11.6.1999 Official Journal of the European Communities L 146/33 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 26 April 1999 establishing the second phase of the Community vocational training action programme ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ (1999/382/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and in particular Article 127 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Atrticle 189¢ of the Treaty (%), (1)  Whereas the Treaty establishing the European Community stipulates that the latter’s action shall, inter alia, contribute to the development of quality education and vocational training; (2) Whereas, by Decision 94/819/EC (*), the Council established an action programme for the imple- mentation of a European Community vocational training policy; whereas it is appropriate, on the basis of the acquired experience of that programme, to ensure its extension, taking into account the results obtained to date; (3  Whereas the extraordinary European Council on Employment held in Luxembourg on 20 and 21 November 1997 recognised that life-long education and vocational training can make an important contribution to Member States’ employment pol- () OJ C 309, 9.10.1998, p. 9. (3 OJ C 410, 30.12.1998, p. 6. () Opinion, of the European Parliament of 5 November 1998 (OJ 359, 23.11.1998, p. 59), Council Common Position of 21 December 1998 (O] C 49, 22.2.1999, p 65) and Decision of the Buropean Parliament of 23 March 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () OJ L 340, 29.12.1994, p. 8. icies in order to enhance employability, adapt- ability and entrepreneurship and to promote equal opportunities; Whereas life-long learning should be provided for persons of all ages and all occupational categories, not only because of technological change but also as a result of the reduction in the number of persons in active employment in the age pyramid; Whereas in its communication ‘Towards a Europe of Knowledge’ the Commission set out proposals for the creation of a European education area capable of achieving the objective of life-long education and vocational training, identifying the types of measures to be developed at Community level, all focusing on transnational cooperation and designed to bring added value to the action taken by the Member States, while fully respecting the principle of subsidiarity, and in a context of simpli- fied procedures; Whereas in its White Paper “Teaching and learning — Towards the learning society’ the Commission states that the emergence of the learning society entails encouraging the acquisition of new know- ledge and to this end providing motivation to learn at every opportunity; whereas in its Green Paper ‘Education, vocational training, research: the obstacles to transnational mobility’ the Commis- sion highlighted the advantages of mobility for people and competitiveness in the European Union;