The document emphasises the significance of education and training in the overall Lisbon Strategy, in particular by highlighting in the 'Competitiveness' part of the Integrated Guidelines for growth and jobs their crucial place within the knowledge triangle, alongside research and innovation, and by stressing in the 'Employment' part of the Guidelines that lifelong learning is fundamental to enabling European citizens to succeed and participate fully in the knowledge economy, as well as to ensuring that all groups, including those at risk of exclusion, can develop the knowledge, skills and competences needed to do so.
It highlights the contribution of education and training not only to promoting employment, competitiveness and innovation, but also to fostering social cohesion, active citizenship and personal fulfilment, and meeting the other challenges which European societies currently face.
It ensures that education and training policies dovetail with policies in other fields, such as research, enterprise and innovation, the information society, employment, social affairs, youth, culture, health, migration and external relations, enhance cooperation between the Education Council and other Council formations and consider ways of taking greater account of stakeholders' views.
It strengthens the Education Council's strategic role in the open method of coordination in education and training, in particular by feeding the results into policy-making processes at both European and national levels, and by developing a solid knowledge base for education and training policy.
It ensures clear links between the 'Education and Training' work programme and the Lisbon integrated Guidelines for growth and jobs, whilst improving organisation of the joint work between the Member States and the Commission in this field, and - with regard to the work programme beyond 2010 - continue the process of reflection on the programme's main priorities and on how to develop a more integrated approach to education and training in a lifelong learning perspective.