EuroCommerce agrees with the Commission’s plans to modernise education and training systems in Europe in an effort to foster key competences in lifelong learning.

EuroCommerce supports the emphasis placed on developing transversal and entrepreneurial skills to improve the employability of young people, as they are the majority of the workforce in the commerce sector.

EuroCommerce also strongly supports the importance that has been given to the development of better dual education systems in all EU countries as a means to address high youth unemployment levels.

“As a major provider of employment in Europe, the commerce sector recognises the need to increase the average level of qualifications. We are committed to working together with our social partners to establish a sector skills councils for commerce”, said EuroCommerce Director-General, Christian Verschueren.

However, in these times of economic crisis, EuroCommerce recognises the difficulty faced by many companies to invest in education and training. “It has already been proven that the retail sector invests more than any other sector to train its employees. We must improve access to funding at both national and EU level by simplifying the rules of procedure and better informing our young people of EU funding programmes for educational activities”, concluded Mr Verschueren.

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For further information, please contact:

Marjolein Raes

Director of Advocacy & Communications

Tel: +32 2 737 05 99

raes@eurocommerce.be

EuroCommerce and the commerce sector

EuroCommerce represents the retail, wholesale and international trade sectors in Europe. Its membership includes commerce federations and companies in 31 European countries.

Commerce plays a unique role in the European economy, acting as the link between manufacturers and the nearly 500 million consumers across Europe over a billion times a day. It is a dynamic and labour-intensive sector, generating 11% of the EU’s GDP. One company out of three in Europe is active in the commerce sector. Over 99% of the 6 million companies in commerce are small and medium-sized enterprises. It also includes some of Europe’s most successful companies. The sector is a major source of employment creation: 33 million Europeans work in commerce, which is one of the few remaining job-creating activities in Europe. It also supports millions of dependent jobs throughout the supply chain from small local suppliers to international businesses.