52000SC1920

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 251 (2) of the EC Treaty concerning the COMMON POSITION OF THE COUNCIL CONCERNING THE PROPOSAL FOR A RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL ON EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN QUALITY EVALUATION IN SCHOOL EDUCATION

2000/0022 (COD)

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 251 (2) of the EC Treaty concerning the COMMON POSITION OF THE COUNCIL CONCERNING THE PROPOSAL FOR A RECOMMENDATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL ON EUROPEAN COOPERATION IN QUALITY EVALUATION IN SCHOOL EDUCATION

1. Background

- Forwarding of the initial proposal: 24 January 2000 [1]

[1] COM (1999) 709 final, 24 January 2000

- Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee: 27 April 2000 [2]

[2] CES 476/2000, 27 April 2000

- Opinion of the Committee of the Regions: 15 June 2000 [3]

[3] CDR 21/2000, 15 June 2000

- Opinion of the European Parliament at first reading: 6 July 2000 [4]

[4] PE A5-0185/2000 - 2000/0022 (COD), 6 July 2000

- Forwarding of the amended proposal: 3 August 2000 [5]

[5] COM (2000) 523 final, 3 August 2000

- Adoption of the common position: 9 November 2000 [6]

[6] (...)

2. Subject of the recommendation

The proposal for a recommendation concerns European cooperation in the quality evaluation of school education. It asks the Member States to establish transparent quality assurance systems and to encourage the self-evaluation and external evaluation of schools. The Commission, for its part, is asked to promote cooperation between schools and the national authorities involved in evaluating school education and to encourage their networking at European level.

3. Commission's comments on the common position

The Commission notes with satisfaction that the common position of the Council respects the substance and spirit of its proposal. It notes that the Council shares the central objective of the proposal, which is to strengthen European cooperation in the quality evaluation of school education.

The common position of the Council is based on the amended proposal adopted by the Commission following the opinion expressed by Parliament at first reading. The Commission welcomes the fact that the Council, in its common position, has accepted - either in full, in substance or in part - the amendments proposed by Parliament and accepted by the Commission, particularly with regard to:

- strengthening the follow-up measures recommended in the Commission's proposal;

- introducing explicit references to the crucial role played by performance indicators and benchmarks;

- extending and clarifying the political scope of the recommendation;

- introducing new recitals which clarify the proposal and stress the various objectives behind efforts to evaluate the quality of school education.

4. Conclusion

On the basis of this common position, the legislative procedure can now move ahead constructively with the second reading at the European Parliament. The Commission fully supports the Council's position.