Ladies, gentlemen, friends, thank you all for being here.
I would like to start by thanking you for inviting me to this debate
during the Conference on European Citizenship in Challenging
Times.
I have been a Member of European Parliament and a member of the
Committee on Culture and Education since November 2015.
The committee works on policies relating to education, cultural
heritage and the creative industries, among other things.
We in Parliament who identify as pro-Europeans are trying to
emphasise the role of integration and European citizenship as a
guiding principle, through the way in which we approach debates and
our legislative work.
I am rapporteur for Parliament’s report on the implementation of the
Europe for Citizens programme, which was introduced, as you are
aware, with the aim of encouraging direct participation of EU
citizens, and of promoting dialogue between institutions, civil society
and local authorities.
To that end, we held a meeting yesterday in cooperation with
Parliament’s Information Office in Barcelona, which I would like to
take this opportunity to thank for its excellent work. The meeting was
attended by beneficiaries and by representatives of Spanish
organisations and local authorities interested in participating in the
programme.
It provided a useful opportunity to exchange opinions and to take note
of the suggestions – and criticisms – that were made, which will be
reflected in the draft report.
The fact that the meeting was held in Spain – and, what is more, in
my city of Barcelona – encouraged me to reflect, as an EU citizen, on
recent Spanish and European history.
As you know, one of the two main themes of the programme is
‘European Remembrance’. During the opening speeches at the
conference, reference was made – quite appropriately – to how
important it is that we, both as Spanish and EU citizens, never forget
the Spanish Civil War, the victims of the Franco regime or any of the
people who suffered as a result of that conflict.
Nor, I believe, should we forget the victims of terrorism. While the
terrorism perpetrated by ETA came to an end only a few years ago,
ETA still has not announced its complete disbandment. The group’s
activities are a black page in the history of Catalonia, Spain and
Europe.
This very Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the
Civil Guard barracks in the town of Vic. It is only by joining forces
and working together with all institutions that we can move forward,
and not – in my view – by carrying out an historical whitewashing
exercise, as we have seen in both the European and Catalan
Parliaments.
European citizenship lies at the heart of the concept of Europe and is
reflected in all the EU’s founding values, although it now faces
challenges from every side. Let us not kid ourselves: this is not a
happy time for Europe, neither as a political and economic entity, nor
as a cultural concept in itself.
That is why I believe that this report on the implementation of the
Europe for Citizens programme has a vital role to play in the historic
times we are living through.
I will wrap up this brief ‘theoretical’ introduction with a short
anecdote, before moving on to our concrete implementation proposal
and opening up the floor to your ideas, advice and recommendations.
A number of colleagues have told me that, when the programme
started in 2004, the idea was to call it ‘Citizens for Europe’, rather
than ‘Europe for Citizens’. A fellow MEP from my parliamentary
group, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, later
suggested swapping the order of the words in order to make the point
that Europe needs to serve its citizens, and not the other way around.
I do not know if that is just a myth, but the suggestion undoubtedly hit
the mark. It is in that same spirit that we hope to work today on this
implementation proposal by the European Parliament.
1) First, we would like to make a number of recommendations
regarding the crucial role that this programme and European
citizenship could both play through a strong communications strategy.
It is essential that more people throughout Europe are made aware of
this programme.
Unlike the Erasmus+ and Creative Europe programmes, the Europe
for Citizens programme is not very well-known and levels of
participation remain low among non-governmental organisations,
foundations working in fields relating to European citizenship, local
authorities and regional and urban networks.
We will work to ensure that all local organisations and
administrations have a detailed understanding of the possibilities on
offer through the programme, via a platform that enables users to gain
a thorough insight into the funds available and that strengthens
relationships between contact points in Member States.
2) Second, a larger budget for the programme is needed. The budget
for the 2014-2020 period is approximately EUR 185 million, which is
13.74% lower than the previous period (2009-2014).
In Parliament, not least in the Committee on Culture and Education,
we have been asking for this budget to be increased so that we can
reward the most interesting projects that come to the attention of the
assessment agency. Other organisations, such as the Council of
European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), have echoed that
request: in 2011, it called for a budget that, as a symbolic gesture,
amounted to one euro for every EU citizen.
What is more, if we compare the budget with those for the Erasmus+
and Creative Europe programmes, it is obvious that the programme
deserves greater financial commitment.
3) Third, we want to use innovative proposals to create a rich and
varied programme:
- We need to promote the concept of citizenship by strengthening
ties with local authorities and regions. This could be done by
encouraging citizen involvement in the democratic process
through e-democracy at local, national and European level, and
by strengthening the European and international town-twinning
programmes to encourage cultural, social and economic
exchanges.
- As someone with a strong interest in work towards preserving
European Remembrance, I would like to talk about this strand.
The House of European History will open this year, with the
aim of promoting the concept of Europe. I believe that project
will give European citizens a vision of history that will help
them build a shared future. I therefore happily give the initiative
my full support. I also believe that the European Remembrance
aspect of the Europe for Citizens programme should take into
account not only Europe’s history and memory, but also its
future. The story of history that the programme will tell is not
going to focus on differences, but rather seek to overcome them
and to emphasise conciliation. I believe that events such as the
memorial service held last weekend, at which President
Hollande and Chancellor Merkel commemorated the centenary
of the Battle of Verdun, are only made possible by years of joint
planning within the EU.
- What is more, the Commission’s New Narrative for Europe
project, which has already begun, could be used to help put the
Europe for Citizens programme into action. New Narrative for
Europe is a project designed to give cultural, scientific and
intellectual communities a chance to present a narrative that
describes what Europe represents now and in the future. The
aim is to bring Europe closer to its citizens, not least young
people, and to rekindle the ‘European’ spirit through the arts and
sciences.
Before concluding, I would like to talk briefly about a course of
action and way of thinking that I would like to incorporate into the
programme: the idea of positive, unifying secularism for Europe.
‘Secularism’ is a term that has a somewhat different history to laicism
and a more moral – rather than political – connotation. It was coined
in the mid-1800s to describe the idea that human action should be
guided by reason.
It is also sometimes called ‘secular humanism’: that is, the idea that it
is possible to have an independent set of ethics, based on rational and
universal principles, and, accordingly, a secular society that will not
fall into chaos. In fact, some of the most secular societies in Europe
are also the most socially stable, prosperous and peaceful.
I am convinced that it is possible to promote positive secularism,
which is different to the reactive nihilism that is often associated and
confused with the loss of traditional beliefs and which underpins a
richer and more responsible approach to personal, family and social
life. I also believe that secularism of this kind could play a unifying
role, as philosophical tradition teaches that reason, although not
entirely without its dark side, is common to all humankind.
I am convinced that Europe needs to pursue the course of reason and
secular morality if it is to survive, perhaps now more than ever, at a
time of disparate visions when the traditional frameworks no longer
provide a steadfast guarantee of the mutually beneficial order which
we all are working to achieve.
Thank you.