MOBILITY within the European Union is growing all the time. However, obstacles still exist in education, training and research. At a recent session of the Committee of the Regions (COR), Europe's 222-member assembly of local and regional representatives, Dublin Corporation Councillor Mary Freehill called for practical steps by the European Commission to ensure greater student mobility.

Freehill had the responsibility from the COR to present the committee's opinion paper on the issues. Some of the problems identified by the Commission's Green Paper on obstacles to mobility were those concerning the right of residence, the territorially restricted nature of national grants, compulsory contributions, social protection as well as practical obstacles such as accommodation problems.

"There are still too many obstacles to mobility," says the Green Paper. "Capital, goods and services move more freely within the Union than people." One simple example of the obstacles to student mobility is the question of student grants. In many of the 15 member states, students entitled to grants may lose them if they pursue their studies in another member state.

Another example is the case of someone looking for work and seeking training in another member state. He or she loses rights to unemployment benefit and social security if training lasts longer than three months. "The abolition of obstacles to the free movement of people is one of the basic objectives of a united Europe, included since the Treaty of Rome," says the Green Paper. It also states that demand for mobility is growing all the time, as proved by the success of Community programmes promoting exchanges and placements of researchers, students, teachers, workers or the unemployed undergoing training as well as trainers.

A MEMBER of COR, Freehill called for a number of steps to be taken which would encourage student mobility and recognise qualifications obtained in all member states. She endorses the Commission's proposals which include improvements in the status of trainees and voluntary workers, equal treatment for grant-aided research trainees and the removal of territorial restrictions of grants.

However, she wants other specific improvements. One is legislation on obstacles to rights of residence, social security and tax arrangements.

Freehill also calls for the setting up of information networks and databases promoting recognition of qualifications to cover the vocational training sector. The EU, she believes, should develop an Erasmus programme for apprentices to extend the European Credit Transfer System to cover the vocational training sector. She also wants the 28-year age limit for EU funding throughout the Leonardo programme scraped. And she calls for greater preparation and support systems for people with disabilities who want to travel.