Recognition of school study periods abroad

2.6.2017

Question for oral answer O-000048/2017
to the Commission
Rule 128
Victor Negrescu, Daniele Viotti, Julie Ward, Viorica Dăncilă, Simona Bonafè, Miroslav Poche, Hilde Vautmans, Miriam Dalli, Krystyna Łybacka, Ivan Štefanec, Alessia Maria Mosca, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Nathalie Griesbeck, István Ujhelyi, Terry Reintke, Milan Zver, Paul Tang, Eva Maydell, Alain Lamassoure, Helga Trüpel, Claudiu Ciprian Tănăsescu, Sorin Moisă, Victor Boştinaru, Emilian Pavel, Dan Nica, Maria Grapini, Siegfried Mureşan, Jean-Paul Denanot, Ulrike Lunacek, Agnes Jongerius, Kati Piri, Pina Picierno, Sylvie Guillaume, Tomáš Zdechovský, Brando Benifei, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, Enrique Calvet Chambon, Momchil Nekov, Krišjānis Kariņš

Thanks to the residence status of their families and to secondary school exchange programmes, school pupils can enjoy mobility in the EU. However, the right to free movement of pupils and their families is not officially recognised, which hinders their mobility. In fact, pupils’ study periods abroad are only recognised: 1) if they are funded under Erasmus+ and 2) in a few Member States, depending on national legislation. The positive example set by these Member States should be taken as a model to follow.

This situation is hindering the labour mobility of parents and means that the enormous potential of learning mobility at a young age to promote European citizenship and help acquire intercultural skills is being underused.

How does the Commission plan to ensure that the Member States guarantee freedom of movement for those families that change their place of residence, together with their school-age children, as well as for those pupils willing to spend a study period abroad?

How does the Commission plan to use ongoing initiatives, such as the New Skills Agenda and the Council recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning, for this purpose?