Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-05-12-Speech-4-018-000"
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"en.20110512.9.4-018-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, following on from Mrs Schaake, I would like to begin with a few words about the important report that she has drawn up. The cultural dimension of the EU’s external policy cannot be overestimated. We therefore need – as she has already said – a coherent EU strategy for culture within EU external policy.
Cultural diplomacy has an important role to play when it comes to building successful relations with third countries and, in many countries, there is a network of national institutes for culture, EUNIC, that we can make use of. There are many, many people who have linked in to the network and stand ready to help.
I am now pleased to turn to today’s second subject, which has also already been addressed by Mr Zver, namely, the subject of Youth on the Move, which, of course, is a flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 strategy. This flagship initiative is designed to encourage actors in the field of training and education to give more attention to these policy areas. We need better-qualified people. We need people who have experienced Europe thanks to improved mobility opportunities. We need to unlock the potential of our young people with the aid of our successful programmes. All of this has a major role to play in the competitiveness of a knowledge-based society.
When it comes to lifelong learning, our existing Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo and Grundtvig programmes have given many people wonderful opportunities to discover Europe in its diversity, gain experience for themselves and improve their language skills. Moreover, in this context, the significance of the Youth in Action programme and of the European Voluntary Service should not be underestimated.
Today’s debate must also send a signal to the Commission that we must continue these popularly well-received programmes and opportunities in the next generation of education and youth programmes, too, and that they must be well funded in keeping with their significance. Every euro that we spend in this area repays the whole of society not that many years later.
I will now turn to another subject, namely Sarajevo. Sarajevo has a special place in European history and culture. By naming the city a European Capital of Culture in 2014, we could send an important signal for the multi-ethnic character of the city and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which could also give the political class in that country cause to rethink their ideas. What is more, this is a city that makes it abundantly clear how badly Europe failed and how important it is to act together. There would be significant symbolism in such a step, as Sarajevo was the scene of the assassination that brought about the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. That is the reason for the date of 2014 – one hundred years after that historic event.
During the Bosnian war, between 1992 and 1996, Sarajevo suffered the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare history. Allow me to remind you of one day in Sarajevo, 28 May 1992. The cellist, Vedran Smajovic, clad in black, was playing Tomaso Albinoni’s Adagio. His stage was the ruins of the devastated national library in Sarajevo; his audience consisted of a small group of people who had remained, despite the siege of the city, and who were listening to his music. For 22 days, he played in various locations in the ruins of Sarajevo. It was a requiem for the people who had been killed in those dark days. I was moved, and I was full of admiration for the brave and heartening behaviour of the cellist and his audience. What these people expressed through their behaviour, in the face of the horror and the loss, connected me forever with the city of Sarajevo.
The cultural life of the city has never stopped. The winter festival took place even under the most adverse of circumstances. People of all nationalities head there each year. Every year, there is a winter festival, a kids’ festival and a film festival. From Korea to Australia, Bulgaria to Sweden, film makers head to Sarajevo; co-productions take place. The city has retained an intercultural character, to which it tends – even as the political surroundings harden more and more into ethnic trenches. For that alone, this city deserves the chance to demonstrate its immense intercultural potential.
Sarajevo wants to apply for this title in connection with a derogation, and has already undertaken extensive preparations. We all know well that, if we adopt our proposal today, we will be asking for a derogation from the decision of the European Parliament and the Council. However, if this House were to demonstrate its backing for the candidacy of Sarajevo today, I would put my trust in the judiciousness and far-sightedness of the Council, as our arguments are actually irrefutable. Particularly at this point, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the city of Sarajevo need a sign that all is not lost and that Europe also supports their efforts."@en1
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