Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-26-Speech-3-065"
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"en.20050126.6.3-065"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am actually very glad to have been able to hear Mr Barroso speak today, but I did not, unfortunately, get the same feeling of euphoria that I did from his speech in Berlin. There was not much evidence today of the desire to ‘give Europe a soul’. When you reported on your work programme, words like ‘culture’, ‘education’ and ‘schooling’ occurred less frequently than any of us in the Committee on Culture and Education would have wished, particularly as we are all well aware that these areas have a very great part to play in the process of integration and in the Lisbon process.
I think it really is time for all these speeches and symposia to be backed up by actions that the public will sit up and notice, actions that they will welcome as adding value to Europe. You did admittedly say earlier that investment in education is important, in that it promotes growth and employment, but what you say must, of course, be reflected in what you do. I would add to that the need for the Commission to create more incentives to learn languages, for learning languages is important. Learning your neighbour’s language matters, because it builds another bridge between you and them, and our young people’s mobility in the internal market depends on it.
It truly would be great if you, Mr President of the Commission, were really to take up the cause of the new ‘Lifelong Learning’ programme, and if the money that I, on behalf of my fellow Members, have been demanding for it, were actually to be forthcoming. That would be in line with what you are seeking through the Lisbon strategy. The preamble to the new Constitution speaks of the need to strengthen Europe’s ‘unity in diversity’, but if that is to happen, the Member States have to come round to accepting that there is such a thing as a European cultural area and have to enjoy its advantages. The culture industry creates an enormous number of jobs. Like education and schooling, it is compatible with the Lisbon strategy. It is quite simply ridiculous, and shameful, that only 0.03% of the total budget is allocated to culture.
I therefore ask you, Mr President, and all your fellow Commissioners, to invest in education and culture; by so doing, you will really help Europe to gain a soul."@en1
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