You're listening to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on creating opportunities for EU students.

EU countries are responsible for their own education and training systems.

But faced with common challenges such as ageing societies, unemployment, skills deficits and technological developments,

some help from the European Union may prove very helpful.

Over one third of the EU's population, some 170 million people are under the age of 30, with half of those under the age of 15.

So our classrooms are pretty full.

At a time when nearly one in ten young Europeans are unemployed and pressure on public finances is growing,

finding ways to get young people into the labour market is a top EU priority.

Because education makes

people better equipped to play an active role in society, it can also be helpful in tackling

issues such as populism, migration and poverty. So where's the catch? Well, the thing is that

decisions and matters of education and training remain firmly in the hands of the member states.

So there's only so much the EU can do. Having said that, sound evidence and analysis from the EU can help national authorities

make the right decisions to improve educational outcomes and the employability of young people.

That's why in 2009, the EU set a series of common objectives to address the most pressing concerns

in EU education systems by 2020. The objectives were to make lifelong learning and mobility

a reality, to improve the quality of education, to promote equity, social cohesion and active

citizenship, and to enhance creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship at all

stages of education and training. These objectives were accompanied by a set of benchmarks to be achieved

by 2020, such as reducing the rate of early levers aged 18 to 24 to less than 10% and increasing

the share of adults engaged in lifelong learning.

So how do we score?

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