Dr. Tibor Navracsics:

It does a lot for the emancipation of people with disabilities. I am absolutely committed to this cause and helping in these activities.

Adult literacy is one of my favourite subjects. I usually raise it when we talk about digital skills, which is one of the eternal topics of discussion about future skills and opportunities. However, while we emphasise the importance of digital skills, we must not forget traditional literacy skills. One fifth of European citizens have serious problems with reading and one quarter with numeracy. We are progressing very fast to the digital world, but we are neglecting the fundamentals of those contemporary skills. What we can do is keep an eye on these traditional skills and raise these issues regularly because it is not only a problem of competitiveness but one of social inclusion. We urge the member states to take care of those skills as well and not to neglect the traditional aspects of education.

Lifelong learning can of course help in tackling these problems. However, we have to reform the structures of our member states for lifelong learning as well. It is too institutionally orientated and sometimes too rigid. Unfortunately, lifelong learning is not very attractive for adults seeking reintegration into education. We have to do much more in the future in that respect. I thank the committee.