Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS : 8:e valperioden 

I have supported the EU budget for 2019, its commitment appropriations are for 2019 total equals EUR 165.8 billion and in payment appropriations total EUR 148.2 billion. The main priorities among others are the youth, boosting employment and tackling migration. I think it is very important that EUR 490 million are foreseen for Erasmus + programmes and to encourage innovation. I believe that it reflects current EU priorities and that a good compromise has been reached.

The European Union today is facing a huge number of global and security challenges on the international scene – from interstate conflicts and terrorism to hybrid warfare and cyber-attacks. These are challenges that cannot be overcome by any single Member State. The EU should follow its responsibility to safeguard its own security, bring more confidence and credibility to its own external policy and embrace its role as a global player seeking peace and human development worldwide. This is what our citizens expect from us and what our partners demand.

There is no doubt that digital skills will become the basis of our near future and digital education will play a key role in this regard. It will bring new opportunities as well as new challenges for economic growth, our daily lives and education systems. Unfortunately, the European education scheme currently does not have a mandatory basis for evaluating digital skills. Moreover, there is a huge difference in using technology in class across European Union Member States. Therefore, there is a high and essential demand for the development of an EU-wide strategy for education in digital skills and for the setting of common goals for reaching a given level of digital competence. Thus, I welcome and support this resolution, and my vote was in favour.