Doc. 11382

29 September 2007

“Academic freedom and university autonomy”

Recommendation 1762 (2006)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 1005^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (26 September 2007)

1.       The Committee of Ministers has closely considered Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1762 (2006) on “Academic freedom and university autonomy”. With the recommendation, the Assembly addresses an issue that is at the heart of culture and democratic societies, as well as the crucial question of higher education’s contribution to the development and constant renewal of democratic culture.

2.       Democratic culture plays a major part in achieving the Council of Europe’s core objectives. In addition, academic freedom and university autonomy are the cornerstones of Europe’s academic heritage. They are key values in the Bologna Process leading to the establishment of a European Higher Education Area by 2010 and were therefore also covered in the Action Plan adopted by the Third Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe.

3.       However, as underlined by the Parliamentary Assembly, if higher education is to remain at the heart of our societies, it is important to assess its ability to adapt to a new social environment. In this connection, the Committee of Ministers adopted, on 16 May 2007, Recommendation Rec(2007)6 on the public responsibility for higher education and research, drawn up by the Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research (CDESR). In this recommendation, the Committee of Ministers calls on member states to exercise their responsibility with a view to adapting it to the requirements of modern, complex societies through a range of political, legislative and practical measures to be taken, as appropriate, at national, regional or local level.

4.       The Committee of Ministers also wishes to draw the Parliamentary Assembly’s attention to the Forum on the Responsibility of Higher Education for Democratic Culture, which the CDESR held at the Council of Europe in June 2006 in co-operation with US higher education organisations and the European University Association. Academic freedom and university autonomy were central issues at the forum, which led to the adoption of a declaration and an ongoing project centred on an interactive website.¹

5.       The CDESR is also considering establishing a university network or forum on intercultural dialogue and is undertaking a project on the roles and functions of higher education in modern societies. Through this project and also through its support for the Observatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum and its various bilateral and regional activities, the CDESR contributes to the Council of Europe’s efforts to foster academic freedom and university autonomy and to build a European Higher Education Area. The Committee of Ministers welcomes the Parliamentary Assembly’s decision to co-operate with the Observatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum, thereby giving its work a European parliamentary dimension.

6.       The example of Belarus, which the Parliamentary Assembly mentions in paragraph 14 of its recommendation, illustrates the crucial importance of academic freedom and university autonomy for promoting a broader democratic society. In this respect, the Committee of Ministers reiterates its interest in the possibilities for co-operating and establishing synergies with ongoing projects, in connection with implementation of the Plan of Assistance Activities for Belarus established in 2006. In particular, it refers to the plan to set up a school of political studies and to the co-operation with the European Humanities University in Vilnius as well as other parts of civil society of Belarus. In more general terms, the Committee of Ministers believes that co-operation with Belarus should focus on developing activities designed to introduce reforms in the country that are in line with Council of Europe principles and standards. A clear commitment to the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy by the national authorities is crucial to undertaking and expanding co-operation with public higher education institutions.

7.       The Committee of Ministers believes that academic freedom and university autonomy are among the indicators which measure how democratic a society is. It will continue, therefore, to pay particular attention to the implementation of these principles.

¹ http://dc.ecml.at/