at European-level since 1950s, for educational issue was linked to European economy through vocational training. In 1971, EC ministers of education officially met for the first time. And then, successive decisions, such as establishment of a new DG for Research, Science and Education in 1973, creation of the first action program in the filed of education called JSP(Joint Study Program) in 1976, construction of European educational website, EURYDICE, in 1980 and so forth, were made. The success of ERASMUS program, launched in 1987, let EC leaders take the view that education makes significant contribution to construction of one Europe. This was to lead to establish legal basis for education on EU treaty: Maastricht treaty Articles 126 on education and 127 on training. As a result, EU became an important player in the field of education. Now, the European Commission participate as a virtual leader in the Bologna process which converges national higher education system at European-level and forms a “European Higher Education Area”(EHEA) until 2010. Since 1950s, there was a gradual evolution of EU policy in the field of education. But it is too early to imagine the appearance of EU’s common educational policy, because education is not only a means of training skilled labour but also a means of building up national identity. National governments will not agree to europeanize their compulsory education in near future.