MEET the future Europeans

New opportunities for democratic accountability
The Lisbon Treaty has given the Union a mandate to create a European dimension in Education. There are valid economic and social reason for a developing a common framework in this direction, yet respecting national identities. A little known and highly successful European education system already exists, available to children from pre-school age to secondary, yet currently only accessible to a very small number of people in the Union. We can build on this educational model, which  leads to the attainment of the European Baccalaureate, which encourages mutual respect as well as excellence, celbrates diversity yet is respectful of each other's identity and which leads to the attainment of the European Baccalaureate, recognised by all members state as a secondary qualification with access to higher education.

In addition to education, the Lisbon Treaty has also introduced the European Citizenship Initiative (CI*), giving its citizens a greater say in the Union’s democratic process. The citizens’ initiative "should foster a lively debate about what we are doing in Brussels,” says Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Administration and Inter-institutional Relations.

We now intend to merge these two initiatives presenting our petition to the Commission and with the aim of making European education accessible to as many European citizens as possible; a choice based on an educational model that encourages mutual respect, as well as excellence, yet respectful of each other’s identity as expressed in the famous words of Jean Monnet, a founding father of Europe: "...untroubled from infancy by divisive prejudices. Without ceasing to look to their own lands with love and pride... Europeans, schooled and ready to complete and consolidate the work of their fathers..."

We believe, along with many others who are now pledging to support this Citizens’ Initiative Campaign for a More European Education for all, that Europeans deserve a common and sucessful educational framework to which all those active in education and training can contribute to.

We believe that today, more than ever, Europeans are crying out for leadership in this area – the multicultural and multilingual education of our children – not just as the transmission of knowledge but also to build character and personality and to prepare them as future European citizens in a global world.

United in a European Education for all Europeans.