ETF Governing Board adopts report on 2012 activities

On 14 June 2013 the ETF Governing Board unanimously adopted the agency’s Annual Activity Report for 2012. The Governing Board - which comprises representatives of EU Member States, the European Commission, the European Parliament as well as observers from the partner countries - welcomed the high level of ETF activities and quality of results. Following presentations from ETF Director Madlen Serban, the Governing Board members congratulated the ETF for its operational and financial achievements in 2012.
”We are very happy with the activities and achievements. It shows the importance of the work of the ETF. The organisation is not just producing quantity and doing activities for the sake of activities, but it delivers quality to the benefit of people in the partner countris,” said Ann Mary Redmond, Governing Board member representing Ireland and the Irish Presidency of the EU. Also the Danish member, Torben Kornbech Rasmussen, welcomed the report: ”It underlines the ETF´s central role in human capital development,” he said. The ETF Governing Board agreed to forward the report to the European Parliament for the final approval.
The meeting also saw the launch of the discussions on the ETF’s Work Programme for 2014 and the Mid-term Perspective 2014-2017. The members of the Governing Board, representatives from ETF partner countries and other stakeholders will be involved in the consultation process that is expected to come to an end with the approval of the document at the Board’s next meeting in November 2013. The Board also adopted the ETF’s financial statements and other budget-related issues.
Annual Activity Reports
The Annual Activity Report describes the results of ETF actions in the last year in support of the European Union and its neighbouring countries in the area of human capital development. The report highlights the ongoing adoption of the outputs based approach to planning and reporting that was foreshadowed by the European Commission in its proposal for the operation of the ETF in the period 2008-13. Decision of the Board signed by the Chair. GB12DEC003+02_EN. GB12DEC003+02_DE. GB12DEC003+02_FR. GB12DEC003+02_ES. GB12DEC003+02_IT.
ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORT 2011 – ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT
The Governing Board has analysed and assessed the Director’s report on the results for the 2011 financial year. The Board acknowledges the results achieved by the ETF and offers the following analysis and assessment.
Analysis
The 2011 Annual Activity Report (AAR) records the achievement of the ETF’s objectives for 2011 following its annual work programme and according to the functions, themes and regions in its Council Regulation. 2011 was the second year of the mid-term perspective 2010-13. Part I of the AAR summarises the activities and results achieved in each of the four regions and in the thematic expertise development area, presents the work organised by function and distinguishes between country-based and regional activities. The AAR contains a detailed record and description of the corporate outputs achieved in 2011 together with annexes and specific tables outlining areas of expenditure by theme, region and function. In particular, the activity based budget tables report the use of resources according to the three dimensions of ETF planning (geographical, functional and thematic). The report also presents details on the specific requests received from the European Commission and the services provided by the ETF in response.
Of the 150 corporate outputs achieved in 2011 (against the 149 targeted), 121 were targeted in the 2011 Work Programme, 15 were the result of new requests in 2011 and 14 were carried-over from 2010. Overall, the level of outputs completed is in line with the final budget received by the ETF and indicates the achievement of the objectives proposed in the work programme. The 2011 AAR records an increase in policy analysis outputs (22 achieved compared to 18 targeted), as well as those related to support to the European Commission (31 achieved against 27 targeted) at the expense of two less in dissemination and networking (25 achieved, 27 targeted) and five less capacity building outputs (72 achieved, 77 targeted). The changed mix of outputs achieved in 2011 compared to 2010 is explained by the increase in capacity building activities due to ToriNet in 2011 (compared to Torino Process policy analysis in 2010), by the number and type of requests from the European Commission (which increased in 2011 and became more diversified reflecting requests for expertise from different DGs and the complex and dynamic political situation in several ETF partner countries), and the central role of the ETF in the field of human capital development (policy analysis and dissemination and networking), as found in the External Evaluation undertaken in 2011. The Governing Board highlights the success of the Torino Process conference and the importance of the resulting Declaration where policy leaders from partner countries, the EU and the international community acknowledged the value of structured evidence in guiding the policy cycle. The Board also welcomes the approach inspired by the Bruges Review, which has encouraged national authorities to take a leading role in driving assessment processes and follow up. The Board acknowledges the importance of the ETF’s response in Tunisia and other countries in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. For example, the ETF redefined its support in line with the priorities of the Tunisian transition government to focus on support to the government and other stakeholders in field of employment (capacity building) and on the contribution of human resources to territorial development. The ETF’s work in supporting the Commission in the Eastern Partnership platforms, in mobility partnerships and in lifelong learning in Eastern Europe is also noted.
The priorities of attractiveness of VET and relations between education and business were supported by all five partner countries in Central Asia at the first regional policy dialogue on VET that was followed up at the Torino Process conference in May, the conference on evidence-based policy making in November in Turin and the OECD’s policy seminar on VET in December. The Governing Board also highlights the work on social inclusion in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The regional network promoted by the ETF in this field was called upon when DG Enlargement asked the agency to design an IPA multi-beneficiary project for inclusive education. The work of the members of the network resulted in a project proposal that will consolidate the work done by the ETF and its partners in promoting inclusive education and training. From the extensive activity in thematic development, the Board emphasises the success of the “Qualifications Frameworks, from concepts to implementation” conference organised by the ETF at the European Parliament, which brought together experts from ETF partner countries, the EU and third countries. This conference underscored the ETF’s expertise at national and international levels in order to provide the expert support required by ETF partner countries. Parts II, III and IV of the AAR detail the processes that the ETF uses to ensure its effective and efficient functioning as an EU agency. Part II describes the key features of the significant developments that have improved and reinforced management supervision and control of ETF activities. In 2011 the organisation continued to implement a comprehensive system of internal controls, quality and risk management, ensuring proportional compliance and the effectiveness of internal procedures. These developments covered changes in the organisational structure, changes in internal processes and systems, procedures and workflows and in resources management. Read more...