On the occasion of his official visit to Ukraine, the European Commissioner in charge of Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel', presented themes for future cooperation between the EU and Ukraine in the areas of education, culture, youth and sport.
Commissioner Figel' is on an official visit to Ukraine on 2 – 4 October, during which he will be meeting Vice Prime Minister for European and International Integration, Gregory Nemyria, the Minister of Education, Ivan Vakarchuk, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Vasyl Vovkun, and the Minister for Sport, Youth and Family, Mr Yurii Pavlenko. The discussions follow the recent EU-Ukraine Summit on 9 September, and take place in the context of the future EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.
Mr Figeľ said: ''I am pleased to hold these talks with our Ukrainian partners. The EU has a lot to offer in terms of promoting exchanges and opportunities for collaboration among our youth. The enthusiasm of the young people I have met here, and their dedication to exploring and building on these opportunities, are an inspiration, and I wish them every success in their future activities, both in the EU and in Ukraine.''
During the meeting with Mr Ivan Vakarchuk, the Minister of Education, Commissioner Figeľ underlined that cooperation and dialogue in the field of education and training plays an important role in the Commission's strategy towards Ukraine. Mr Figeľ also congratulated Ukraine on its progress in introducing the 'Bologna process' reforms in the higher education sector, and encouraged the Ukrainian authorities to continue with their completion.
At his meeting with Mr Vasyl Vovkun, the Minister of Culture, Commissioner Figeľ stressed the importance of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for the EU and invited Ukraine to ratify and implement the Convention.
At a bilateral meeting with Mr Yurii Pavlenko, the Ukrainian Minister for Sport, Youth and Family, the Commissioner highlighted the pioneering role that the younger generation should play in developing good relationships between the EU and its neighbours. Further, the Commissioner was informed by the Ukrainian side about the state of preparations for the EURO 2012.
The Commissioner also met with youth leaders at YES (Yalta European Strategy) 2nd University, and discussed with them their role and responsibilities in active participation for shaping the future societies. He also presented the EU's funding programmes, in particular the Youth in Action programme.
This programme offers a variety of opportunities to support the mobility of, and cooperation between, young people from around Europe, and encourages their civic participation in, and sense of belonging to, the society of which they are a part. In 2007 alone, over 600 young Ukrainians and youth workers took part in Youth in Action.
On sport, Commissioner Figel' emphasised the important role in the area of the EU's external relations. Sport should be an element of European external assistance programmes and should also feature in the EU's dialogue with partner countries. Through concrete actions, sport has considerable potential as a tool to promote education, health, inter-cultural dialogue, development and peace.