

EU Education Commissioner Vassiliou to EuroFora:Modernize EU Universities vis a vis Russia,China,US

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/-[partly UPDATED with 18/9/2012 Addition : See Infra]. - EU is due to make important moves on Higher Education "soon", starting, probably, from "the next few Days", revealed to "EuroFora" the competent EU Commissioner for Culture and Education, MultiLinguism and Youth, Androula Vassioliou, former MEP and 1st Lady of Cyprus, (current EU Council's rotating Presidency during July-December 2012), topically speaking at EU Parliament in the aftermath of a landmark speech by experienced EU Commission's President Joao Barroso, precisely on the current need to launch "Ambitious" EU changes for a stronger, more integrated "Economic Union", firmly supported by a "Political Union" at the foreseable "Horizon" (See Infra).
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EU Commissioner Vassiliou was responding to an "EuroFora" question on EU University Education's current challenges, also in relation with Russia, China, USA and other rapidly evolving parts of the World :
- "I think that we (EU) are in a very close Relationship with both China and the USA, on this", i.e. University Education
- "Because of the Globalization (also) in Education", she basically explained.
=> - "And we (EU) are all Moving towards a Modernization of Higher Education", the competent EU Commissioner pointed out.
- "It's one of our Priorities", (as f.ex. in EU Commission's "Agenda 2020", etc), added Androula Vassiliou, who is also a former 1st Lady (wife of ex-President of the Republic) of Cyprus, the current holder of EU Council's rotating Chairmanship, whose July - December 2012 Priorities include, inter alia, also "Issues related to Education and Culture (which) will ...be Highlighted, such as the ... provision of more Qualitative Education and Training", including "in order to meet the needs of the Job Market", of obvious interest particularly in a period of extended unemployment in the curent way out of the Global Crisis.
+ But, are there any important moves to expect in this area from the EU in the foreseeable Future, "EuroFora" asked ?
- EU Commissioner Vassiliou reacted just with a big, spontaneous Smile, and positively replied : - "Yes, very Soon !"
- In fact, already during "the Next Few Days", she warned...
- But, Vassiliou carefuly kept her "secret" : - We shall probably speak about that "on Next Tuesday".
I.e. on September 18, in Brussels, the day scheduled for EU Commission plenary's next session, just after this week's presence of all EU Commissioners in Strasbourg, together with President José Manuel Barroso, the key-note speaker of EU Parliament Plenary's 2012 "State of the Union" Debate with MEPs, where he gave even an official "Green Light" and Stimulated further the recently launched Movement towards the necessary creation of a deeper European "Political Union", (Comp. earlier relevant "EuroFora"s NewStories).
Almost at the same moment, (on Wednesday, September 19), at another exceptional move related to Strategic decisions on Europe's Future, Cyprus' President Dimitris Christofias, current EU Council's rotating Chairman for the period July-December 2012, is due to meet in Brussels both EU Commission's President Barroso and European Council's President Van Rompuy, mainly on evolving Negotiations about the Strategic issue of EU's 2014-2020 Financial Perspectives, where a Decision is expected to be prepared before the forthcoming December 2012 EU Brussels' Summit.
According to the "Programme" of the 7-12/2012 Cyprus' EU Presidency (which includes finalisation of Strategic Decisions on Eu's MultiAnnua Financial Perspectives for the period of 2014-2020), "in the field of Higher Education, Focus will be given on the Modernisation of Universities", with "Emphasis...to Quality....and Internationalisation". But also "on Teaching and Learning Excellence", which "requires the Reformation...of Europe’s higher education", including by "support (to) Personalised Learning, (by) facilitat(ing) Access through Distance learning and Virtual Mobility" (i.e. via Internet+), in parallel to "streamlin(ing) Administration and creat(ing) New Opportunities for Research".

Precisely, even a Young European Scientist, as, f.ex. Dr. Constantin Marcopoulos, "EuroFora"s Scientific Advisor, particulary after visiting not only EU key Cities as Paris, London, Luxembourg, Marseille, Mainz, Brixen/Bressanone, Bonn, etc. but also, (immediately after succesfully presenting his PHD Thesis at a Panel of University Professors from Strasbourg, Paris, Marseille and Geneva), Shanghai (China)'s Mega-city, famous not only since the 2010 International Fair's Heads of State/Government Summit (Comp. relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReport: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/shangai.html), but even by its Worldwide "Shanghai International University Ranking" system, he felt similar Concerns with several Young Researchers from France and other EU Countries, expressed at a Conference in EU Parliament in Strasbourg at the eve of the 2012 French Elections, on the occasion of a European Survey's publication, about the big Challenges that European "University Education, specially at the borderline with Research", as he said, has to face in today's Global Competition, including vis a vis USA and other RST poles in the World. - "We have to compare and study the various differencies existing today among evolving University Education systems, both in Europe and elsewhere in the World, in order to feel the need and succeed to find better solutions for the EU", he suggested, pointing at a kind of work usually done in a PanEuropean area, (i.e. f.ex. Russia included, etc.) by the CoE, possibly in Cooperation with -or at the demand of- the EU, together with UNESCO, etc.

=> - "We (EU) need to be much more Ambitious about Education, Research, Innovation and Science", stressed earlier this week to MEPs President Barroso, reminding also, in this regard, that, already, "Europe is a World Leader in Key sectors such as Aeronautics, AutoMotives, Pharmaceuticals, and Engineering, with Global Market Shares above a Third" (+ 1/3), while, "despite the Economic Slowdown", nevertheless, "over the last Decade", "Industrial Productivity increased by + 35 %", with "some 74 Million Jobs depend(ing) on Manufacturing", and " Start-up Firms in the EU" creating "4 Million Jobs every year", as he noted.
This is an integral part of the "Economic Union" that Europe "Needs" Today in order to become "Competitive" enough to create "Sustainable Growth", i.e. "the LifeBlood of our European Social Market model", that "creates Jobs and supports our Standard of Living", in basic harmony with elementary "Human Rights" and Democratic "Values", which "ultimately .. depends on" a "Political Union at the Horizon", (i.e. a European "Federation of Nation-States), as EU Commission's President highlighted earlier this week in Strasbourg, where he launched a vibran call also "for the Development of a European Public Space", where main "Issues are discussed and Debated from a European perspective", as he highlighhted, (Comp. also other, relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReports" this week, including, f.ex., on European Political Parties, EU's Enlargement criteria, etc).
EU's move come while PanEuropean CoE's Assembly is also due to debate and vote, at the beginning of October in Strasbourg, on 2 new Reports about the "International openess and Consolidation", as well as the "Governance" of the "European Higher Education Area".
(../..)
(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already sent earlier to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate and Full, Final Version may be published asap).

Precisely at the Date she initially revealed to "EuroFora" (see above), EU launched a pioneer Group for "Higher Education Modernization", chaired by former Irish President Mary McAleese, and composed by 8 High Level Experts, etc., anounced on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, in a subsequent Press Conference in Brussels, the EU Commissioner in charge of Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androula Vassiliou.

+ "Not all Reforms require more Money, sometimes it's mainly a question of better Organization", she rightfully replied to 2 or 3 Questions which had focused almost exclusively on Funding issues only, (while it's well known that often, it's also by reducing Bureaucracy, ameliorating efficient Relations, and by finding ways to stimulate the Consciousness, Motivation, and Knowledge of both Teachers and Students towards developing the Best ways to boost People's capacities in Higher Education Learning which can be a crucial key for success, where "Quality and Excellence" matters too, including "in Growth and Jobs", as she said.).

+ "We'll also make an open Forum for all stake-holders", f.ex. "Teachers, Students Public, Governments, etc., and we'll give them a Chance to speak", before studying the issues and formulating, later-on, our recommendations, added the new EU Higher Education Group's President, McAleese.
(../..)
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(Opinion).
In Democracy, the forthcoming choices for EU's Top Jobs, as the New EU Parliament's President, new EU Commission's President (+ probably EU Council's President, EU Foreign Minister, etc) should be made according to EU Citizens' Votes in June 7, 2009 European Elections, and main EU Governments' strategic policies.
At the heart of the biggest EU Countries, in France and Germany, EU Citizens clearly voted for a renovated, non-technocratic but Political Europe based on Values, declared explicitly incompatible with Turkey's controversial EU bid.
This main choice was also supported in several other small or medium EU Countries, such as Austria (cf. promise of a Referendum), Spain (cf. EPP program's reservations vis a vis Enlargment), etc., while EPP Parties won also in Poland, Hungary, Cyprus, etc.
In other Countries, whenever Governing coalitions didn't make these choices or eluded them, continuing to let a Turkish lobby push for its entry into the EU, they paid a high price, and risked to damage Europe, by obliging EU Citizens to massively vote for euro-Sceptics whenever they were the only ones to offer a possibility to promise real change and oppose Turkey's demand to enter into the EU :
It's for this obvious reason that British UKIP (IndDem) succeeded now (after many statements against Turkey's EU bid) to become Great Britain's 2nd Party, unexpectedly growing bigger even than the Governing Labour Party, as well as the Liberal party ! Facts prove that it's not an isolated phenomenon : A similar development occured in the Netherlands, where Geert Wilders "Party for Freedom" (PVV) became also the 2nd biggest in the country, (after EPP), boosting the chances of a politician who had withdrawn in 2004 from an older party "because he didn't agree with their position on Turkey". And in several other EU Member Countries, even previously small parties which now focused on a struggle against Turkey's controversial demand to enter in the EU, won much more or even doubled the number of their MEPs (fex. Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, etc).
On the contrary, whenever Socialist and oher parties were explicitly or implicitly for Turkey's controversial EU bid, they obviously lost Citizens' votes and fell down to an unprecedented low.
In consequence, EU Citizens clearly revealed their main political choices, in one way or another : They voted to change for less Bureaucracy, but more Politics and Values in a Europe really open to EU Citizens, but without Turkey's controversial EU bid.
Recent political developments are obviously different from the old political landscape which existed in the Past of 1999-2004, when Socialists based on Turkish 1% vote governed undisputed not only in Germany, but also in the UK, Greece and elsewhere, France followed old policies decided when it had been divided by "cohabitation", before the 3 "NO" to EU Referenda since May 2005, before Merkel, before Sarkozy, etc.... before the surprises of 7 June 2009 new EU Elections.
If the current candidates to the Top EU jobs promise and guarantee to respect People's democratic choices, OK.
Otherwise, Europe must find new candidates, really motivated and able to implement these democratic choices of the People.
The beginning of crucial, final Decisions are scheduled for the 1st EU Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, in the middle of July, and they could be completed towards the October session, when Lisbon Treaty's fate will have been fixed.
See relevant Facts also at : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/2009electionsandturkey.html
http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/daulelections.html
http://www.eurofora.net/brief/brief/euroelectionresult.html
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