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On 21st November 2008 the European Council adopted a new Resolution on Lifelong Guidance which was originally prepared under the French 2008 EU Presidency. This new Resolution affirms many of the points made in the 2004 Resolution but also identifies four key priority areas ('guiding principles') for all member states:
* Encourage the lifelong acquisition of career management skills
* Facilitate access by all citizens to guidance services
* Develop the quality assurance of guidance provision
* Encourage coordination and cooperation among the various national, regional and local stakeholders.
Within the quality assurance priority area the EC asks member states, among other things, to make progress in 'enhancing, including through initial education and further training, the professional profile and standards of guidance practitioners, and promoting their competences and skills.....in order to better respond to the needs of both citizens and policymakers.'
In 2007 the Member states set up the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) which brings together representatives from the Member states who choose to participate to cooperate on developing policies, systems and practices in the field of lifelong guidance. The UK team on ELGPN consists of ICG President Vivienne Brown from Careers Scotland, Judith Shaw, Head of the Careers Service in Northern Ireland and Aled Williams from DIUS. | 
