I. Draft Recommendation relating to governmental action in the university sphere - 2
II. Draft Recommendation relating to the use of the Cultural Fund of the Council of Europe in the university sphere - 4
III. Draft Recommendation concerning measures to be adopted by European international organisations in the university sphere - 5
IV. Draft Recommendation concerning relations of the Council of Europe with international organisations working in the university sphere - 5
V. Draft Recommendation concerning the post-graduate training of future European Civil Servants - 6
VI. Draft Order to the Secretary-General relating to the distribution of this Report. - 7
VII. Explanatory Memorandum by M. Erler, Chairman of the Subcommittee on European Universities and Rapporteur of the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions. - 7
VIII. " Conclusions " of the Special Meeting held in Paris (llth-13th June 1956) - 15
IX. List of working papers of the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions in connection with the Special Meeting held in Paris - 21
The Assembly,
Having regard to its Recommendation 41 (1950) relating to European Universities;
Considering the special importance of university education and research in achieving the spiritual unity, of Europe;
Nothing with satisfaction the work of its Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions, the purpose of which was to define, in conjunction with competent international university organisations, the role of the Council of Europe in assisting the European universities to play their part in developing a sense of community among European peoples;
Considering that the " Conclusions " adopted at that Committee's Special Meeting on European universities, held at Paris from 11th to 13th June 1956, may henceforth be regarded as a common programme of work providing a basis for close co-operation between university bodies concerned with the carrying out of a number of practical schemes of European interest in their particular sphere;
Desirous of playing its part in this common task,
Recommends the Committee of Ministers :
lto introduce special curricula in those fields where the problems and the development of European integration provide a new subject for research and specialised teaching;
the institution of " open chairs ", this being one of the best means of facilitating the stay and the work of foreign professors in universities 1Note;
to organise parallel courses by the pairing of universities on the basis of bilateral agreements between themselves, thus promoting the free circulation of students from one country to another;
The Assembly,
The Assembly, Having regard to the Conclusions of the Special Meeting on European Universities, the Special Meeting on European Universiti
Having regard to Recommendation 74 (1955) proposing the establishment of a Council of Europe Cultural Fund;
Convinced that such a Fund would be an appropriate instrument for carrying out many university schemes of European interest,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers should :
The Assembly,
Convinced that European international organisations could assist universities of member countries to familiarise themselves with problems of European integration,
Recommends that the Committee of MinisLers should :
The Assembly,
Welcoming the establishment of a European Universities Committee following the first conference of University Rectors and Vice-Chancellors held at Cambridge in July 1955;
Recalling the terms of Opinion No. 14 in reply to the cultural chapter of the Special Message of the Committee of Ministers, adopted on 7th July 1955;
Having regard to the Conclusions of the Special Meeting on European universities held at Paris from 11th to 13th June 1956,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers should :
The Assembly,
Having regard to its Opinion No. 10 (1952) recommending the establishment of a European Civil Service;
Having regard to its Recommendation 36 (1950) concerning the College of Europe at Bruges;
Noting with satisfaction Resolution (55) 19 of the Committee of Ministers and the subsequent setting up of a Working Party of European organisations for the study of problems connected with the establishment of a European Civil Service, which met at Strasbourg on 19th and 20th June 1956;
Considering that the training of the future officials of European organisations might be completed in Institutes of Post-graduate European Studies,
Recommends that the Committee of Ministers should ask Governments to facilitate the establishment of such institutes, where necessary, and to provide the funds required for the maintenance and development of existing institutes such as the College of Europe at Bruges.
The Assembly,
Desirous that European universities should know that it views their preoccupations with a growing sense of European responsibility and community,
Decides that the Conclusions of the Special Meeting on European universities together with all Recommendations relating to university matters adopted by it with a view to implementation, shall be forwarded to the European Universities Committee, with a request that they be used to draw the attention of all universities of member countries to the Council of Europe's interest, work and programme in this field; and
Accordingly instructs the Secretary-General to give effect to this decision.
The Consultative Assembly has, since its inception, taken a special interest in the European universities and the problem of higher education. It has always appreciated, the importance of a university training and of research in the achievement of European spiritual unity. It has, on the other hand, been impossible to overlook the serious practical difficulties threatening to jeopardise the independence and standing of higher education establishments, which are the guardians of our cultural heritage and the training-grounds for the future élite of Europe.
Thus, as early as 1949, the Assembly urged that a general conference of Rectors and Vice-Chancellors of European universities be held which it envisaged as " a declaration of active interest and positive good will on the part of the intellectual authorities most directly interested in the safeguarding of European culture and best qualified to express an opinion on the main problems under discussion. "
The Conference took place at Cambridge in July 1955, under the auspices of Western European Union. It was a remarkable demonstration of European unity and fellowship at university level. This Conference, which is to meet regularly every 5 years, set up a permanent body known as the " European Universities Committee ", which will henceforth officially represent the universities on the intergovernmental plane.
Almost at the same time as the Cambridge Conference, two other meetings were held on the problems of European universities; a course on " the University and the European idea " organised by the University of Saarbrücken under the auspices of the Council of Europe and a private congress of university professors at Trieste, the purpose of which was to explore the possibilities of accentuating the " European " character of university education and of reviving the old community of teachers and students in a new form.
These three events, though so different in their origin and scope, reflect the same need and the same concern. They mark the beginning of a new phase in a process whereby the universities and their members are becoming more aware of their European responsibility.
Being concerned with university questions, your Committee has been watching this important movement with great interest and has now decided to consider the extent to which the Council of Europe might take part in it. For this reason, the Bureau has been asked to include in the Assembly programme the following item :
" The role of the Council of Europe in assisting the European universities to play their part in developing a sense of unity among European peoples. "
This request having been favourably received, a Special Meeting was organised in Paris from 11th to 13th June 1956, during which this Committee, represented by its Sub-committee on European Universities, proceeded, in accordance with the provisions of Opinion No. 14 (1955), recommending co-operation with the competent governmental and nongovernmental bodies in the various cultural fields, to consider this new question, in agreement with the representatives of the ten organisations concerned.
Let us briefly outline the overall prospects which overshadowed the discussion at the Special Meeting.
In the first place, if it is really the main task of the universities to train the elite of the future, the latter would benefit if the social sciences, economics and philosophy, as well as law, were taught from the European standpoint. Were a general " European " outlook placed in the forefront of its studies, that elite would be better fitted to solve the political, administrative, technical and other problems with which it will have to deal, for its solutions to these problems would be better adapted to the demands of the times. We are aware that many of the difficulties confronting our countries seem to us insuperable not because they actually are so, but because our responsible leaders lack vision and are dominated by out-of-date ideas. Had there existed " European teaching " thirty years ago, Europe would not be going through its present crisis.
On the other hand, a new system of teaching, or, in other words, a new way of presenting the facts, will make many new demands upon the sphere of research. The results of such research will be felt in teaching, which will itself enrich research—not only in the Institutes of European Studies proper, but also in the research centres of all branches of knowledge—so that the acquisition of the European " outlook by our universities cannot be other than beneficial for their spiritual development.
Moreover, the establishment of closer bonds between the universities of Europe might offer particular advantages to teachers and students.
It would give teachers an opportunity of extending their field of activity beyond political frontiers, of pursuing their studies in places most suitable to their work and of testing the results of their research upon colleagues in other countries.
As for the students, they could take full advantage of the freedom of their university days by spending them in different countries and by choosing teachers, friends and libraries throughout the length and breadth of Europe.
At present, a student wishing to spend a year of study " abroad "—let us say by moving from Bonn to Paris or from Turin to Upsala —encounters formidable difficulties, in addition to which he must have considerable means and must run the risk of wasting precious time to obtain the qualifications he desires. He should be able to go from one European university to another just as he may now change universities in his own country. He will be able, in future, to start by planning his studies in accordance with the facilities offered by the whole range of European universities. The possibilities will vary from subject to subject, but the choice of teaching at his disposal will be Avider than that available in any one country. Furthermore, he will have gained a thorough knowledge of two or three European languages in addition to his own specialist subject.
This will mean that the " round of the European universities" will become just as normal for a student, whatever his country of origin, as the tour of France or Germany was in its day for the itinerant craftsman.
Naturally, the motives of universities in assuming these new obligations would be very different. However, an essential attribute of all universities—their moral, if not legal, independence—should help them greatly in reaching their decision. The independence of our universities is one of our finest European traditions. Your Committee proposes not only to respect it, but indeed to strengthen it.
The members of the Special Meeting were faced with a situation of which the main features were as follows :
Each of the above-mentioned conferences had adopted resolutions, conclusions and recommendations which express in international terms the desires and aspirations of national universities and their members.
University autonomy and independence, exchanges and contacts between universities, adjustment of university teaching to the requirements of modern life, the training and welfare of students—such are the themes of a host of plans which, in spite of their diversity, show extraordinary similarities. This was only to be expected, however, for how could it have been otherwise when their purpose was the same?
The problem was to choose between them.
There are, moreover, a number of international organisations, each attemptting in its own way to give this vast programme practical effect. They are on varying grounds interested in university questions. Some are purely professional organisations, others are of an undenied political nature. Some are the result of official or Governmental action, others are privately sponsored. Far from being disturbing, such diversity seemed a salutary thing, provided that a certain measure of co-ordination existed, whereby all these efforts might be harmonised.
In the third place the members of the Special Meeting had to take account of the experiment of a setting up of a European University in Saarbrücken. Although, in 1949, the Assembly itself was the first to recommend such a solution, Saarbrücken, after some years, seemed to have proved that it was not by creating a single new university bearing the name of " European University " that the desired results would be achieved. The challenge of our times affects all universities, and it is for them to provide an answer.
A related problem, though not directly bound up with the " European " character of our universities, also claimed the attention of the members of the Special Meeting : the problem of the training and scientific and technical cadres.
The development of nuclear research and the increase of automation in industry have made it more vital than ever to train such technicians in Europe. We are behind the U. S. A. and the U. S. S. R. in this matter.
The very life of our populations is at stake, for we must remedy the present deficiencies if Europe is to retain its place as the home of modern civilisation and not drop back before the turn of the century to the level of an underdeveloped area. Co-operation among European university organisations should greatly facilitate the search for a universal solution to this problem.
Finally, your Committee submitted two concrete proposals to members of the Special Meeting as a basis for discussion.
The first concerned the establishment of a " European university status " to be granted to any university fulfilling certain requirements yet to be defined.
The second was that a " European Commissioner " should be appointed to deal with university affairs.
Both these proposals stemmed from suggestions made by the Assembly itself. Thus, in 1950, the Assembly recommended that the Committee of Ministers should " indicate the rules to which existing universities would have to subscribe in order to receive from the Council of Europe the title and the rank of European Universities, " and in 1955, by its Order No. 83, referred to the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions the report of the Committee on General Affairs on the " appointment of European Commissioners independent of any one Government and responsible for promoting a policy of European integration ".
The proceedings of the Special Meeting have shown that it would be better to achieve our aims by other methods. Indeed, a variety of measures would prove more effective and likely to meet with a warmer reception in university circles.
The Special Meeting was a success since, in the event, it succeeded in establishing effective co-ordination between the parties concerned with a view to carrying out concrete schemes or, in other words, in drawing up a joint programme of action. Thus the " Conclusions " of the Meeting, which are appended as an integral part of the present report, may now justifiably be regarded as a basis for European action in university matters. It is unnecessary to summarise these " Conclusions " here, but a few particulars concerning the proposed distribution of work may be found useful.
This Committee was set up under the auspices of W. E. U. but includes representatives from all Member States of the Council of Europe.
This body should henceforth be regarded as the official European body representing the universities of Member States on the intergovernmental plane.
It is, above all, essential that it should be spared involvement in disputes of competence between the various European organisations. Its independence must be strengthened by all possible means, regardless of which Secretariat of which organisation acts on its behalf. It will prove to be one of those " specialised institutes ", which the Assembly, in its Opinion No. 14, recommended should be set up in the cultural field.
The European Universities Committee has already examined the " Conclusions " of the Special Meeting and, as promised by its representative, the first item on the agenda of the next Conference of Rectors and Vice-Chancellors of European Universities, which is to be held at Dijon in 1958, will be " The Universities and Europe. "
As agreed in the " Conclusions", this world organisation, which takes a great interest in European developments, has published an account of the Paris meeting in its Bulletin, and we have reason to believe that it will keep its public informed of progress in carrying out our programme of action.
This organisation, which comprises some 20 institutes of various kinds has been granted consultative status, Category A, by the Council of Europe. Though it is still feeling its way, it is destined to be a pioneer body-—a crucible for the " Europology ", which is gradually taking shape.
The Paris " Conclusions " appear on the agenda of its General Assembly, which is due to be held in November 1956 at Geneva.
Hitherto this association, whose main object is to protect the professional interests of its members has been universal in character. However, as a result of the Special Meeting in Paris, the Ninth University Conference, held at Munich from 3rd to 8th September, set up a European section, which apparently intends to make its own contribution to the implementation of our programme.
The above-mentioned bodies are mainly professional groups or federations. The Association of European University Teachers, on the other hand, is a political movement whose members are united by an ideal. In our work of integration,which is aimed at transforming institutions and outlooks, its function will be to influence men's minds. Its efforts may well create the psychological atmosphere necessary for innovations in university affairs.
The time has now come to mention our own organisation, the Council of Europe, and in particular our own Assembly. We, too, must do our utmost to implement the Paris " Conclusions. "
With this in mind your Committee is submitting to you five draft Recommendations and a draft Order which faithfully reflect the role assigned to the Assembly in the joint programme of action.
Our role is a two-fold one : to awaken public interest and to bring pressure to bear upon Governments. By debating this report in the Assembly, we fulfil the first of these duties; by adopting our Recommendations to the Committee of Ministers, we fulfil the second. Finally, the Order is designed to ensure that those concerned are officially informed of our work.
Committe e of Cultural Experts of the Council of Europe;
Europea n Universities Committee (Western European Union);
Internationa l Association of Universities ;
Association of Institutes of European Studies;
Associatio n of European University Teachers;
International Association of University Professors and Lecturers.
E . C. S. C,
European Cultural Centre,
College of Europe, Bruges,
Collegia l Institute of French and European Studies.
AS/CS(7)43 The European Universities and the Council of Europe.
AS/CS(7)44 Appointment of European Commissioners, independent of any one Government and responsible for promoting a policy of European integration.
AS/CS(8) 9 The Special Course of Sarrebriick. The Conference of European University Rectors and Vice-Chancellors — Cambridge. The Congress of European University Professors — Trieste. Conclusions and Resolutions.
AS/CS(8)10 International organisations concerned with university questions. Information Document.
AS/CS(8)11 Liste des principales Universités des pays membres du Conseil de l'Europe.
Addendum I French language only
AS/CS(8)12 Work of the Council of Europe in the field of university studies. Information Document.
AS/CS(8)13 European studies at British Universities. Information Document.
AS/CS(8)14 The position of European teaching in French Universities. Information Document.
AS/CS(8)15 The position of European teaching in Scandinavian Universities. Information Document.
AS/CS(8)16 L'enseignement européen dans la République Fédérale d'Allemagne.
French language only Document d'information.
AS/CS(8)17 Universitas Magislrorum et Schola-rium. (Th e Community of Teachers and Students). Contributed by the Association of European University Professors.
AS/CS(8)18 Concept of a European University. Principles and Prospects.
AS/CS(8)20 Programme of Work of the University Committee of the National Congress of the " European Left "—-the Social-Democrat Movement for a United States of Europe (S. M. U. S. E.). Information Document.
AS/CS(8)21 Role of the Council of Europe in assisting the European Universities to play their part in developing a sense of community among European peoples. Report submitted by M. F. EHLER.
AS/CS(8)22 The University Teachers and a European Spiritual Community. Report submitted by M. M. Mous-KHELY, Secretary-General of the Association of European University Teachers.
AS/CS(8)25 Address by E. J. BIGAVOOD, Rector, representing the European Universities Committee (W. E. U.).
AS/CS(8)30 Final Report.
AS/CS(8)31 Conclusions.