 Good morning dear colleagues, we will start our session today with a very very important debate Timely debate and relevant debate. We are We're gonna talk about the European year of skills And we have some gas speakers important gas speakers Like commissioner for jobs and social rights Nicholas Schmidt Drago's Pizlaro a chair of the committee on employment and social affairs of the European Parliament Eugen Siebel the executive director of the European Center for the development of Vacational training Noelia Cantero Director of the European Association of regional and local authorities for lifelong Learning and our dear Kali Tanya Ristova chair of the Sadek Commission at the COR Last October and following the president of the European Commission State of the Union address The European Commission presented its proposal to make 2023 the European year of skills so the Diagnosis in that communication is one that we at local and regional level are very aware of and that has to do with for example The mismatch in some labor sectors between needs and availability of workers The need to provide adequate training and skills development to achieve the twin transitions The absolute necessity to continuously provide lifelong training to keep a motivated up-to-date And dynamic workforce or how to better equip the young captivate talent integrate the migrants and Prevent a decline in the competitiveness of our economic and productive tissue local and regional authorities have a key responsibility in tackling all these challenges to Debate on how we can do that. I will now Give the floor. I think first we have a video We don't have a video do we have a video We're having a video Europe is facing many challenges the climate crisis and the green transition demographic change and digitalization the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war against Ukraine all this Impacts the labor market too many Europeans struggle to find a decent job and the demands are ever-changing Europe must build the future now Regions and cities are on the front line to achieve that promoting skills development training and lifelong learning all over Europe Dear colleagues, it's my great pleasure and honor to give the floor to Commissioner Schmidt Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us and to share with us your thoughts your views About such an important landmark as the European years of skills commissioner. You have the floor for 10 minutes Thank you very much presidents and Dear members of the committee. So first I I would express my Great appreciation for the work you are doing We had a very important and interesting Discussion on the European year of youth and the necessity to have a very active youth policy and now I must say the committee is leading in in the preparation of the year of Skills and there is obviously a continuity between the year of youth and the year of skills we know all that we are in a Extremely rapid period of changes of Transformations and this commission has started with very very ambitious Programs on one hand Make Europe climate neutral Which is a huge huge enterprise a huge project? by 2050 But minus 55 percent by 2035 which means tomorrow and also Close the gaps between Europe and other important Economies in the world in the development of digital technologies and all this is about Europe's position in the world. It's about our competitiveness, but it's also about our economic and social model and That's why at the end It's an issue which every citizen is concerned by it's an issue of How can we take along everybody and this is the issue of the year of skills? because now we notice that a majority of companies a majority of companies Complain and sometimes cannot invest because they have difficulties At the level of hiring The skilled people they need this is reducing our growth potential. This is reducing our competitiveness For the future and therefore The year of skills is a message, but it is also an invitation for very concrete actions and Therefore, I'm very happy that the Committee of Regents has now put this on your agenda But also with the very very concrete Ideas and proposals and why is it so important for regions and local authorities To invest in people to invest in skills Well, our ecosystems our industrial ecosystems They are very much linked to regions. They are very much linked to local to local environments and If we want these ecosystems to thrive if we want to help these ecosystems to change and to transform Well, you can only do that in close cooperation with the local and regional Authorities and you are representing the local and regional authorities. So I think this is why skills policy is so Has so much to do with your own Responsibility by the way in many countries in many member states local and regional authorities have responsible responsibilities at the level of education, but also skills skills institution Now That's why this year will be important and we have to make this year a great success You know that the president of the Commission presented a few days ago the Green Deal Industrial Plan This is Europe's response Among others to the famous American plan IRA, but it is also finally a Continuation of what the Commission has proposed from the beginning of its mandate the Green Deal but it is Focusing on the development of Europe's industry Because we all understand now that industry is at the heart of our economic Of our economic strengths It's at the heart of our International and global competitiveness and this especially at the moment where Globalization is changing changing a lot where we had Partly due to covered a lot of impacts on the global supply chains Where industries for instance the automotive industry the committee is very much dealing with Sometimes had to stop production because they did not have The components to produce cars So I think there is an awareness now that Europe has to give a new strong impetus to its industrial development But this industrial development will be based on new technologies It will be based on knowledge. It will be based on innovation It will be based on automation and all that means that we have to reskill Millions millions of people we assume that About half of the Workforce in Europe has to be reskilled in the next few years Which is an extremely vast Enterprise we have we have to engage in and I like very much that what you have said in your Resolution when we talk about The complete shift in skill set and mindset Skill set obviously we have to be aware that a lot of new skills have to be learned and I'm very happy that the director of our Agency Set if up is here and we are working a lot on these skills set We're working a lot. What kind of new skills are needed? What are the new jobs and what skills are needed for these jobs? And on the other hand, it's a question of mindset because we have to be aware that if we have to skill up skill We skill so many people we have to convince them that this is an investment Which is in their advantage in their interest when industries have to reskill part of their their Employees they first have to convince them that this is a good thing for them There is sometimes a lot of distrust when people hear that after years they have done a job They have to be reskilled and I think this is also the importance of this year of skill to tell every citizen that it is an investment in his or her future in The future of young people especially those who are left behind the needs We have three million needs. We have discussed that during the discussion around the year of the year of youth, so I think In that perspective, we have to make this year of skills a success We have to invest a lot of money here, but this is not a cost. This is a real investment and Again, we have had this interesting meeting on automotive. This is one sector, but it's not the only one There are a lot of sectors which have to go through a complete transformation. I'm coming from a steel area With my Luxembourgish colleague here. They know how this steel area has been transformed and Steel industry is not an old industry. It's an industry which is now going into totally new technologies Green steel, that's what we have to realize if we want to keep a steel industry in Europe And I think for all kinds of reasons not just employment, but also strategic reasons We have to keep this kind of industries in Europe But this means also that a lot of people working in these industries have to be reskilled have to learn a lot of new Technologies my last word is about digital Well, there is a gap in Europe on digital. We have still 40 percent of people who have no or very low digital skills and this year should be really the create incentives for more and more people to get Basic but also higher digital skills We have to invent also the right ways to teach people to reskill them We will not send millions of people back to school We have to find innovative ways how we can do that how we can reskill and also how to appreciate Finally their level. That's one of the ideas is to really create Objective measurements how far people have for instance digital skills, which is Extremely important for all companies and especially as a means. Thank you. Thank you commissioner now I would like to give the floor to have an input from The committee of the region side namely from our SADAC Commission I would like to give the floor to the chair of the SADAC Commission Mrs. Eristova you have the floor for three minutes. Thank you very much Dear president the commissioner dear chair of M committee dear colleagues ladies and gentlemen After hearing such an inspiring Messages, I will try to complete the vertical image of the skill landscape in Europe Of course from the perspective of the local and regional to begin I would like to underline how important is the role of local and regional authorities in skill policies and To immediately inform you that the committee of the regions will contribute to the successful Implementation of the European ear of skills by ensuring that our objectives take into account a strong local and regional perspective as the Resolution that the committee of the regions adopted in December says and it Expresses the hope that the territorial dimension will be reflected in my capacity as a chair of the committee of the SADAC Commission I can tell you that skills will represent a priority policy area for us in the coming years Not only this year I also want to stress that we will engage to address the new challenges that have Emerged after the many crisis that we have been suffering and their consequences like the COVID-19 Pandemic the war in Ukraine the energy crisis We will also pay attention to the need to speed both the green and digital transition as well The demographic changes and brain train our focus will be on the Reaffirming of the need of the investments in skills so that we have to unlock better Opportunities for all and let me say especially for the young people I would like to underline that by putting people at the heart of lifelong learning policies For the improvements can be achieved in the effective deployment of resources for the development of the education and training and in this regard validation procedures for skills, which are acquired Outside the formal education system are a vital part of a fundamental changes of the European model of vocational and training system The local level is becoming increasingly important in Implementing skill management and often has a more innovative approach even though local innovative capacities frequently suffer from the Institutional support because of the lack of financial and human resources and not because of the vision and genuine interest Two important aspects would like to mention here It is harnessing talent in European Union regions and the demographic change The loss of young and educated workforce is a huge problem and challenge for communities across the European Union and here I would like to mention something which we are realizing very strongly that in the long term any change or transition to a sustainable and competitive economic model which is based on the knowledge economy Would seem very difficult to be achieved as a scenario if disparities between territories are widening Therefore the committee of the regions wants to see and the regional and local authorities as a strategic partners in the design Implementation and monitoring of the relevant strategies Implementation because of the important role that we play and for this reason I would like to thank for the proposal to involve our committee in the work of the national Coordinators and just one more sentence being in the committee of the regions as a member of the committee So close to our citizens we can be very helpful in continuing the debates and also participating in The situations where we can improve the involvement of local and regional authorities in the better skill Implementation. Thank you very much. Thank you Mr. Drago's Piz Laro welcome to the committee of the regions and thank you so much for taking the time to be with us I will now give you the floor for around three minutes Thank you, thank you very much dear president dear chair Christova honorable members of the committee of regions I Wouldn't like to repeat what the Commissioner has just mentioned. I just want to say that focusing this year on skills and on human capital In the EU it's not a choice. It's a must Year 2023 represents for the European Parliament a Momentum for rethinking the way we invest in skills developing human capital and piloting new approaches that can correspond To our changing needs and this is not just about what we can achieve this year. It's about paving the way for the future It's an important legacy that we will be working together. We see on this year You have heard clearly the link between skills and the new Green Deal industrial plan our attempt to to keep the Compativeness of the European Union and this is very clear right now The messages from the private sector are crystal clear 40% of the SMEs are Saying that they have problems in fighting the right skills and there is a big problem of skill mismatch and skill shortage So there is a clear connection between what we are investing in human capital and what we can deliver in the economy And for that I would say very clear and loud that Economic and social objectives can no longer be treated separately and operating in silos This has been a model that showed its limits That's why the discussion is not about the social or labor issues It's it's clearly about the economic future of the union about your competitiveness and again It shouldn't be competitiveness versus fairness And this is the second very important reason for your skills that the skills Investing in skills investing in human capital means basically investing in the social models the best way to be sure that we have Fairness and equity and we have cohesion and convergence would be to have better paid jobs Quality jobs adapted to the future of the labor market, and this is something that is very important We are living right now a period with increasing cost of living where a lot of people are living in precarious conditions And we need to respond and this is one of the best possible responses investing in people last but not least localizing skills I Believe that the issue of competence is a very important issue when it comes to social or related competence But right now I really believe that it's time to pick the best possible place to do the job to invest in Properly and implemented That's why I see that We need to enlarge the European pact of skills in order to reach more people at regional and local level and the local and regional Partnerships between the business sector academic sector local and regional authorities civil society are essential The parliament has actually put that forward and pleaded for that for the RF approach Repower approach that's what that didn't go You know as as planned basically because we were always in an emergency thing, but right now we need local pact for skills We need developing local strategies for employment and and supporting the development on one stop shops and local hubs for skill development So this can go without saying that the implementation of this year and of this agenda cannot be done without the local involvement And this is a critical aspect that is part of the way in which we want to negotiate from the European Parliament the content of the Year of skills we need city employment agencies We need an involvement of the municipalities and cities in delivering this full package of quality social services That can allow skills and by the way the shortage that we have and we are often looking outside the EU to get more people to work But the we are have a lot of people that are inactive in our societies And that means that we need to activate them in the best possible place to do that would be at local level So this being said I'm really glad that they I can pass this message from the European Parliament To you that we are looking for a fruitful partnership for the implementation of the European your skills. Thank you so much Thank you Now I give the floor to our guests. Thank you so much for being here. Mr Jürgen Siebel from set a fob. You have the floor for three minutes Yes, thank you president. Thank you all the other distinguished speakers and honorable members of this committee I would like to resonate what what miss? rest of us said and also drivers piece la roo It cannot be just for one year and in fact city fob For city fob every year is a year of skills because we are the European Union agency for skills And for vocation education training qualifications, but we provide skills intelligence That will help policy makers to take the right decisions at all levels European But down to leave a regional and local as well And I think that it's a year the year of skills should be a to champion the people and their skills as a sort of the lever to make us a competitive as an Economy as was said before but also for helping people in societies to prosper and grow in their own right and Ultimately the green and digital transitions will be skills Transformation journeys. That's what we clearly see your city fobs European skills and jobs survey says and commissioner Schmid Quoted this that 52% of adult workforce in Europe needs some digital upskilling and we're not talking coding or AI We're talking basics one in five European adults in the workforce need basic digital skilling Navigating the internet and social media another 30 to 30 percent 30 to 40 percent need training in such basic things as the word processing and dealing with spreadsheets and so it is a An unprecedented skills a transformation that we are looking for and strategic foresight Which is one of the things that we provide in this field will help us see how things are trending and where we have to Address what kind of skills gaps and here vocation education and training as maybe the fastest and most Responsive form of education to skills gaps that are emerging And because it's so close to the labor market and involves the social partners at all times And is also broken down to regional levels as was rightly said by by the chair of the Sedeck Committee And is a key player in this way to address those kinds of skills shortages However, I would like to make one point and resonate was what Drago's Pizarro said It's also about activation And here we have to couple not only skills formation with also with job design Because there's so much skills under utilization in the EU It's hardly believable almost half of the workforce do not feel challenged in their current roles So here is also a role maybe for the employers to create jobs that are interesting and that are generating that are learning conducive and are allowing people to grow to their full potential and With those remarks, I would like to close. We're excited To be part of this journey of the European Year of Skills as the agency for skills in Europe. Thank you so much Thank you And now I will give the floor to our guest speaker Novelia Kanterov director of the European Association of Religious Journal Local and local authorities for lifelong learning. You have the floor for three minutes. Thank you Dear distinguished speakers, dear audience Mark Twain said never let formal education get in the way of your learning and that's the essence of Lifelong learning as humans. We are predisposed to evolve learning skills, habits, competencies and It is that this lifelong learning. It's about on-the-job training It's about apprenticeship vocational courses upskilling and reskilling adult learning It's important for an individual's employability But also it has social inclusion active citizenship as well as great access or fulfillment and improve mental health The European Association of regional and local authorities for lifelong learning or a lull and its members Recognize these and place the well-being impersonal and professional development of citizens at the forefront in our post-covid world Under the presidency of the Basque government ministry of education and with our board members from the regions of Brittany, Tuscany, Catalonia, and Baden-Bootenberg LL strive for supporting people to excel in a just and inclusive twin transition by Prioritizing investment and regional policies for education and training Through our for working group and our recently launched gender equality task force our members search challenges and good practices acquire new knowledge and participate in joint projects in topics such as vocational Excellent youth entrepreneurship support to needs and also as my specialization strategies all funded at the Erasmus Plus and Interact Europe Erlal priorities for this year and mainly in our work plan for 2023, which is available on our website Given the present context after the COVID pandemic and the work in Ukraine What can we do to level up our societies? Europe's regions need to set up a skills governance processes and ecosystem that can quickly come up with appropriate solutions to the needs of our people and territories at Erlal we believe that regions and local authorities Have a privileged position to mobilize local stakeholders through skilled councils Committees or networks that can recognize Nurture and develop talent Erlal trust the European year of skill will set up a milestone in the life of the association And we are grateful to embark on this journey for the European year to be a success and in line with the communication on harnessing talent in Europe's region the regional and local level must be further stressed and the Adquisition of a skill should be understood in a lifelong learning context which include but is broader that only responding to labor market needs We would like to suggest that the EU institution Augment their efforts regarding communication strategies for the year in order to mask the might impact Erlal is planning many initiatives to celebrate the year of skills and we will serve them with all of you in you We are organizing a regional summit for a political representative in Brussels where we are planning to draw attention to the fundamental position that the regional authorities have in supporting Europe's talent and in shaping our future to finalize I would like to remind everyone that on 11 of February We are celebrating the United Nations International Day of women and girls in science Gender equality is essential to achieve full human potential and sustainable Development, let's make every day in the European year of skills and location to nurture Develop and celebrate talent. Thank you Now it's time to give the floor to our members. We'll start by the political groups It's I will now give the floor to mr. Emil buck for four minutes Dear commissioners meet dear colleagues in the present changing world of work Having the right skills is essential for our success Skills as we know are the natural bridge between education and employment Skills are important for Europe and for every city and every region of the European Union Having a skilled workforce is crucial for the economical development and competitiveness of our region But let's face the reality in Europe More and more people are losing their jobs either because of economic crisis or because of technological progress But innovation technology green and digital transition also bring new jobs We need major investments in skilling reskilling and upskilling of the labor force in order to respond to the people Needs of jobs in the end the job is the best form of social protection So very welcome to this initiative The next point I want to emphasize is the major impact that EU cohesion policy can have on skills especially Through the european social fund and european regional development fund skills and cohesion together An example which commissioners meet already mentioned and thank you for that The EU has set a very ambitious objective to end the sales of passenger cars with an internal combustion engine by 2035 Which would require major transformation of the automotive and supply industry regions We must ensure that this transition will be just fair and successful By safeguarding the economic and social cohesion in every european region impacted by the transition leaving as we know no region behind The european year of skills 2020 is free is an important step in ensuring that every person has the opportunity To acquire the skills needed to succeed And that every person is better equipped to meet the challenges of the future in a changing world The future belongs to those who invest in education In their skills and in the lifelong learning the european year of skills 2023 Is a great opportunity for us to encourage every citizen to take this step The quality of life of every european citizen depends on our investment in education Skilling upskilling re-skilling and lifelong learning process And this is probably the best investment for the democratic future of our europe Now it's time for action We as locally regional authorities are ready to be involved in a very pragmatic year of skills for jobs and personal achievements of our citizens Thank you I would like to give the floor to our colleague carl ein slumberz for four minutes Monsieur le commissaire monsieur le député européen mesdames messieurs chers collègues Le groupe PSE se félicite vivement de la désignation de 2023 comme année européenne des compétences Des changements à l'intérieur et entre les secteurs les catégories professionnelles Font apparaître d'importants défis en matière de perfectionnement des compétences et de reconversion Cela doit se traduire par une action visant à garantir que les travailleurs acquièrent les compétences nécessaires Pour traverser les transitions vertes et numériques en cours et qui se passent d'ailleurs de plus en plus rapidement Si ceci est plus facile pour les travailleurs hautement qualifiés et jeunes il s'agit d'un vrai défi pour ceux Peu qualifiés et âgés susceptible de voir leur emploi disparaître Les prévisions de compétence jouent un rôle crucial dans la facilitation et l'orientation des changements et des transitions Car il fournissent un aperçu fondé sur des données probantes de tendance du marché du travail Et d'une série d'autres évolutions sociétales et de leurs implications Nous assistons à un vrai changement de paradigme Les jeunes doivent être préparés à des métiers qui n'existent pas encore au moment de toute l'école Et l'apprentissage tout au long de la vie devient vraiment central Nous sommes particulièrement reconnaissants aux CDFOP pour son travail très conséquent dans ce domaine Pour bien gérer les écosystèmes de compétence, il faut une coopération étroite de plusieurs acteurs I incluent les autorités territoriales dans la conception et la mise en oeuvre des politiques en matière de compétence Toutefois, la notion même de compétence n'est pas définie de la même manière dans l'ensemble de l'Union Ce qui entrave la reconnaissance mutuelle et la portabilité des compétences C'est pour ça que notre groupe réclame un cadre européen pour la reconnaissance et la validation de la formation de l'expérience professionnelle et surtout de l'apprentissage non-formel et informel Nous soulignons la nécessité d'une garantie des compétences donnant accès à une formation des employés de qualité et inclusif Nous pensons également que les apprentissages et les stages de qualité pour les apprenants de tout âge devraient être disponibles mais aussi correctement rémunérés afin qu'ils ne deviennent pas une forme de main-d'oeuvre bon marché Nous sommes également fermement convaincus que les systèmes d'enseignement et de formation professionnelle devraient être suffisamment attrayants et bénéficiaient d'un meilleur statut afin de contribuer à réduire le décrocher à scolaire et à améliorer l'employabilité des personnes Cela nécessite des investissements publics durables pour garantir la formation des chômeurs et des personnes peu qualifiées afin qu'ils acquièrent des compétences de base certifiées des aptitudes professionnelles et des compétences clés menant à des qualifications Il est également urgent d'investir durablement dans les apprentissages de qualité, la participation des adultes à l'apprentissage tout au long de la vie et la formation des employés Cela devrait être prioritaire dans le cadre du semestre européen et du plan de relance en prév ayant un soutien accru au perfectionnement et à la reconversion par le biais des fonds structurels et d'investissement européen Nous devons veiller à ce que les transitions écologiques et numériques soient justes et inclusives Pour ce faire, nous devons donner aux gens les moyens de suivre le changement et d'acquérir les compétences résilientes Les collectivités locales et régionales sont des acteurs clés aux matières de sensibilisation efficaces et de promotion de l'éducation et de la formation tout au long de la vie Unissant donc nos efforts pour faire de l'année européenne 2020 un véritable succès Thank you, now the floor goes to colleague Reis-Perman, you have the floor for three minutes Thank you Chairman and welcome to our esteemed guests I think a lot of the good things have already been said today On behalf of the renewal group I will continue in Dutch I think it's very important oh no I'm sorry I'll continue in Dutch I think that it is very important to focus on two things that sometimes get less attention than wishes can be in this discussion The one is the importance of an integral approach and the other is the importance of the medium-term professional education, people with just practical skills We have a continent that is in transition, an energy transition, we have an energy crisis even, we have to go to a sustainable economy, we are getting more and more skills, digital transitions, I think that the different transitions are already done this morning That means that other questions are still being asked about our workforce And I would like to give you an example of how we approach this in the Netherlands practically of a village Urk, a village of 20,000 inhabitants, it does not seem so big but it is with 80 percent of the Dutch fishing industry one of the most important centers for fishing in the North Sea region The municipality of Urk already deserves literally centuries to catch his bread by fishing That is a fairly limited economic activity with a fairly limited amount of skills that belong to it, very practical skills But with rising energy prices and the arrival of windmills in the North Sea region with the ever-growing fishing stands in the North Sea region The economy of Urk diversifies To ensure that we keep an economy that is fit for the future it is important that we invest in the whole community Together with the rich, with the municipalities, we are working on a maritime cluster and to create a new port In this port, not only fishing is brought to the country, as is now the case but also maintenance and overhaul of all kinds of ships Together with the universities and HABO, we are working on a sustainable energy transition From Urk, a lot of windmills will soon be placed on the North Sea and maintained This diversification of the economy is very important also because the fishing sector is heavily affected by Brexit We see in Urk that it is very important to focus on people with practical skills The people who work with their hands The people who play this continent every day We need an integral approach on all levels of the government to make our total business life to ensure that the people get the right skills and that there is the right working opportunity for them to ensure that we stay strong and social in this continent Thank you The European economy is moving, the economy is moving The working economy is becoming more and more important to the dynamic working market Because the greening and digital transformation is the foundation of the working market ecosystem we need to continue such a long-term policy which will protect our regional economy The Hungarian government recognized the digital sector as a working force and it was a goal to increase the ability to play the game and to digitize the economy more jobs will be available in the field than the number of jobs that digitize This is why the goal of the Hungarian National Digital Education Strategy is to prepare the employees, the digital workers market while the digital workers program is to experience the digital part of the field to experience the importance of digital workers and to develop the digital skills of the employees The transformation and the further transformation can solve two problems The work environment and the working environment can be a single choice which can be achieved in the long term for all the good working economy The whole life is a continuous study, like this so it is more than a single achievement In addition to the work environment, This is a significant problem for the development of public spaces, which in turn needs to be addressed to the regions of the area, which have been affected by the spread of good-looking people, and the economic conditions of the society. I think it is important to highlight the European regional societies, including the EGTC, which are actively active in the Hungarian-Slovak-Hungarian cooperation. In the so-called RESTART action plan, which was founded by the Estonian-Slovak-Hungarian-Nitra regional government-based Pontibus-EGTC Coordination, it is the goal of the action plan, which is to provide the economic cooperation that is involved in the peripheral situation in the first place, as well as to reflect on the challenges faced by the potential of the first place. For example, in terms of the development of the image of competition, for example, in areas such as the active period, social distancing and housing thinking. Our goal is to bring together complementary ways of implementation and services. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Kieran McCarthy, the floor is yours for two minutes. Thanks, Mr. President. Dear Commissioner, can I just say thanks very much for once again being at the forefront of a fantastic concept like the European Year of Skills. For me, yes, it is important, on behalf of the European Alliance Group, it is important that jobs and human capital have a focus. I would like to pull the narrative back to what Ms. Cantira was saying on the importance of lifelong learning. I am very, very lucky that in my own city of Cork, in the south of Ireland, we have had for the last over 12 years organize an annual lifelong learning festival with over 100 events. And the motto is, investigate, participate and celebrate. Not only, yes, we are building an economy, we also need to build a society. I think it's an ideal year to put a focus on society, building a society capacity as well. In my city out of the lifelong learning festival, we've also created learning neighborhoods. So we've brought together an ecosystem of people with different interests. And I've seen firsthand in my own community the building of community capacity, the building of a sense of place, place making, inclusiveness, sense of empowerment. And I think the smallest idea on learning can actually have a huge ripple effect on someone's life. On a citizen, on someone maybe who hasn't changed anything in their life for a while. And I think one of the key words that has been coming out this morning a lot is that the world is changing. But I think to change as well, you need to learn. We all need to learn new skill sets throughout life. And one of the elements that came out of the European pillar of social rights in the last few years is that access to lifelong learning as a right. There was an ambitious target set of 60% of adults should be participating in learning every year by 2030. I think my question to you, commissioner and the honourable member of the European Parliament is that how do we actually get to that? That's 60%. Also, the lifelong learning was a key point in the conference in the future of Europe. I sat as a member of the culture, education, sports and youth panel. And there was massive discussions on lifelong learning. Thank you. Thank you. Member Tine Radindia, you have the floor for two minutes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Member Schmidt, Thomas Schmidt, you have the floor for one minute. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Member Gamalio Aller, you have the floor for one minute. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Member Ufukaya, you have the floor for one minute. Thank you, Mr. President. Many colleagues mentioned that we are facing big changes, such as the green and digital transition. And I welcome the year of the skills. My colleague mentioned that it's a good transition from the year of the youth as well. And I understand that we focus on civic participation and on the labour markets. But we shouldn't forget education. Most European programs focus on universities. And I think we should throw down the hierarchy in education that universities are always better. Our youngsters who go to vocational education should be proud because they are making Europe. We need them to keep the green economy of tomorrow going. So I hope in the upcoming year we can focus on vocational education and put it in a higher level in Europe. And I hope that the best skilled smart hands that the world can provide. Thank you. Thank you. Member Dietmar Brooks, you have the floor for one minute. Andros Karajanis, you have the floor for one minute. Thank you very much. Thank you. Member Elia Delmilio, we have the floor for one minute. My region, Lombardy, has been among the first regions in Europe to have made a regional partnership within the scope of European skills. This initiative represents the important in the process of strengthening the competitiveness of the productive Lombard system. The main challenge that the region faces is to orient the industrial and economic policies. So we propose to focus the activity of the European year on these issues. Initiatives and events and projects to promote not only the national European level but also the line with the principle of subsidiarity. Guarantee a regional agreement between the national and regional coordinators in the planning of the initiative of the European year. Favor the strengthening of regional dimensions in the 14 European parts of the existing competences. Thank you. Thank you. Member Isold Reis, you have the floor for one minute. Yes, a nice good morning, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Commissioner Schmidt. The essential advantage, like Germany, for example, organized the professional training, is the unique connection of theoretical knowledge and practical education. Through this flexibility, one can, but also women, be on new trends like digitalization and set the transformation well, normally, but that only works when the training content is at the height of time and unfortunately, this has not happened in Germany in a long time. The new professional fields have not yet arrived in the professional schools. The training content does not always correspond to the current requirements. That is why the year of the competences is also a call and good, because we do not manage the new challenges without well-educated experts successfully. And it is very important to me that the people, namely, are allowed to live themselves. And Mr. Peslaro has called it so beautifully to invest in people. That should be our compass. Thank you. Member Markus Wollner, you have the floor for one minute. I would like to express my thanks to our speakers and guests at the podium that this year the competences are so intensely emphasized. I come from a region in the west, Austria, around and around the bottom, where the question of competition will be that everything will be decided. We have come under 4% with a youth unemployment, that is, we have in fact full responsibilities in our region and a great lack of expertise. I would especially like to support the development of skills because it is simply about the competitive power of the regions. In Europe in general, but also in Europe in general, we will show that if we, in terms of artificial intelligence, let us depend on Americans and Asians, then we will lose our strength in competitive in other areas of digital competences. It is a bit like the German speakers in Austria, there is an excellent model and we combine theory with practice very well and I would say that in this direction, especially with the youth, and I am grateful that this has been specifically mentioned, even more about engagement. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. President, Mr. Commissioner. Competence in the environment means, on the one hand, knowledge and skills that the digitalization has been mentioned, education and orientation knowledge. Competence serves the security of freedom, not only in terms of assessment, education and competence is human rights. You must not only see this from the economic perspective, but you have to see it from the people, so there is also a strong connection to social rights. Education for the place is decisive. It is about regional offers everywhere in the regions of the European Union for all depending on the social situation, the gender, especially with girls and young women, you have to put a focus on the age and the change. The decision is, we must not leave anyone behind. This is important for the recognition. It is not important where they are, how they are and when they are but that they are recognized. Competence in the environment is a key to freedom and justice. You are the key to the revolution. Thank you. Your floor is yours for one minute. Thank you, Mr. President. I will speak on creation. Investigation in people is always the most important investment. We congratulate the decision of the European Commission. We can support this initiative for the European New Year, which is a complex problem with which the whole European Union is today . On the one hand, we have some interest, because of the automation, while there is some new that requires high education. We also have a big problem with lack of working power in numerous activities, without which I cannot imagine a modern way of life, tourism, construction, and many others, even more reflected in the new members of the European Union that we have in the West. As the city of Načun, the city of industrial development, the city of Krapinsko-Zagreb, the city that has one of the most active active forces in the whole of the Republic of Croatia and the economy that is developing in every communication with the working sector. Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Schmidt, I know you have to leave. Thank you. Thank you very much. Very briefly. First, I would really thank you for the debate and your remarks. On the pact of skills, I would very strongly invite regions to join. There are already regions part of the pact of skills. I think this is a place where a lot of good initiatives can be developed. Second, 60% of long-life learning has an average for Europe. Each member state has committed to increase the participation of workers in long-life learning. This can be done by better organization of long-life learning, by financial support including European funds. Third, vocational training. I think this is absolutely important. I fully agree. We have to support vocational training. We have European Alliance for apprenticeships and this really has to show that vocational training is the form of the future. This is the form which allows people to transit from education to jobs, but also it is the right way how to reskill and upskill people during their professional life. And finally, I want to attract your attention to a communication the commission has adopted recently called harnessing talent in Europe's regions. And this is important because we see that in many regions we have demographic decline. We have a decline in the workforce. And I think this is a big issue for economic, social, territorial cohesion. And the idea is precisely to put forward a new talent booster mechanism. A mechanism that will support EU regions facing a talent development trap to train, retrain and attract people because their future finally depends on skilled people who remain in the regions. And also on their capacity to attract people to further develop and sometimes also transform the economy in these regions. Thank you. Thank you, commissioner. Thank you so much for coming. I will now give the floor to Jurgen Siebel for reaction in two minutes. Yes, thank you. And I would like to respond to many of your statements very good thoughts in there. In particular, of course, it is like music to my ears that so many speakers and then including the commissioner in the end said that VET vocation education training is the form of the future that it is at least at equal footing with higher education and equally important. I think that is something we can preach and preach and preach because repetition, as you know, is the mother of belief. I would like to make one remark to a specific comment that came from the greens from Mr. I liked this linking to the young and I would like to make one more aspect of vocation education and training, especially its work based variation a key issue here for the greening success of our economies and societies because the young people all belong to this generation and they have the mindsets they are thinking in green ways and there is no better way for companies and hence for economies and societies than integrating these young people early on for instance in apprenticeships where they can be change agents within the organizations where they live and where they strive and acquire their first steps in a career. So I think that is an important lever that should not be underestimated. Then there were remarks from several speakers on the importance of recognition, validation and in particular also of non-formal and informal forms of education that is also at the heart of what CELIFOP is doing. We are engaged in even global networks working on these kinds of activities to facilitate one of the most important aspects that is a skills driven migration policy which now also the European year of skills calls for so we have to become better in these forms of validation and with that I think I can close again thank you very much for having us or having me with you for today thank you. Thank you so much Jurgen for being here now I give the floor for conclusion for final remarks to Noelia Cantero for two minutes. Thank you Mr. President. I would like to thank all the comments that have been mentioned because I think you have given us a wide example of all the innovative practices that are happening at regional and local level and I think we should praise all of them like the Lifeline Learning Festival in Cork or the skills strategy in Galicia and many many many others so thank you very much I can see the work of our association reflected somehow in all of your voices and I would like just to re-indicate a bit that what we are doing today what we are talking about today we need to do it from a humanistic approach it's about every single individual in Europe is about every single learner we have been heard from commissioners that there are 3 million students in Europe this is really huge it's an incredible loss of talent and we need to move we have also heard that there are many adults who don't have the basic skills and last night for example in the Belgian news I heard about dropping out or for young people from vocational courses so we really need to mobilize ourselves and tackle those issues. We know that the regions have the responsibility to accompany citizens in this process and we know as well that some of our regional authorities are already another administration quite a stretch so I would recommend you to not only invest in the people but also invest in yourself in reinforcing your team and in reinforcing your efforts and one way also of doing it would be to work in European networks to work through association and as commissioner was saying to join the pact for skills we are also member of the European alliance for apprenticeship which has been great experiences and forum for us to exchange our challenges so thank you very much for all your comments and I hope that we can continue this dialogue during the year and even during many many many years to come thank you. Thank you so much this concludes our point I would like to thank our guest speakers