WRITTEN QUESTION E-2621/96 by Hedwig Keppelhoff-Wiechert (PPE) to the Commission (14 October 1996)

Subject: Reform of elementary school education

The single market gives citizens the freedom to live anywhere in the EU. For many families with children of elementary school age the different types of elementary school in the EU pose very serious problems.

In some EU Member States, e.g. Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, elementary schools cooperate with partner schools in Europe with a view, among other things, to contributing together to the reform of elementary school education as a common Europe approaches.

1. Does the Commission agree that the interests of young families are such that there will eventually be no avoiding the harmonization of school systems?

2. What importance does the Commission attach to cooperation between elementary schools in the EU in the context of general education?

3. How does the Commission view proposals from educationalists that the first to fourth years of elementary school should be replaced or supplemented by such other concepts as the combined teaching of different years?

4. How does the Commission view the harmonization of European elementary school education through the transition to a higher school at the same age everywhere?

5. For many years partner schools have been engaged in cooperation in the form of visits, practical training and in-service training conferences, jointly developing the theory and practice of elementary school education. What opportunities does the Commission see for promoting and supporting these efforts?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (4 November 1996)

In accordance with Article 126 of the EC Treaty, the Commission supports actions which, by encouraging cooperation, aim to improve the quality of education while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member States for the organisation of education and the content of teaching. In addition, by encouraging the exchange of information and experience, the Commission is helping to bring about a situation where the Member States which initiate education reforms move voluntarily towards a certain convergence of their education systems. However, Article 126 rules out any legislative initiative on the part of the Commission aimed at harmonising education in general and thus also primary education. Furthermore, the diversity of education systems * particularly in secondary education * would make it difficult to harmonise the age of transition to this stage of education.

In the field of education, the Commission is keeping a particularly close watch on the problems being encountered by people exercising their right of free movement, especially those who are in school or undergoing training. On 2 October 1996, it adopted the Green Paper on obstacles to transnational mobility ((COM(96) 462. )), which describes the barriers to mobility in the Community and suggests certain approaches to help to change this situation. The Green Paper is intended to stimulate debate which will provide the impetus to remove the obstacles identified.

Cooperation between schools is regarded as a fundamental means of improving the quality of education. The Commission supports this cooperation between educational establishments by means of the 'Socrates' Community action programme, which provides for a considerable range of activities benefiting schools, pupils and teachers. These activities, which come under Chapter II 'Comenius' and the 'Lingua' programme for the teaching of the official languages of the Community, draw on partnerships between schools, study visits and continuing training for teachers. Of these actions, mention could be made of Action 1 in the 'Comenius' chapter, which in 1996 made it possible to support almost 5 000 school partnerships involving around 20 000 establishments.