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Gehrer: Education pact with the Balkans means greater security for Europe

Broad consensus for the European Institute of Technology (EIT) at the close of the Conference of Education Ministers in Vienna

The education pact with the Balkans was concluded today, Friday, at the Conference of Education Ministers in Vienna. This means the Western Balkan countries will also be able to take part in the successful European mobility programmes from 2007. “This export of European know-how will bring security to Austria", Federal Minister Elisabeth Gehrer said. She also described the European Institute of Technology today as the ‘key to Europe’s future’. Council President Gehrer and Education Commissioner Jan Figel’ are in agreement that the aim is to attract today the best brains for the Europe of tomorrow. Gehrer and Figel’ obtained the broad support of the EU education ministers for their proposals.

“The education pact with the Balkans concluded today is a great success for Austria", Council President Gehrer said at the close of the Conference of Education Ministers in the Hofburg. Many of the current European cooperation projects with the Western Balkans region originally stem from Austrian initiatives. Austrian institutions are currently involved in 28% of the European higher education projects (TEMPUS) in the Western Balkans region”, Gehrer said. Creating security in the region would also enhance Europe’s security, she stressed. She referred in this context to the activity of the Austrian education officers who were making a big contribution to the development of the Western Balkans countries.

Elisabeth Gehrer today obtained the broad support of her fellow education ministers for the new European Institute of Technology. "The new European Institute of Technology will link up the best research institutes throughout Europe and work closely with industry", she said at a press conference. Like Commissioner Figel’, Gehrer too wants to attract the most talented researchers to Europe. The motto is “brain gain and not brain drain“.

Elisabeth Gehrer called on the EU education ministers  to pass on the results of the Vienna conference to their respective heads of state and government. In this way, a decision could already be taken on 23 and 24 March to set up the European Institute of Technology.

"The setting up of a joint working party on the European Qualifications Framework (EQR) at our conference in Vienna is another important step in the right direction", Gehrer concluded.

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