As new European Community (EC) objectives become prominent in the coming years, vocational training policy will assume increasing importance. The socioeconomic context of the 1990s will be characterized by an accelerating pace of change and the growing role of intangible capital. New forms of work organization with new requirements for qualifications and human resource development will need to be developed. A balance will have to be achieved between investment in research and development to accelerate innovation and investment in training to create a skilled work force able to use and diffuse innovations. EC policies for professional qualifications should be seen in the framework of a double political objective: ensuring free movement of workers and developing common policies for vocational training. The starting point for EC action has been recognition of the diversity of education and training systems of Member States. From here, EC training policy has built on the principles of coordination of policies, convergence of initiatives, and transnational cooperation. Central objectives for future EC training policy can be grouped under three headings: investment, improvement, and transparency (equal access). EC action on training has two strands: setting common objectives to be pursued by Member States and identifying objectives and actions to be pursued by the EC to support and complement national policies. (YLB)