New CoE d.Secretary General Battaini-Dragoni to EuroFora: EU/CoE on Education, a North-South bridge?

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Education could offer a useful North - South bridge, including on spreading  Democratic Culture in Europe's Neighborhood, etc., but it remains to be seen whether and how CoE and EU might coperate in this regard, in particular on the Universities' survey that EU Commission has just launched last week, replied in substance the new Deputy Secretary General of the CoE, experienced Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni (2012-2017), to "EuroFora"s relevant questions.
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- "EuroFora" asked CoE's New deputy Secretary General if she thought that Higher Education, (i.e. Universities), could usefully contribute to CoE's curent mission to diffuse "Democratic Culture" also in its Mediterranean Neighbourhood, as she had just stressed at CoE Assembly's Political affairs Committee.

- "Yes ! I think yes, obviously", replied positively to "EuroFora"s question the new  CoE's deputy Secretary General, who already holds an extensive Experience on PanEuropean Education issues, as former long-time CoE Director of Culture, Education and Youth.

- "That's one of the reasons for which we believe that CoE's North-South Centre should continue to accomplish its task, as it has already started to do, at least in part, during the last few years", experienced Battaini-Dragoni observed.

+ Battaini-Dragoni appeared genuinly interested to clearly find out the concrete details about EU Commissioner Vasiliou's recent initiative to launch a High Level Group^, chaired by former President of Ireland, Mary Mcaleese, in order to examine, debate and propose a strategy for EU Universities' Modernization, in comparison with what is currently done also in Russia, China, Japan, the USA, Australia, etc. arounde the World, as "EuroFora" reminded her, (see relevant, earlier "EuroFora"s NewsReports at : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/vassilioumodernizeuniversities.html ).

    - Even if "I haven't seen yet that proposal, so that I can't  pronounce myself right now" on that, nevertheless, the possibility for an EU - CoE Coperation on such issues concerning Higher Education's Modernization in front of Globalizatio, (i.e. practically including also Countries as Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Norway, etc., which are obviously very interesting to study in this regard, in addition to USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, etc, who already have a Special Status inside CoE since 1996, etc), "is a Question which deserves to be raised", as she said, pointing in particular to the specialized CoE's Education service Director, Sjur Bergan, "who constantly follows on-going developments on Higher Education".

    + Meanwhile, "we, (at the PanEuropean CoE), already have, in this regard, the International Convention for Recognition of (University) Diplomas, also known as "Lisbon Convention", and we (CoE) continue to work on the basis of a similar Methodology (as also the EU), but with the difference that our (CoE's) Scope is much more Wider", (since it includes also some very Important Countries in this regard, such as Russia, Switzerand, Ukraine, Norway, etc), the new CoE's deputy Secretary General added in Reply to "EuroFora's Question.
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    The competences of the PanEuropean Organization for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law in the domain of Higher Education, naturally includes not only Freedom of Access, elementary Equality of chances and No Discrimination, but also ability for Qualified Work in a Multi-Lingual and Inter-Cultural, International context, able to provide an Education of PanEuropean value and usefulness, as well as the Democratisation of Universities, etc.
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     - "It's important for the CoE to help develop "Democratic Culture" in Neighbouring Countries, and, in this regard,  its "North-South Centre (for Gobal InterDependance, based in Lisbon, Portugal), is the natural Partner (Interlocutor) of Mediterranean a.o. Neighbouring Countries. But, for that purspose, the CoE has also to help fill the gap which may exist in the Creation of such a Democratic Culture", stressed Battaini-Dragoni earlier, as the key-note Speaker during an Exceptionally coordinated meeting of CoE Assembly's Political affairs/Democracy, Culture/Science/Education and Media, as well as Social affairs/Health and Sustainable Development Committees, on CoE's "North-South Centre and the Arab Countries in transition".

    - "This is a Timely and Important Debate", today, when a "Paradox" appeared, between CoE's "efforts to Sharpen the role of (its) North-South Centre, and the recent Decision of 4 Countries to drop this "Partial Agreement", leaving behind 14 other COE's Member States, as well as 3 Non-CoE Members, so that there will inevitably be a discussion, inside COE's Committee of Ministers, she pointed out. However, this is not specific to the "North-South Centre", since CoE has also received more other Demands of Withdrawal from various other Partial Agreements as well, which might be due purely to some budget restrictions,  the experienced Battaini-Dragoni observed.

    - Now that the CoE has already     adopted the principle of its Neighbourhood policy, for which it is extremely important to use also the tool of GRECO, CoE's Anti-Corruption watchdog, another area which has not yet been used sufficiently enough is about developing a Democratic Culture in Neighbouring Countries, f.ex. around the concept of Citizenship, etc., CoE's new Deputy Secretary General proposed.

    In this regard, North-South Centre's Executive Committee's Chairwoman, mainstream ChristianDemocrat/EPP Italian MEP Deborah Bergamini, observed that, already, many Women and Young People around the Mediterranean show a vivid interest for such CoE's activities in the area, as it was proved, also by the fact that, "f.ex., when we (CoE) offered just 50 places in a program about "Global Education", we received more than 400 demands, as she revealed, while a Spanish MEP also raised the issue of the future role of the nearby Molina University in Spain, which is interested mainly in projects on Women, Youth and Medias.