​On 25 September EDUC Commission held its meeting in Brussels. There was a discussion and adoption of an EA Member's Marek Olszewski opinion on the Recognition of skills and competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning. The general political context in which the recognition of skills and competences is taking place is defined by the Europe 2020 Strategy which sets ambitious objectives for smart, inclusive and sustainable growth. In his opinion the rapporteur highlights the importance of validating skills acquired through non-formal and informal learning in the context of lifelong learning. The Rapporteur said "that pan-European mechanisms for the recognition, validation and certification of non-formal and informal skills could lead to an increase in the effectiveness and value of non-formal education which takes place under programmes co-financed by the ESF". "Territorial dimension must be taken into account when designing and implementing arrangements for the validation of non-formal and informal learning"-he added.