§ Mr. Stephen TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the outcome of the Council of EC Education Ministers held on 4 December. [63261]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe Council, at which my noble Friend the Minister for Education and Employment represented the UK, reached agreement on common position texts for European Parliament and Council decisions establishing the second phases of the Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes. Agreement was also reached on a Council decision establishing the third phase of the Tempus programme.
The Council received information from the European Commission on implementation of the Commission's White Paper "Teaching and Learning: Towards the Learning Society" and on the Commission's Action Plan on the promotion of transnational mobility in the Community in the fields of education, training and youth. The Council also received information from the Austrian delegation on education events organised during the Austrian Presidency of the Council of Ministers.