RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL AND THE MINISTERS OF EDUCATION MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL of 25 November 1991 on education research and statistics in the European Community (91/C 321/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES AND THE MINISTERS OF EDUCATION MEETING WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

Noting the need for a solid foundation of information, adequate statistics and comparative research to enhance the education cooperation which they instituted in their resolution dated 9 February 1976;

Whereas, to that end, it is desirable to:

- continue the exchanges of information and documentation, and exchanges of experts, already taking place under the Eurydice education information network, the activities of which have been defined in their resolution of 6 December 1990, and the Arion visits programme,

- step up efforts to establish adequate and comparable statistics on education in the European Community,

- make the best use of national research on education on subjects of value in European cooperation, and intensify comparative research in this area,

- facilitate the implementation of educational research projects for the promotion of cooperation at Community level and the dissemination of the results obtained;

Taking into account education research already carried out not only at national level but also by international and European organizations, both governmental and non-governmental;

A. Education research

ENCOURAGE wider dissemination in Europe of the results of the research projects at the level of the Member States and the Community and of international and European organizations on subjects which are of value to the Member States' education policies and which fall within priority areas for cooperation;

WELCOME the establishment of closer cooperation between research institutes, higher-education institutions and independent researchers engaged in research on education;

ENCOURAGE the organization of joint research projects in a number of Member States and of comparative research covering the whole Community, in priority areas for cooperation such as the enhancement of the European dimension in education and the learning of foreign languages;

CALL ON the Commission to collaborate in stepping up these three activities and to report back on the initial results before 30 June 1993;

B. Education statistics

ENCOURAGE the continuation and improvement of the Commission's action, notably that of Eurostat, in close cooperation with the relevant departments in the Member States, the OECD and Unesco. Where the existence of national statistics permits, this action could be devoted more particularly to the study of indicators and to the gathering of statistics in priority areas for education cooperation.