On the occasion of his official visit to Ukraine, the European Commissioner in charge of Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel', presented themes for future cooperation between the EU and Ukraine in the areas of education, culture, youth and sport.

Commissioner Figel' was on an official visit to Ukraine on 2 - 4 October, during which he met Vice Prime Minister for European and International Integration, Gregory Nemyria, the Minister of Education, Ivan Vakarchuk, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Vasyl Vovkun, and the Minister for Sport, Youth and Family, Mr Yurii Pavlenko. The discussions follow the recent EU-Ukraine Summit on 9 September, and took place in the context of the future EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

Mr Figeľ said: ''I am pleased to hold these talks with our Ukrainian partners. The EU has a lot to offer in terms of promoting exchanges and opportunities for collaboration among our youth. The enthusiasm of the young people I have met here, and their dedication to exploring and building on these opportunities, are an inspiration, and I wish them every success in their future activities, both in the EU and in Ukraine.''

During the meeting with Mr Ivan Vakarchuk, the Minister of Education, Commissioner Figeľ underlined that cooperation and dialogue in the field of education and training plays an important role in the Commission's strategy towards Ukraine. Mr Figeľ also congratulated Ukraine on its progress in introducing the 'Bologna process' reforms in the higher education sector, and encouraged the Ukrainian authorities to continue with their completion.

(Europa.eu)