Brussels, 27/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - Jan Figel, Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, spoke on Tuesday 26 February before the European Parliament's committee on culture and education chaired by Katerina Batzeli (PES, Greece) in order to enlighten MEPs on the initiatives foreseen for 2008. He urged on this occasion for rapid adoption, by July, of the Erasmus Mundus II programme which will improve student mobility and introduce an external dimension into the current programme. If the Parliament does not adopt the programme in good time, the programme will not be able to start during the next academic year beginning in September 2009, “which would be a shame”, he stressed. He also cited the Year for Intercultural Dialogue 2008, a flagship event, which plans to present Europe as a “community of shared values”. Youth will also be the focus of attention during the European Youth Week to be held from 3-9 November. Youth policy is still a challenge for some member states which still have a high rate of youth unemployment, Mr Figel regretted, recommending structured dialogue between member states in order to find roads for action. He would also like to see greater involvement on the part of young persons during upcoming elections at the EP. The practice of voluntary work is an excellent way to make young people more aware of what is going on, the commissioner said, announcing an initiative on the subject this summer. He said they had examples of best practice and would like to publish guidelines on this. When it comes to education and training, Mr Figel is pleased with the agreement reached on the European framework for certification, the first of its kind in the world. He welcomed the interest shown by third countries such as Canada and Russia. He announced, moreover, a communication on schools of the 21st century which is to be published during this summer. The aim is to target action necessary for developing the schools of tomorrow and raising future challenges. Finally, the commissioner announced a Green Paper on migration and education for the month of April. More inclusive, better quality education is needed, Mr Figel stressed, especially in classes which are overcrowded and where the parents are immigrants.
Among the many putting questions to the Commissioner, Ruth Heronymi (EPP-ED, Germany) and Christa Prets (PES, Austria) expressed concern at seeing the economic dimension dominate the cultural dimension in debates on application of the UNESCO convention on cultural diversity. Helga Trüpel (Greens/EFA, Germany) hopes for her part to support the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and asked the Commission what it planned to do to help small businesses in the music sector. Erna Hennicot -Schoepges (EPP-ED, Luxembourg) said how important it was for children to learn foreign languages from a very early age. She also expressed concern about the fact that the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue is no more than a label stuck on a product and that the initiative will not be continued after 2007. On this, Mary Honeyball (PES, UK) bemoaned the fact that events organised to date have placed too much emphasis on the religious aspect, when the Parliament is a secular institution. Zdzislaw Zbigniew Podkanski (UEN, Poland) underlined the adverse effect of illegal immigration on children. One must study and come back to this question in the Green Paper on Immigration and Education, he said. Ramona Nicole Manescu (ALDE, Romania), for her part, explained the importance of encouraging young people to take part in active citizenship and called for a public hearing to be organised on this theme. Doris Pack (EPP-ED, Germany) regretted the delay incurred by “Comenius +”, which aims at mobility in schools, and stressed how important it was for European countries to place their national history in perspective with the history of Europe. This question was also raised by Mihaela Popa (EPP-ED, Romnaia) and Mary Honeyball.
Commissioner Figel reassured Ms Trüpel of his interest in supporting the music industry, indicating that he had recently spoken with Impala, the independent music companies association. The promotion of the creative industries and support of SMEs are connected, he said. He also pointed out to Ms Hennicot-Schoepges that the activities organised as part of the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue would continue in and beyond 2008, as it is a long-term initiative. On the subject of multilingualism and respect of minority languages, the commissioner welcomed the first conference on multilingualism held on 15 February this year. One should respect all languages and defend the idea of multilingualism, he asserted. And then there is illegal immigration - but this does not mean that all children should not have equal opportunities, said Mr Figel. In response to Lívia Jároka (EPP-ED, Hungary), he announced that he was preparing a paper on the situation of this minority. (I.L.)