Brussels, 07/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission rejects the accusations levied by the British Conservatives and a section of the British press according to which it is attempting to institute a "EU education dimension" and thus "to aggrandise itself even as it proves that it cannot deal professionally with its current responsibilities such as external aid", to take the exact terms used by the British Conservative spokesperson for foreign affairs, Francis Maude, widely quoted this morning in the British press.
The Tory criticisms mix two different subjects. Firstly, a report that must be presented on Tuesday by a group from the Hose of Commons international development committee for the EU: according to the Tories, this very harsh report denounces European cumbersome and "Kafkaesque" bureaucracy. "This report only reproduces the situation denounced by the Commission itself last 16 may, when it adopted a reform plan for its external aid", replied the Commission spokesperson. "There is no single EU education project, the Commission will not impose obligatory lesson on the EU in British schools", said the spokesperson against the Conservative accusation of issue of education. In fact the Commission published an expression of interest prior to the launch of a call for tenders for various studies in the field of education (Official Journal of 22 July, C210, p.10). Among the projects listed are the following: "the European dimension of education, and notably: an analysis of the cultural or socio-economic-political elements appropriate to integration into the curriculum".