During the meeting, the Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Government of Germany and the Ministry of Universities of the Government of Spain agreed to sign a Declaration to raise the profile of the commitment to strengthen ties in the field of higher education, recognising training as a basic pillar for the advancement of both countries.
This Declaration aims to intensify bilateral relations on the basis of an appreciation of the importance of higher education as a key factor for the development of both countries, in particular in the field of lifelong learning provision and enhancing the employability of university graduates. It envisages developing collaboration in the field of higher education through the exchange of information between the authorities and their respective higher education institutions, the organisation of visits, and the exchange of stays for civil servant. It also proposes developing mechanisms for each ministry to inform the community of academics in the other country (in our case, German academics living in Spain) about programmes, research calls and regulatory updates.
It also includes a specific work plan for collaboration between the two countries and other actions such as consulting the foreign academic community on how to improve academic conditions and enhance academic internationalisation, solving problems in joint academic programmes promoted by German and Spanish institutions, and reducing bureaucracy in the field of cooperation.
Joan Subirats, Minister for Universities, has positively assessed this bilateral agreement. "We welcome the fact that the declaration of intent we are signing today will allow us to learn in situ about Germany's policies, programmes and actions on common challenges such as improving the employability of university graduates, transforming universities into training institutions for all ages, re-skilling the working population, stimulating innovation and knowledge transfer, and reforming the research systems promoted by the European Commission, to mention some of the most important ones", he said.
For her part, the German minister, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, stressed that she was "very pleased to have been able to intensify our discussions on lifelong learning, higher education and research here in La Coruña. The conditions for our cooperation are exceptionally good. Spanish and German universities enjoy close ties".
Germany has extensive experience and a proven track record in areas that are of great interest to Spain, such as the retraining of the working population, dual university education and the university model at the service of social needs and a more sustainable future.
With this Declaration, the Ministry of Universities fulfils the mandate of the European Union to strengthen cooperation and relations between our countries, thereby reinforcing the integration of the European project and its higher education area.
Non official translation
The Minister for Universities, Joan Subirats, and the Minister for Education and Research of the Federal Government of Germany, Bettina Stark-Watzinger (Pool Moncloa / Fernando Calvo)