Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-23-Speech-2-416"
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"en.20071023.29.2-416"2
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"Mr President, ‘encouraging lifelong learning’ sounds fine, does it not, with the EU working openly for the good of people and for employment?
It is strange, is it not, in an age in which personal identity is being jealously guarded and identity theft is regarded as the crime it is, that some people thoughtlessly seek to destroy the unique identity of the institutions which made them what they are, denying others the education they acquired there?
Only this morning, Mr Barroso said that he did not like opt-outs, but was in favour of compromises to respect diversity. Those are fine words, but here we are with yet another attempt to bulldoze wonderful diversity into a common, harmonised, featureless landscape.
Now it is the turn of education, broadly speaking. However, education is not within EU competence! It is only covered by proposals under Articles 149 and 150 of the Treaty. So this is also an attempt to smuggle in a competence by the back door. If the EU wishes to assume competence over education, let it do so honestly, go through the usual channels and employ the transparency we hear so much about.
Following the model of the Bergen Framework, setting up the EUROPASS diploma and certificate supplements with the European credit transfer system will require a harmonised EQF level. By issuing qualifications at sectoral and regional level, as well as at national level, this EU proposal will ensure an almost complete grip on qualifications. By issuing grades and awarding qualifications it will ensure that the EU bypasses universities and national governments.
The UK Government is in favour of harmonising qualifications. It is preparing for this by placing control of the universities under the Privy Council, ready to hand universities over to the EU. What universities think of this seems to be immaterial.
HMG’s true position is revealed by its only objection to this scheme. It does not want the EU logo on the qualification documents. That is because they do not want people to know that education has been handed over to the EU.
Please tell me, why is it that my Government has taken that stance? Why is it in favour of an EU project but wants to keep it from the people? Are other national governments taking the same line? I would not be surprised if they were, because they, too, may wish to keep it from their people that their universities are being used in this way.
You may gather that I do not like this project, but it is not for reasons of national pride in Britain’s universities and colleges. No. It is because, as a teacher, I value education and recognise that European countries have universities of which they are justly proud – great centres of learning whose alumni have contributed down the centuries to the arts, literature and science, enriching the lives of people everywhere.
I recognise also that this impetus to civilisation came about because those seats of learning evolved separately and independently, with each developing its own particular flavour and identity."@en1
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