3.2. 2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 28/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) DECISION No 253/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 24 January 2000 establishing the second phase of the Community action programme in the field of education ‘Socrates’ THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and in particular Articles 149 and 150 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (%), In the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 10 November 1999, Whereas: (1)  the Treaty establishing the European Community provides that the latter's action shall contribute, inter alia, to the development of quality education and training; measures under this programme should promote the European dimension of education and contribute to the development of quality education with a view to encouraging life-long learning; (2) by Decision No 819/95/EC the European Parliament and the Council established the Community action programme Socrates (°); (3)  the extraordinary European Council on employment held in Luxembourg on 20 and 21 November 1997 recognised that lifelong education and training can make an important contribution to the Member States' O] C 314, 13.10.1998, p. 5. O] C 410, 30.12.1998, p. 2. (¢} OJ L 87, 20.4.1995, p. 10. Decision as amended by Decision No 576/98/EC (O] L 77, 14.3.1998, p. 1 ). employment policies in order to enhance employability, adaptability and the culture of entrepreneurship and to promote equal opportunities; (4)  in its communication ‘Towards a Europe of Knowledge’, the Commission set out guidelines for the creation of an open and dynamic European education area capable of achieving the objective of life-long education and training; (5)  in its White Paper ‘Teaching and learning — Towards the learning society’,the Commission stated that the emergence of the learning society entails encouraging the acquisition of new knowledge and to this end providing motivation to learn at every opportunity; and in its Green Paper ‘Education, training, research: the obstacles to transnational mobility’, the Commission highlighted the advantages of mobility for people and competitiveness in the European Union; (6)  the Commission's aim, in line with the European Parlia- ment's wish, is to attain a participation rate of around 10 % of schools under the Comenius action and of around 10 % of students in the mobility activities under the Erasmus action; (7)  there is a need to promote active citizenship and to step up the fight against exclusion in all its forms, including racism and xenophobia; special attention should be focused on promoting equality and furthering equal opportunities for women and men; whereas special attention should be given to persons with special needs; (8)  the European Parliament and the Council, in their Decision on youth, and the Council, in Decision 1999/ 382/EC on training (%), have established Community action programmes for the youth and training fields respectively, which contribute, together with the Socrates programme, to promoting a Europe of knowl- edge; (9 OJ L 146, 11.6.1999, p. 33.