Brussels, 24/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - At the 14 November Education Council (see related article and EUROPE 9303), a book on 'Histoire de la coopération européenne dans le domaine de l'éducation et de la formation- Comment l'Europe se construit - Un exemple' written by Luce Pépin was given to the EU's education ministers. The author was head of the European Unit of Eurydice from 1991 to 2001 (an information network on education in the EU) and the book was researched by a team headed by former Director for Education at the European Commission and honorary Director General Domenico Lenarduzzi, and was the brainchild of former European Commission Secretary General David O'Sullivan, who wanted to preserve the memory of EU policies. In the introduction, Nikolaus van der Pas, currently Director General of DG Employment (Director General of DG Education and Culture from 2000 to 2005), said the book recounted an experiment, explaining how and Education and Training Europe was gradually put in place and thereby serving as an example of how the European Union is constructed in practice. He adds that the hindsight provided in the book (showing how much progress has been made) puts into perspective the impatience of people who argue that the EU is not making progress fast enough.
The book points out that the cultural dimension was a major subject of reflection at the European Summit at The Hague after the Second World War because of the role of determined activists like Henri Brugmans, Denis de Rougemont and Salvador de Madariaga, along with the European Culture Conference organised later by the European Movement in Lausanne, Switzerland, which led to the creation in 1950 of the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. Following what the author describes as the 'prehistory' of cooperation on education and culture at European level from 1948 to 1968, the book describes various stages: - the 'foundation years', 1969-1984, which saw the first meeting of education ministers at the EC level in 1971, the first resolution laying down cooperation principles in 1974 and the adoption of the first EC education action plan in 1976. The guidelines and action that was taken would profoundly influence cooperation later on, which made a qualitative leap forwards in 1985, writes Luce Pépin; - 1995-1992, which saw the development of big programmes (Comett and Erasmus in 1985, followed by PETRA, FORCE, Lingua etc.) and moving towards incorporating European education cooperation in the treaty. Education abandoned its 'semi-clandestine' status for the first time in the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, with the European legislator recognising its importance for the European project; - 1993-1999, which saw the adoption in 1995 of a European Commission White Paper on teaching and learning and moving towards a cognitive society, the second generation of Commission programmes (Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci), and a rehash of the programmes, later extended to central and East European counties (TEMPUS); -2000-2005, which saw the March 2000 Lisbon European Council put education at the heart of the EU's economic and social strategy for 2010. For the first time, notes Luce Pépin, education ministers agreed on common ten-year targets and a working method to boost greater convergence of education systems in the EU. Lifelong learning was selected as the focus on the integrated programme unveiled by the European Commission in 2004 for the period 2007-2013. The author writes that this was the start of a new era (although results are slow in coming). She concludes that success will depend on real commitment by Member States to actually implement at national level the common targets decided at EU level. It will also be necessary to consolidate the role of education and training within the Lisbon Strategy in order to boost the social and 'citizenship' dimension, she adds. (mg)