Letter from the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso
The publication of Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise's Annual Report 2006 enables me to highlight the importance of entrepreneurship as a key competence for all citizens living, learning and working in today's – and tomorrow's Europe. The European Council and the European Parliament adopted a Recommendation of key competences for lifelong learning at the end of 2006. It identifies eight key competences that young people should develop in order to prosper in the knowledge society. A sense of initiative and entrepreneurship is one such competence. It encompasses creativity, innovation and an ability to plan, carry out and evaluate projects and processes, both individually and in collaboration with others. These are skills that support achievement in personal, social and working life and that lay foundations for a more innovative, entrepreneurial and competitive Europe.

The 2006 Spring European Council confirmed the need to reinforce education for entrepreneurship education. Schools need support to make entrepreneurship a reality for students and I congratulate JA-YE for its successful programmes in this field. They provide teachers, and schools with concrete programmes, and allow students to learn how to put theory into practice and to understand what entrepreneurship is about. In this way students gain self-confidence and motivation, become proactive and learn how to work in a team. This is an important investment in Europe's future.

I thank Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise for its excellent work and wish it every success in the future.