The Erasmus+ National Agencies, i.e. IKY (State Scholarship Foundation) and INEDIVIM (Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation), together with European Youth Card Greece, participated on May 9th 2023 at the launch event dedicated to the European Year of Skills entitled “Europe Day 2023 – Celebrating the European Year of Skills”.
The event was organized by the Representation of the European Commission in Greece in cooperation with the Office of the European Parliament in Greece and was held at the Athens Conservatoire. The aim of the event was to celebrate Europe Day and more precisely, unity and peace in Europe.
The Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Greece, Ms. Niovi Ringou, and the Head of the Office of the European Parliament in Greece, Mr. Constantinos Tsoutsoplides, addressed the opening of the event. The keynote speaker, Vice President of the European Commission Mr. Margaritis Schinas, was the next to take the floor. Having interacted with young participants, he stressed that “The access of all Europeans to training and skills must become a basic human right. This is the one and only target of the European Year of Skills. The revolution of skills begins today and the aim is for nobody to be left behind. We are investing unprecedented resources in the most precious asset we have. Europe’s human resources”. Live from Bruxelles, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen officially launched the European Year of Skills.
Then, two panels were held with the participation of a total of eleven speakers, coordinated by Mr. George Evgenidis, journalist. The first panel focused on “The European dimension of skills in the green and digital transitions”, while the theme of the second panel was “Applying the European Skills Agenda in Greece”. The President of INEDIVIM, Mr. Kostas Dervos, who was one of the keynote speakers in the second panel, referred to the opportunities offered by the European Programmes to young people as well as to the importance of lifelong learning.
The stands of several bodies, among others the joint stand of both the State Scholarships Foundation and of the Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation, were at the yard of the Athens Conservatoire throughout the event. People who visited the stands were advised on the Erasmus+ Programme, the European Solidarity Corps and Eurodesk network, as well as on the advantages of obtaining a European Youth Card, while the relevant promotional material was handed over to them.
