AS/CULT - Synopsis No 2001/080

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON CULTURE, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION

Synopsis n° 2001/080

29 June 2001

The Committee on Culture, Science and Education, meeting on 25 and 28 June 2001 with Mr Rakhansky in the chair:

-            approved a report and adopted a draft recommendation on young scientists in Europe (Rapporteur: Mr Wittbrodt, Poland, EPP/CD);

-            approved a report and adopted a draft resolution on scientific and technological development in central and eastern Europe (Rapporteur: Mr Mateju, Czech Republic, EPP/CD);

-            considered a preliminary draft report on higher education in South-East Europe (Rapporteur: Mr Ivanov, Bulgaria, EPP/CD), heard comments by Mr Bergan, Head of the higher education and research division (DG IV), and asked the rapporteur to prepare a revised report to be considered on 5 September;

-            expressed the wish that these three reports be the object of a joint debate by the Assembly at the September part-session;

-            considered a preliminary draft report on scientific communication and European media (Rapporteur: Mr Birraux, France, EPP/CD) and asked the rapporteur to prepare a revised report to be considered on 5 September;

-            considered a revised draft programme for its meeting in Yerevan presented by Mr Galoyan and accepted a proposal to change the dates of the meeting to 22-24 October 2001;

-           was informed by Mr de Puig that Morocco had adhered to the North-South Centre, discussed his proposal to hold the second Colloquy on Culture and Cooperation in Western Mediterranean in Morocco and approved it in principle;

-            appointed Mr Kalkan, Turkey, EDG, rapporteur for an opinion on the situation and prospects of young people in rural areas and approved an oral opinion;

-            appointed Mr O’Hara, United Kingdom, SOC, rapporteur on art history;

-            appointed Mr Legendre, France, EDG, rapporteur on the European Year of Languages, hoped that his report would be debated by the Assembly on 26 September 2001, European Day of Languages, and was informed by the Modern Languages Division (DG IV) of activities foreseen for that day;

-           heard a report by Mr de Puig on the 46^th Congress of the Federal Union of European Nationalities (Heerenveen, 23-27 May 2001);

-           took note of interventions proposed by Mr Hegyi in the Assembly in his capacity as General Rapporteur on Media;

-            appointed Mr Debono Grech (Malta), Mr Kofod-Svendsen (Denmark) and Mr Theodorou, alternate Mr Christodoulides (Cyprus), as further members of its Sub-Committee on the Cultural Heritage, Mr Fayot (Luxembourg) as a further member of its Sub-Committee on the Media, and Mr Theodorou, alternate Mr Christodoulides (Cyprus), as a further member of its Sub-Committee on Youth and Sport;

-            regretted that the Committee (and the Assembly) had not been represented at the recent meetings of the CDBI, of the CDEJ and the Joint Council for Youth Questions, of the Governing Board of the North-South Centre and of the Board of Governors of the European Cultural Foundation;

-           was informed by the Chairman of preparation for the 2^nd International Forum on Television and Cinema (Yalta, 7-15 September 2001) and added M. O’Hara and Mr Urbanczyk as representatives;

-            designated representatives to forthcoming meetings;

-           decided to hold its next meeting on Wednesday 5 September 2001 in the Paris Office of the Council of Europe and took note that its Sub-Committees on Science and Ethics and on the Media would also meet on this occasion.

***

The Sub-Committee on the Cultural Heritage (Committee on Culture, Science and Education), meeting on 26 June 2001 with Mr Legendre (Vice Chairman) in the chair:

§         was informed of the study visit she had made to Cyprus in November 2000, held an exchange of views on the cultural heritage of Cyprus together with a Turkish Cypriot delegation and agreed on the principle of setting up a European Foundation for the Protection and Preservation of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Cyprus,

§         was informed by Mr Saglam on the situation regarding the Ilisu dam (Turkey) deciding to return to the question in the light of the study visit to be carried out by the General Rapporteur in September,

§         held an exchange of views on the possible development of the historic and natural site of Marathon (Greece) for an Olympic rowing centre and was informed of a memorandum from the Greek Ministry of Culture submitted by Mrs Katseli,

§         welcomed the proposal of the Ravello University Centre for Cultural Heritage for a European network of experts in prehistoric art to intervene in cases such as the Guadiana valley (Portugal - Spain) where such art may be affected by dam construction projects,

§         asked the General Rapporteur to write to the Yugoslav authorities with regard to the return of items borrowed from museums in surrounding countries,

§         asked her to evaluate the situation regarding the Romanian national treasure (on the departure of the rapporteur Mr Hadjidemetriou);

-           was informed by Mr Thérond, Head of the Cultural Heritage Division (DG IV), on follow up to the Conference of ministers responsible for the cultural heritage (Portoroz, 5-7 April 2001), mentioned the future of the European Foundation for Heritage Skills (FEMP) and proposed the organisation of a presentation of the heritage information network project (HEREIN) together with the European Parliament in Brussels in the autumn.

***

The Sub-Committee on Youth and Sport (Committee on Culture, Science and Education), meeting on 26 June 2001 with Mr Hancock in the chair:

-           held an exchange of views on the future of sports cooperation in the Council of Europe with the Strategy Group of the Steering Committee for the Development of Sport (CDDS) and decided to include this issue in a report for the Assembly on sports cooperation in Europe;

-           was informed by Mr Lauritzen, Deputy Director of Youth and Sports, of youth activities in the Council of Europe and decided in principle to hold meetings on “why run a youth sector in the Council of Europe” (Budapest, February 2002) and on priorities in the youth programme (Strasbourg, 23 June 2002) in preparation of the next European Conference of Ministers responsible for youth (Thessaloniki, October 2002);

-           was informed by Mr Ingledow, Directorate General of Political Affairs, on the Democratic Leadership Programme and on the programme “Link Diversity” for South-East Europe;

-           hoped that youth representatives could be associated with the forthcoming Committee meeting in Yerevan;

-           took note that the consultative meeting on sports policies in Tbilisi would be postponed to the autumn;

-           left it to the Chairman to decide on the date and place of the next meeting.

Christopher Grayson, João Ary, Bonnie Theophilova, Bogdan Torcatoriu