Doc. 11327 rev.

26 June 2007

Cultural education: the promotion of cultural knowledge, creativity and intercultural understanding through education

Motion for a resolution
presented by Mrs Muttonen and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1.       Recalling the commitment of all member states to guarantee the right to education under Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights;

2.       Referring to the Action Plan adopted by the Heads of State and Government in Warsaw on 16-17 May 2005, which stated that, in order to build a knowledge-based society and promoting a democratic culture, the Council of Europe shall pursue increased efforts in the field of education aimed at ensuring access to education for all young people across Europe, improving its quality and promoting, inter alia, intercultural education;

3.       Referring to the Final Declaration of the 22nd session of the Standing Conference of European Ministers for Education (Istanbul, 4-5 May 2007) in which the Ministers reaffirmed that the full enjoyment of the right to education is essential to sustainable, cohesive and democratic societies;

4.       Welcoming the Reply by the Committee of Ministers to Assembly Recommendation 1758 (2006) and agreeing with the Committee of Ministers that education, including formal education and higher education, is a key factor in the development of sustainable democratic societies and that the rapid changes in the composition of member states’ societies place a special onus on language and intercultural skills as a means of fostering diversity and social cohesion;

5.       Welcoming the initiative of the European Union to designate 2009 a European Year of Creativity and Innovation and wishing to contribute to this project;

6.       The Parliamentary Assembly emphasises that education is a core field of excellence of the Council of Europe, not only in the form of human rights education and education for democratic citizenship, but also in order to prepare everybody for professional life, active participation in democratic societies, personal development and creativity as well as the development and maintenance of a broad knowledge base;

7.       Cultural education provides those competencies which are necessary in modern societies and which are a key requirement for being able to participate in cultural, social and professional life;

8.       Therefore, the Parliamentary Assembly calls on national parliaments and governments to strengthen their national educational policies in this respect and develop cultural knowledge, creativity and intercultural understanding through education.

Signed 1:

MUTTONEN Christine, Austria, SOC
AGER Hans, Austria, EPP/CD
BARGETZE Rony, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD
BARTOŠ Walter, Czech Republic, EDG
BRASSEUR Anne, Luxembourg, ALDE
de PUIG Lluís Maria, Spain, SOC
FREIRE ANTUNES José, Portugal, EPP/CD
HOOPER Gloria, United Kingdom, EDG
LAUKKANEN Markku, Finland, ALDE
MELO Maria Manuela, Portugal, SOC
WALTER Robert, United Kingdom, EDG


1     SOC: Socialist Group
      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
      EDG: European Democratic Group
      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
      NR: not registered in a group