Follow-up to the Third Summit: priority for cultural co-operation

Doc. 11307

19 June 2007

Follow-up to the Third Summit: priority for cultural co-operation

Recommendation 1758 (2006)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 998^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (13 June 2007)

1. The Committee of Ministers has taken note, with great interest, of Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1758 (2006) on the “Follow-up to the Third Summit: priority for cultural co-operation”, which emphasises the central mission of culture in the broad sense of the term and the importance of intergovernmental cultural co-operation.

2. It thanks the Assembly for its contribution to the events linked to the 50th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention, the Third Summit of the Council of Europe and the implementation of the Action Plan, which have been key steps in defining the importance of cultural co-operation in promoting the Council of Europe's fundamental values and laid down the bases of its action to foster intercultural dialogue.

3. The Council of Europe's cultural co-operation activities are configured around the different spheres mentioned by the Assembly and the Committee of Ministers ensures that they follow the priorities set by the Third Summit. It is with this in mind that it has assigned the necessary resources to vital areas of action, such as youth activities and in particular the European Youth Campaign for diversity, human rights and participation “All different – All equal”, activities linked to the development of intercultural dialogue, notably the preparation of the White Paper on intercultural dialogue, and to the introduction of normative tools and good practices in the cultural, heritage and audiovisual fields.

4. Where the numerous and varied recommendations made by the Assembly are concerned, the Committee of Ministers wishes to present the following information and comments:

Concerning paragraphs 12.1 and 12.2

5. By directly fostering conditions serving the fundamental aims of the Council of Europe – democracy, human rights and the rule of law – cultural co-operation is fostering the construction of a more solidarity-minded Europe, founded on common values and standards. In this area, the Committee of Ministers draws on the work of the Steering Committee for Culture (CDCULT), whose ongoing action combines the analysis and framing of measures and standards, principles and good practices as well as their monitoring, assistance for implementing measures and capacity-building, and awareness-raising initiatives. To that end, it uses its principal tool, the Compendium (a system of information and online monitoring for cultural policies in Europe).

6. Education, including formal education and higher education, is a key factor in the development of sustainable democratic societies. Mention should be made in this connection of the activities to be carried out in 2007 by the Steering Committee on Education (CDED) aimed at training for education professionals and multipliers (heads of school establishments, teacher trainers) under the “Pestalozzi” programme for the training of teachers and defining new approaches to secondary school exchanges. The proceedings of the 22nd Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education held in Istanbul in May 2007 on the theme “Building a more humane and inclusive Europe: the contribution of education policies” also yielded particularly valuable exchanges and results in this sphere.

7. For its part, the Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research (CDESR) is actively participating in the construction of a European higher education area (Bologna Process) and undertaking activities to promote the fair recognition of qualifications. In this way it is contributing to the development of societies characterised by a high level of competence among their individual members and fostering the acquisition of the skills necessary for them to be active citizens in our contemporary societies. A new project will be launched in 2007 on the theme “The University between humanism and market: redefining its values and functions for the 21st century”, with the aim of developing a coherent view of the functions and values of higher education in modern societies.

Concerning paragraph 12.3

8. Like the Assembly, the Committee of Ministers considers that the Council of Europe has a key role to play in promoting intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity; it reaffirms the importance it attached to the implementation of the strategy adopted by the Council of Europe in Faro in October 2005. In this respect it notes with satisfaction the progress achieved, including concrete steps such as the launching of the “All different – All equal” youth campaign, the Kyiv cultural initiative (Bucarest, 15 December 2006) and other relevant regional projects. In this context, it also refers to the work of the 21st Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education held in Athens in November 2003, on the theme “Intercultural education: managing diversity, strengthening democracy”. The Opatija Declaration on Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention, adopted in 2003, contributed greatly to defining a European co-operation framework which creates conditions enabling the promotion and construction of a society striving to develop intercultural dialogue and respect for cultural diversity and fostering the prevention of violent conflicts, conflict management and control as well as post-conflict reconciliation. This dialogue is an indispensable tool in the management at international level of cultural diversity and the growing complexity of our new social realities, and as such it forms the base concept of work underway on the White Paper on intercultural dialogue. The Committee of Ministers also points out that it is currently reflecting on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue and underlines the relevant initiatives undertaken by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in this area. The Committee of Ministers is pleased to be able to count also on the Assembly's support and contribution in this context.

9. Other activities are being undertaken in this area, notably by the CDED, to promote intercultural learning and social integration practices in the school environment and also to strengthen intercultural dialogue and social cohesion through the introduction of policies, strategies and methods of teaching history based on looking at history from more than one angle, mutual respect and tolerance. In addition, numerous training activities have been carried out by the youth sector, focusing on questions of conflict transformation and confidence-building as well as the religious dimension. These activities have been broadened to take in countries in the Mediterranean region through the EURO-MED programme, pursued in partnership with the European Union and the Council of Europe's North-South Centre.

Concerning paragraphs 12.4 to 12.7

10. Assessment of the European Year of citizenship through education revealed that education for citizenship and human rights education (EDC/HRE) support and promote the Council of Europe's work in its main fields of action. For that reason, EDC/HRE activities in 2007 will be geared to providing support for education policy makers and professionals at all levels so that they can devise and develop lasting EDC/HRE programmes. These activities will be oriented towards developing standards and material and strengthening partnerships and inter-institutional co-operation in this area. In this context, the Committee of Ministers refers to the discussion underway in its competent Rapporteur Group on the report of the Steering Committee for Education on the proposed “European Resource Centre for Education for Democratic Citizenship and intercultural education”.

11. Regarding co-operation between governments and representatives of higher education establishments, the Committee of Ministers refers to the work of the CDESR and its valuable role as the only body at pan-European level to bring together decision makers from public authorities and higher education establishments.

12. The Committee of Ministers has a strong interest in the democratisation of access to culture and the activities mentioned by the Assembly in its recommendation, in particular European heritage days and the cultural routes programme. In this connection, it expresses its appreciation for the European heritage days and the colloquy on “the value of Europe's cultural heritage” held in St Petersburg in September 2006 and will consider the follow-up to be given to the results of this activity. The Steering Committee for Cultural Heritage (CDPAT) will continue its efforts along these lines, through its forthcoming activities on the themes of explaining, presenting and interpreting heritage, in synergy with activities in the education sector covering history teaching and education for citizenship. Furthermore, the priority attached by the CDPAT to consolidating the HEREIN information system – a system with considerable potential for data gathering, joint analysis and systematic exchange of good practices between the member states – goes a long way towards fulfilling the Assembly's wishes regarding the exchange of information and networking.

Concerning paragraph 12.8

13. 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. The work of the CDED on common European standards of language proficiency for programmes and examinations – undertaken in collaboration with the European Union in the area of transparency of language skills – and on policies aimed at supporting language diversity in education systems, together with its initiatives concerning specific language needs of vulnerable groups (minorities, migrants and Roma), are fully geared to this context. The Committee of Ministers welcomes, in this respect, the Forum on the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the development of language policies” which took place in February 2007.

Concerning paragraphs 12.11 to 12.14

14. The Committee of Ministers welcomes the Assembly's interest in monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe's legal instruments in the field of culture in the broad sense. It wishes to inform it in this connection of the preparation of a major meeting scheduled in 2007, which will bring together the Parliamentary Assembly and the governmental sector with a view to drawing up an inventory of international conventions on heritage and the promotion of Council of Europe conventions including the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the value of cultural heritage for society adopted in Faro in October 2005, to which the Assembly specifically refers. The Committee of Ministers therefore encourages the member states not yet having done so to consider signing or ratifying those conventions.

15. The Committee of Ministers believes that active international co-operation with all the Council of Europe's partners in the cultural sector is crucially important. The “Faro Platform” for the promotion of intercultural dialogue, set up jointly with UNESCO, is one of the great markers laid down for strengthening that co-operation. There are many positive examples of such co-operation in place, particularly with the European Commission and UNESCO in the field of culture and cultural heritage, such as the regional programme for cultural and natural heritage in South-East Europe, and also in the sphere of education, with the European Commission and the OSCE. In other programmes, like the “Kyiv Initiative for democratic development through culture in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine”, such international co-operation would also be welcomed.All these international partners are involved in the preparation of the White Paper on intercultural dialogue, which, in turn, will be an important contribution from the Council of Europe to the Year of intercultural dialogue organised by the European Union in 2008. In this context, the Committee of Ministers welcomes the Parliamentary Assembly's recommendation that the European Union be invited to accede to the European Cultural Convention. The Committee of Ministers notes the organisation in London in May 2007, of the Ministerial Conference on the Bologna Process, the objective of which is to establish a European Higher Education Area.

16. A report providing an overview of implementation of the Third Summit Action Plan at the level of the committees operating within the intergovernmental co-operation framework, highlighting what has been, is being and will be done to help achieve the fundamental aims of the Council of Europe, has been prepared. The report presents a critical assessment of the last few years' work, particularly in terms of relevance (match with the Organisation's fundamental values) and added value (both intrinsic and in relation to the activities of other international organisations or other Council of Europe committees), and was examined at the 117th Ministerial Session on 10 and 11 May 2007. The Assembly has been duly informed of the outcome of this analysis.