The success of the open method of coordination in education and training depends on the political commitment of Member States and on effective working methods at European level. From this perspective, and with a view to greater flexibility, the working methods used in the context of European cooperation should be based on the following:

     (a)  Work cycles: the period up to 2020 will be divided up into a series of cycles, with the first cycle covering the 3 years from 2009 to 2011.

     (b) Priority areas: for each cycle, a number of priority areas for European cooperation based on the strategic objectives will be adopted by the Council on the basis of a Commission proposal. The European priority areas will be designed to allow either for broad cooperation between all the Member States or for closer cooperation between a more limited number of Member States, in accordance with national priorities. The priority areas for the first cycle under this new framework are set out in Annex II hereto.

     (c) Mutual learning: European cooperation in the aforementioned priority areas can be carried out by such means as peer learning activities, conferences and seminars, high level fora or expert groups, panels, studies and analyses and web-based cooperation and, where appropriate, with the involvement of relevant stakeholders. All of these initiatives should be developed on the basis of clear mandates, time schedules and planned outputs to be proposed by the Commission in cooperation with the Member States (see also paragraph (f) below).

     (d) Dissemination of results: to enhance visibility and impact at national and European level, the outcomes of cooperation will be widely disseminated among all relevant stakeholders and, where appropriate, discussed at the level of Directors-General or Ministers.

     (e) Progress reporting: at the end of each cycle — and in the case of the first under the new framework, no earlier than the beginning of 2012 — a joint Council-Commission report should be drawn up. This will evaluate the overall progress in achieving the objectives under this framework during the most recent cycle and/or in a particular thematic area which would be defined by the Commission in cooperation with the Member States (see also paragraph (f) below). Joint reports should be based on national reports drawn up by the Member States, as well as on existing information and statistical data. The joint reports may be developed to include factual analyses of the different situations in individual Member States, with their full agreement. The joint reports should also serve as the basis for establishing a fresh set of priority areas for the following cycle.

      (f) Monitoring of the process: to promote the delivery of results through the open method of coordination as well as ownership of the method at both national and European level, the Member States and the Commission will work closely together in steering, taking forward and evaluating the process and its outcomes.