Education is a key factor in developing and sustaining a cohesive and inclusive European society. It is increasingly visible that by facilitating cooperation and partnerships between European countries, education plays a crucial role in building a united Europe, able to maintain its international relevance and withstand the challenges created by geopolitical, technological, and demographic changes.
In
the 1980s, Europe began to strengthen its educational cooperation, laying the
foundations for the successful European programmes we can see today, the best
known of which is the Erasmus programme. These programmes play a key role in
promoting mobility, collaboration and knowledge exchange between European
countries, contributing to strengthening the European identity and developing
the skills needed for a globalised and technological society.
If
we refer to the European identity, it has experienced a complex and chaotic
evolutionary process. It faced major challenges upon trying to define a common
European identity. Let's look at a concrete example. In 2004, EU leaders signed
the Treaty establishing a constitution for Europe. This initiative aimed at
providing a stronger legal basis and strengthening European integration,
reflecting a unified and shared vision of European values and principles.
However, the referendum on the European Constitution in France and the
Netherlands in 2005 was a failure, with citizens rejecting the proposal. This
moment in 2005 highlighted how divided public opinion was on European
integration, how wide the gap was between the opinion of the political elites
and the opinion of ordinary citizens, and highlighted national differences in
sovereignty, identity and decision-making autonomy; phenomena that are still
shaking the Union up to today, almost 20 years after that turning point.
An
innovative political project is now the portfolio of the European Commissioner
for Promoting our European Way of Life. Created in 2019 within the European
Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, the post was assigned to Margaritis
Schinas, who also became Vice-President of the Commission. The name of the
portfolio generated controversy and discussion among political observers and
civil society. The idea of coming up with such an approach was included in
Ursula von der Leyen's political programme for the European Commission
2019-2024. The overall aim of this portfolio was to address topics related to
security, migration, education, culture and social inclusion, reflecting a
comprehensive vision of European values and way of life.
It
should be pointed out that, in recent years, the conversation about the future
of the European Union has been tense and often lacking clarity. That
conversation is marked by uncertainty, lack of consensus, and sometimes even
fear in addressing major issues. European leaders are hesitant to take
political risks and hold back on proposing radical solutions, opting instead
for short-term compromises. The Conference on the Future of Europe was
conceived as an ambitious project. With a clear objective, it was launched by
the European Union in 2021 to involve citizens in large-scale discussions and
consultations about the direction and future of the EU. Despite its initial
enthusiasm, there were many critical opinions that the debate had failed to
live up to the expectations, with some even considering it a failure. The final
results were unclear and did not translate into concrete measures. There were
high expectations that this conference would lead to significant reforms within
the EU, but the final results were perceived as broad and unaccompanied by
decisive action.
In
recent years, the European project has been bayoneted by a series of
overlapping major crises, competing for resources and for the attention of
decision-makers and citizens alike. Each of these crises has tested the EU's
cohesion, solidarity and response capacity, but has also provided opportunities
for learning and adaptation. Every five years, the formation of a new European
Commission and the launch of a new mandate are important moments in the
political calendar of European society. Each committee brings new priorities,
visions and teams of Commissioners who take responsibility for implementing the
EU agenda.
Few
remember, but at European level there was an interesting experiment to bring a
new angle to the leadership of Europe. We had a European Commissioner, who even
held the rank of Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for
European communication. It was Sweden's Margot Wallström, who was part of
President José Manuel Durão Barroso's first term from 2004 to 2009.
What
is needed now is a new strategy for the future of Europe, which should be
values-centred and reflect the diversity, complexity and current challenges of
the Union. In this context, we propose a new approach through education and
citizen engagement. We propose a Vice-President for European Education in the
structure of the future European Commission. Over the period 2024-2029, the
European Commission should set as its strategic priority the development of
European education, in order to make a new leap in this field, like the one
achieved in the 1980s. The idea of a Vice-President of the European Commission
responsible for European education can give a clear signal about this political
objective.
In
order to give European education the importance it deserves, it is advisable to
launch in parallel an Intergovernmental Conference in the spring of 2025, where
Member States can reach an integrated vision of the educational perspective for
2040. Without a solid educational pillar catalysing efforts and energies at
Member State level, there is a risk that the Union will fail the test of global
competitiveness and relevance, as well as the fundamental test of trust on the
part of its own citizens.
(Material
written together with Alina
Bârgăoanu)
Dan
Luca / Brussels
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