Coronavirus: EU supports Member States’ recovery from the impact on the education sector

At a meeting with Education Ministers via videoconference on 23 June 2020 – the fourth since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis – the Commission outlined its activities to support education as it recovers from crisis. The recovery plan presented on 27 May proposes to direct more resources than ever over the next seven years to education and skills. A public consultation on the new Digital Education Action Plan is now open with the aim to develop a more comprehensive and ambitious approach to digital education. A communication on developing the European Education Area will propose ways to strengthen European cooperation in education and training. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “The coronavirus crisis emphasised the importance and added value of European cooperation in education and training. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Education Ministers have met every month and together we have looked at the lessons learnt from the many challenges the education and training sector faced during confinement. Together we will design our future actions and initiatives to turn this crisis into a springboard towards inclusive education systems fit for the digital age of the 21^st century.”The Commission also informed Ministers that there would be no interruption to the Erasmus+ programme for the next academic year as online activities would be combined with spending a period abroad at a later date if the situation allows. More information is available in a press release from the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU.