Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

Article 6

The Union shall have competence to carry out actions to support, coordinate or supplement the

actions of the Member States. The areas of such action shall, at European level, be:

(a) protection and improvement of human health;

(b) industry;

(c) culture;

(d) tourism;

(e) education, vocational training, youth and sport;

C 115/52 EN Official Journal of the European Union 9.5.2008(f) civil protection;

(g) administrative cooperation.

EDUCATION, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, YOUTH AND SPORT

Article 165

(ex Article 149 TEC)

cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their action, while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the content of teaching and the organisation of education systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity.

The Union shall contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues, while taking account of the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational — developing the European dimension in education, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of the languages of the Member States,

— encouraging mobility of students and teachers, by encouraging inter alia, the academic recognition

of diplomas and periods of study,

— promoting cooperation between educational establishments,

— developing exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the education systems

of the Member States,

— encouraging the development of youth exchanges and of exchanges of socio-educational

instructors, and encouraging the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe,

— encouraging the development of distance education,

— developing the European dimension in sport, by promoting fairness and openness in sporting

competitions and cooperation between bodies responsible for sports, and by protecting the physical and moral integrity of sportsmen and sportswomen, especially the youngest sportsmen and sportswomen.

competent international organisations in the field of education and sport, in particular the Council of

— the European Parliament and the Council, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative

procedure, after consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, shall adopt incentive measures, excluding any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States,

C 115/120 EN Official Journal of the European Union 9.5.2008— the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, shall adopt recommendations.

Article 166

(ex Article 150 TEC)

the action of the Member States, while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the content and organisation of vocational training.

— facilitate adaptation to industrial changes, in particular through vocational training and retraining,

— improve initial and continuing vocational training in order to facilitate vocational integration and

reintegration into the labour market,

— facilitate access to vocational training and encourage mobility of instructors and trainees and

particularly young people,

— stimulate cooperation on training between educational or training establishments and firms,

— develop exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the training systems of

the Member States.

competent international organisations in the sphere of vocational training.

procedure and after consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, shall adopt measures to contribute to the achievement of the objectives referred to in this Article, excluding any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member States, and the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, shall adopt recommendations.