On the 40th anniversary of Stuggart Declaration on the future of EUcultural and educational cooperation

Adopted by the UEF Federal Committee in Brussels on 12 February 2023.

The UEF Federal Committee,

• Having regard to the Solemn Declaration on European Union adopted in Stuttgart on the 19th June 1983;
• Having regard to the UEF Resolution for a Common European History Manual adopted on the 12th October 2008;
• Having regard to the UEF Resolution on European Cultural Identity adopted on the 28-29th March 2011;
• Having regard to the UEF Resolution on the European dimension of education and culture adopted in Berlin on the 22nd April 2018;
• Having regard to the UEF Resolution on a systematic approach to European citizenship education adopted in Valencia on 4th July 2021;
• Having regard to articles 165-167 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which provide a basis for EU action in the field of education and culture, including of legislative nature;
• Having regard to the European Parliament Resolution on Learning EU at School, of 12 April 2016, which “emphasises that an EU dimension in education is crucial to help citizens better understand and reconnect them with the EU”;
• Having regards to the European Parliament resolution on the Implementation of citizenship education actions of the 4th of June of 2022;
• Having regard to the Council Recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching, of 22 May 2018;
• Having regard to the work undertaken by the European Parliament on the Implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations adopted by the Culture and Education Committee on 14th November 2022;
• Having regards to the Proposal of a Manifesto for a Federal Europe: sovereign, social,
  and ecological adopted by the Spinelli Group on the 29th of August of 2022;
• Praises the foresight of European leaders, who in 1983, understood the importance of promoting the awareness of a common destiny and the need to affirm the European identity as a strategic element for a strong and stable future of the Union;
• Celebrates, to that end, the strengthened will of advancing in cultural cooperation between Member States introduced and developed together with other aims by the Solemn Declaration on European Union;
• Calls, therefore, for an inter-institutional Commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Solemn Declaration on European Union in Stuttgart;
• Calls for its commemoration by the UEF in cooperation with Europa Union Deutschland;
• Recalls the respect of the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of the EU and its duty to ensure that Europe's cultural heritage is safeguarded and enhanced.
• Considers that all the objectives and actions to promote Cultural cooperation were relevant and necessary;
• Celebrates that some of them have been implemented but notes that much more must be done to fully achieve these goals, in particular those of promoting closer cooperation between the education community, including exchanges of teachers and students; improving the level of knowledge about other Member States of the Community and of information on Europe's history and culture, promoting joint activities in the dissemination of culture, as well as a closer coordination of cultural activities in third countries;
• Believes that 40 years after the adoption of the Solemn Declaration on European Union in Stuttgart, the advances in the European integration, in conjunction with the new geopolitical landscape, calls for an update of the goals stated in the Declaration;

Education

• Believes that education is a cornerstone for the achievement of the European project; considers in that respect that the achievement of the European Education Area by 2025 is of strategic importance for the Union; calls for the establishment of comprehensive steering, monitoring and evaluation mechanism embedded in a systematic governance framework with the participation of the Council, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions, civil society and educational community.
• Recalls the need to increase synergies across EU programmes, by inter alia, introducing and providing a compulsory module on the EU citizenship in all training courses financed by the EU through structural funds and mobility programmes, such as ERASMUS + and the European Solidarity Corps;
• Reiterates the UEF call to elaborate a recommendation containing an indicative primary and secondary school curricula on EU and global civic education for its voluntary adoption by Members States, based on the existing experience of the curriculum of the European Schools, in full respect of Treaty provisions;
• Endorses the Conference on the Future of Europe recommendation to develop common minimum standards in education, without prejudice to national and regional competences, as regards to Union values and history of Europe.
• Recommends the learning of foreign languages as a common minimum standard, starting with learning the language of neighbouring country/ies for the sake of cross border cooperation and intercultural solidarity.
• Supports the Conference on the Future of Europe recommendation to progress towards shared competences in the field of education and emphasises the need to prepare young citizens for their participation in the political life of the Union, particularly, in the field of citizenship education.
• Underlines the need of effective European citizenship and the added value of participatory democracy in the EU. The blueprint for that is the Conference on the Future of Europe whose recommendations must be taken on board, for the sake of credibility and legitimacy. The exercise must become permanent.
• Believes that the concept of lifelong learning should be given greater focus by further including the various areas of adult education into the European education and training area.

Culture

• Considers that more must be done to promote and invest in citizens’ participation in cultural and artistic exchange activities at EU level.
• Believes that sharing of good practices and support to Member States ‘actions in the field of culture has a positive role in furthering cultural cooperation; considers nonetheless that such approach lacks systemic impact and often side-lines action on cultural issues of true EU added value,
• Considers therefore that there is a need to allocate more resources on cultural actions circumscribed to European-wide cultural expressions, such a pan European Festival of Culture and ideas to be celebrated in or around 9 of May, or the creation of a specific category within the European heritage label for heritage contributing to European integration; calls for the possibility to directly fund cultural projects in the Member States through EU programmes in the field of culture as repeatedly requested by civil society, heritage professionals and cultural actors;
• Believes that culture makes a key contribution to fostering mutual understanding and restoring communication on the international stage in challenging global contexts.
• Calls on more possibilities for young people to participate in cross-border exchange projects that promote the cultural heritage of Europe, not only oriented to the past but also to the present and the future.
• Proposes that the European Heritage Day should be promoted in order to draw the attention on the European dimension of our cultural heritage.
• Proposes that the number of cross-border cultural routes should be increased.
• Welcomes actions carried by the EEAS and the Commission to foster international cultural relations (ICR), in particular the Preparatory action on the European Spaces of Culture; considers however that EU cultural relations with third countries are underdeveloped and much more needs to be achieved; believes in that regard that strategic coordination within the European Commission is fundamental; calls for a dedicated strategy towards ICR, accompanied to a budget proposal commensurate to the needs;
• Commits to keep working towards the advancement of an ever-closer union among the peoples and Member States of the European Union by strengthening the educational and cultural dimension of our federalist movement´s policies, proposals and actions.

Sports

• Considers that with each EU Member state a specific driving license for sports- and sailing boats is considered.
• Calls for single European sport boat driving licence.