Despite commitments by Member States to promote inclusive education, children with special educational needs and disabled adults are still getting a raw deal, according to a report published today by the European Commission.

By applying the Law Commission of Canada's economic model on the effects of child abuse, we would find that those intergenerationally impacted cost Canadian society $40 million per year in incarcerations, social services, special education and health.

As regards educational issues, the EP’s views are very similar to the Commission’s ones, in particular as regards the need to reduce the classes sizes, to have the European Baccalaureate become widely available, to have the possibility of an alternative leaving certificate for pupils who leave the European Schools system before the end of the cursus and therefore do not obtain the European Baccalaureate, and the need to ensure, to the largest possible extent, an inclusive approach for children with special ...[+++] educational needs.

The 2007 Commission report Science education now: a renewed pedagogy for the future of Europe recommended greater use of inquiry-based science education, breaking the isolation of science teachers through networks, paying special attention to girls’ attitudes to maths, science and technology, and opening up schools towards the wider community.

The Commission has already begun to address skill shortage issues through a number of policies, such as the Education and Training 2010 work programme, including the European Qualification Framework (EQF) that will serve as a common reference for European education and training systems, facilitating the transparency, transfer, and recognition of qualifications with a special reference to the sectoral level[15].

The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows: Belgium: Mr Miet SMET Minister for Employment and Labour Denmark: Mr Henning OLESEN State Secretary for Labour Germany: Mrs Claudia NOLTE Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Mr Horst GÜNTHER Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs Greece: Mr Stephanos TZOUMAKAS Minister for Labour and Social Security Spain: Mr José Antonio GRIÑAN Minister for Labour and Social Security France: Mr Pierre SELLAL Deputy Permanent Representative Ireland: Mrs Eithne FITZGERALD Minister of S ...[+++]tate at the Department of Enterprise and Employment with special responsibility for Labour Affairs Italy: Mr Tiziano TREU Minister for Employment and Social Security Mrs Matilda GRASSI State Secretary for Employment and Social Security Luxembourg: Mr Jean-Claude JUNCKER Prime Minister, Ministry for Finance, Minister for Labour and Employment Mrs Mady DELVAUX-STEHRES Minister for Social Security Netherlands: Mr Ad MELKERT Minister for Social Affairs and Employment Austria: Mr Franz HUMS Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Portugal: Mr Eduardo FERRO RODRIGUES Minister for Solidarity and Social Security Mrs Maria João RODRIGUES Minister for Employment Mr Antonio MONTEIRO FERNANDES State Secretary for Labour Finland: Mr Pretti SORSA State Secretary, Ministry of Labour Sweden: Mr Anders SUNDSTRÖM Minister for Employment Mrs Marita ULVSKOG Minister for Public Administration Mrs Ann-Christin TAUBERMAN State Secretary for Health and Social Affairs Mr Tommy OHLSTRÖM State Secretary for Employment United Kingdom: Mr Eric FORTH Minister of State at the Department of Education Commission: Mr Pádraig FLYNN Member EMPLOYMENT - Public debate on employment The Council held a public debate on employment policy, during which Ministers commented on, among other things: = the measures which the Essen European Council had recommended should be regarde ...