Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-14-Speech-1-065"
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"en.20010514.7.1-065"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen. I am standing in today for Mr Gargani, who is staying in Italy for reasons you will understand. In this major debate on education we have added a question to the Commission and the Council – unfortunately the Council is unable to be present – because we believe that now, when everyone is suddenly talking about a European educational area, the European Parliament that has always talked about it and fought for it, but which has always been blocked by the Council of Ministers, cannot simply look on while it, the elected representative of the citizens, is bypassed in matters which are very important and which we have been advocating for a long time. I think it was indecent – perhaps that is too strong a word – improper to ask Parliament on 8 February for an opinion on the future objectives of general vocational training systems that was presented to the Council just four weeks later. Things cannot be allowed to continue that way! That is why we called for this debate and why we are asking to be properly included in the discussion in future.
We are all of the opinion that this report on general vocational training in the European Union is a major step forward after the Lisbon Council because it sets concrete objectives and defines the future role of general vocational training. This is an issue that affects all Europe’s citizens. I repeat once again, this is something we have said all along. As Socrates rapporteur, I fought for this together with my colleagues, ultimately without success. If success is coming at this late stage, I am grateful.
We must, however, always bear in mind that this is an area of policy that we cannot carry through without the support of the Member States. It involves matters that can be tackled only in the context of subsidiarity. We can give examples, we can make a synopsis of how things look in one country or another. Perhaps the Member States can learn from each other. There is no need to keep reinventing the wheel. We cannot, however, do very much more in these fields.
We should like to stress that the open method of coordination that the European Council called into being at its Lisbon meeting and in whose context this report was prepared must not be allowed to prevent the institutions provided for in the Treaties from fulfilling their roles. In our opinion, the general consideration of the future role of general vocational training in the context of the open method of coordination must have regard not only for the contributions of the Member States, but also, and, above all, for the contributions of the European Parliament and the Commission, while safeguarding the principle of subsidiarity.
We reiterate that the conclusions drawn by the Stockholm European Council and the strategic objectives that were formulated can form the basis for a working programme for the coming decade. These things cost money, however. I should like to remind you, ladies and gentlemen, that we cannot always confine ourselves to fine words, making grand final
and calling on the Commission to act. At the end of the day, we all stand there and say: I hear the words, but I have no faith in them because the money for all the things we want to do is not there. So I hope that the Heads of Government, having realised that education is tremendously important in the European Union, far more important than many still think, will spend more money on it.
I should like to point out to the Commission and the Council that we insist that, in the spirit of inter-institutional cooperation between Council, Parliament and Commission, the European Parliament must be involved in producing the follow-up report and in all the measures arising out of it as part of the long-term working programme. I am sure that the Commissioner will do that. I only hope that this will be passed on to the Council and that it will likewise follow in Mrs Reding’s footsteps. I also hope that we can work together on the things laid down in this working programme."@en1
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"communiques"1
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