Contents: Discussion Lines |
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Introductory Words, Kosovo Statements, Position Papers, Action Drafts
1.a Family & Education , 1.b Work, 2.a Cultures & Religions, 2.b Civil societies, 3. Media & Public sphere, 4.a Which Europe emerges, 4.b Opening to the world, Conclusion, Proposed Action - Summary Action Drafts
Summary of the Work Groups - Basic lines of discussion
Vienna Peace Summit 1999
General Rapporteurs: Joerg Forbrig, European University Institute, Florence, and Yael Ohana, Council of Europe´s Youth Centre, Budapest.
Summary of the contributions of Participants
As mentioned previously, the Peace Summit attempts to put in place a dialogue among distinguished personalities and youth on issues that are of particular relevance to Europe and the future of European social, economic and political development. The questions defining the discussions of the work groups at the Peace Summit relate to the opportunities represented by the notion of Europe on a number of levels. The main concern of the Peace Summit is to present action oriented results that integrate the concerns and convictions of the participants regarding aspects of European development such as the chances that the transformations represent for individuals, groups, society and the world.
In attempting to understand the issues at play in these significant discussions, it is worthwhile to devote some attention to the variety of perceptions and impressions of the meaning that Europe holds for the participants of the Peace Summit. The following is a brief glimpse of the variety of visions of Europe present in the contributions of participants.
Statements on the meaning of Europe:
Europe is a political reality, represented by European Integration and the European Union.
Europe is a privileged economic space.
Europe is a cultural space whose diversity is its richness, its cultural capital and its productive force.
Europe is a potential identity, an identity in the making.
Europe is a geographical entity, a continent that is indivisible.
Europe is a world player, a partner for world action.
Europe is a form or model of social organisation, that is considered equitable and that while needing some improvement, needs to be preserved.
In the following pages, we outline the main lines of thought and the main areas of agreement among participants of the Peace Summit on the topic of each work group, as represented by the summaries of the individual rapporteurs of the work groups and with reference to the individual contributions of the participants. We provide some indications of the main points of controversy and debate between the contributors for each of the work groups. We then move on to assess the main challenges for each workg roups discussions and conclude with a resumé of the questions of main interest and concern for the deliberations at the Peace Summit. Finally, we present a summary of the action drafts and project recommendations of contributors to the Peace Summit.
2/ Summaries:
The roles of families and education systems in a changing Europe:
The development among people of a culture of cohabitation and of living together in peace depends on various factors, not least on the early socialisation of children and young people as they grow into adult hood. The first years of life shape the character of individuals in terms of their personality, ability for dealing with personal problems and conflicts, capacity for dealing with conflicts with others, attitudes and pre-dispositions, skills and capacities to pursue and achieve their own goals and to present their own interests, ability and willingness to accept collective norms and to obey them.
It is evident that socialisation is a key element for change. A society affects the conditions for the socialisation of future generations through families and through education. Peaceful attitudes, as mentioned above, are not an abstract concept. Peace is a pattern for co-existence, for dealing with conflicts and for the pursuit of personal and collective interests. The more the process of socialisation among children and young people is geared towards fostering the ability for peaceful behaviour, the higher the likelihood of the development of a European citizenry which is willing to co-exist peacefully.
Traditional European systems of education, and forms of socialisation within families, are today frequently criticised. The following represents some of the commonly identified reasons:
Hence, among the contributors to this work group it is considered desirable to develop consensually agreed upon guidelines for the upbringing of children in families and family like structures in Europe and for the education of young people. These guidelines should aim towards the development of socialisation processes and education systems that take into account the psychosocial abilities and skills of those growing up.
To conclude, the participants of the workgroup believe, that the number of adults which are willing and able for living in peace can be increased through targeted and co-ordinated actions on the European level that aim to improve the quality of early socialisation in families and further education. National and supranational programmes can provide better information and more support to those who accompany young people in their transition from youth to adulthood. The role and the significance of families, of family like structures and educational institutions is very high and has a strong impact on the development of the future European citizenry. Training young people in willingness and skills for peaceful co-existence should be a prime aim of early socialisation and of education systems in Europe.
The main challenges for this work group will be to debate the following issues:
Perspectives for work: Creating new forms of employment and recreation in Europe:
A major source of frustration for people today stems from two problems concerning work - increasing unemployment and dissatisfying work. The causes of these problems are manifold and complex, not least of which is the ongoing process of globalisation that is affecting Europe, as well as the rest of the world. The problems associated with these phenomena and their further spread are many, and the implications are worrying:
According to the contributions of the participants, the challenge for Europe is hence twofold. In the first place, there is a need to create alternative forms of work to supplement existing forms and to replace those forms of work which have become obsolete, so as to offset the negative economic and social effects of large scale unemployment. In the second place, there is a need to explore new forms of work that can provide job satisfaction and motivation to the workforce. In addition, it is imperative that the rigid separation of work from recreation or leisure be broken down and that more fluid forms of work combining the energy of leisure with the responsibility of work be implemented in order to boost the motivation and willingness to invest of the workforce.
Two primary sets of actors are considered in a position to influence this and to accomplish the transition to new forms of work. In the first place, individuals are considered to have the power to change their lives within themselves, and the initiative that is considered necessary for beginning this process must come from within the individual. Personal initiative, entrepreneurial spirit, motivation and responsibility are the attributes considered important in the new age of work. However, it is not necessarily a simple task for individuals to become aware of the need to change lifelong forms of work and habits of functioning. The path to the development of a more responsible, innovative, initiative filled workforce is fraught with many difficulties as is manifest in the difficulty of much middle management to come to terms with flatter hierarchies and with the facilitating rather than controlling management function demanded in todays labour market.
Organisations also bear a large measure of responsibility for developing both job creation strategies and the motivation of the workforce. However, many companies have difficulty in reconciling their role as profit oriented, market players on the one hand, and as forms of social organisation, comprising individuals with diverse needs, and which should play a positive social role, on the other. The ideas of more transparency between the lowest and higher levels of the hierarchy, or of a minimum level of social protection for workers, are not always easy to swallow for management and shareholders. On the other hand, it is clear that companies and other types of organisation (especially in the public sector) will have to reform themselves to maintain competitiveness and to satisfy the needs of their workforce for more meaningful existences within working hours.
The threats and opportunities inherent to these developments have a number of significant results, the most prominent of which is on the way in which work is perceived, and carried out in Europe. There is a clear consensus among participants that the very concept of work is changing from one of pure utility to one imbued with broader meaning and content. Life long learning, personal development, the development of human resources are all key words associated with a new conception of work. In Europe, this implies the continuing need for the development of a new culture of work, comprising trust, meaningful work relationships, information sharing and high levels of motivation among the workforce and management. This is an issue of global importance and is of concern to global actors, not just to the developed world of which Europe is a part. It also relates to the need for organisations and individuals to become more aware of issues such as sustained and sustainable development, the development of a more equitable world society, that does not function exclusively on the principle of competition, so much associated with Western European society.
The main challenge for this work group will be to debate the following issues:
A European identity? Cultural diversity, ethnic conflict, and inter-religious dialogue: New rituals for dealing with violence:
The concept of European identity is very difficult to define. The contributions of the participants provide a panorama of perceptions as varied and diverse as the inhabitants of the continent themselves. At the same time, they provide an insight into the eternal European quest for unity within that diversity. The contributions send a clear message that it is urgently necessary to treat the problems manifest as a result of conflicts of a cultural and ethnic nature, that have often existed for centuries on this continent. The eradication of ethnic and inter-religious strife, the development of tolerance and mutual respect between diverse cultures and religions and the development of a culture of peaceful coexistence and intercultural communication are demanded. Could this be the content of a (new) European identity?
Despite the fact that most contributors seem to believe that a European Identity does exist, the content of that identity, and indeed its origins are much less clearly identifiable. Hence, we can distinguish between two main positions on the issue of European identity. In order to do justice to the contributions of participants, it must be noted, however, that the distinction made between these positions is somewhat artificial, given that the very notion of identity is one which is made up of many elements and cannot be divided into mutually exclusive positions. The interdependence of the positions outlined below is patently obvious.
However, it is acknowledged that there are both practical as well as conceptual difficulties with both of these positions. The seeming proliferation of political conflicts, both armed and unarmed, that are defined by religious and ethnic tensions, is one of Europes most worrying developments, not least in light of its history of genocide and murder.
The conclusion of the contributors is that the various religious and cultural influences, as well the social and political values, that are identifiable in the history of Europe, need to be fully and equitably acknowledged in order to allow for the development of a European identity that is does not produce further exclusion, that does not consider itself superior and that provides a sense of belonging for all who espouse it. Developing such a conception of identity is anything but easy, as is attested by the present difficulty the European Union has in overcoming its many problems of legitimacy and its image of technocratic autocracy.
The main challenges for this work group will be to debate the following issues:
A European consciousness? Social commitment, human rights and responsibilities: The role of civil societies in Europe:
As the title indicates, the debate that will ensue in this work group will relate to issues of such as the existence (or non-existence) of a European consciousness and, in particular, to the role that civil society plays in its development. There seems to exist a consensus that a European consciousness does indeed exist and that it is a complex concept consisting of many elements and layers. For the participants of the work group European consciousness is:
Diversity, curiosity, tolerance and dialogue
A culture of memory
A culture of non-violence and peace
Social responsibility, solidarity and communal identity
A culture of respect for human dignity and rights
A culture of civic participation
A culture informed by a procedural consensus
The main points of controversy among the participants of the workgroup are related in particular to their understanding of both the concept of civil society and of the role civil societies in Europe play in developing a European consciousness. While the following represents the tasks ascribed to civil society in the contributions of the participants, it also represents the main issues of controversy among contributors:
The main challenges for this work group will be to debate the following issues:
Responsibilities of traditional and new media, sensitising the public for the process of European unification: Potentials and limitations of communication and information:
The development of modern media and means of mass communication is one of the most interesting, but also one of the most salient problems of our times. Although it can be argued that the development of mass media is rather a characteristic of the entire twentieth century and not exclusively of its last decades, media and communication have gained in importance in the context of globalisation. It is in this context that a number of issues have come to the fore, from the increased mobility of labour and goods to multiculturalism to problems pertaining to political regimes. These various issues, which make up the complex phenomenon of globalisation, provide the background for the differing viewpoints of the participants of this work group on media and communication. As a result, a number of problems considered by contributors are important for deliberations about media. Despite the differing emphases, the centrality of the media for contemporary societies and their further development, which finds its expression in terms such as "communication age," is widely appreciated by the participants of this work group.
It is a common phenomenon that the career of a term or concept and its widespread use in the public can result in its meaning becoming increasingly obscure. While all participants of this work group deliberate about media, their contributions rarely refer to a particular concept or definition, and it is obvious that their conception and perceptions of media differ widely. It will therefore be a prime and initial task for the work group to establish a common understanding of media, which may then guide the discussion. It will only be possible for the various issues to be discussed in earnest on this basis of terminological commonality.
Among the problems raised by the participants, two major groups can be distinguished. This distinction is necessarily somewhat arbitrary, as most of the participants appreciated the complexity of the problem and included questions from both groups of problems in their contributions.
The main challenges for this work group will be to debate the following issues :
Which Europe emerges: politically, economically, militarily?
The direction in which Europe develops is an issue of continuing controversy, even among its most prominent leaders and not least among the powers that be in the European Union. When speaking of Europe, it is often unclear if one is referring to the European Union or to Europe the continent? Is one referring to an economic entity or a social reality? Is one referring to a political agenda or to a legal instrument?
There are the Euro-sceptics, who consider the further development of European integration as a threat to the sovereignty and self-determination of the nation they represent. At the other extreme of the political spectrum there are the Euro-optimists who consider the wider and deeper development of European integration as essential to the best interests of the continent. A good illustration of the extremity of these positions, is the way in which both camps instrumentalise culture, the Euro-sceptics claiming that European integration is responsible for the destruction of national cultures and the Euro-optimists claiming that, on the contrary, Europe is an "agent - conservateur" for many cultures, languages, traditions and practices that otherwise would have long ago died out.
In essence, the question Europe: Quo Vadis? is that posed by the title of this work group. The contributions of participants mirror the general lack of consensus on the issue: What will Europe look like in the future, given past and present developments? Is the emerging European reality one which Europeans consider desirable?
Nevertheless, the European Union has made some significant progress in the field political integration and they should not be dismissed. According to the contributors, the development of the present day and future political Europe is underpinned by a number of common values and institutions, in particular by the rule of law, the market economy and human rights. Whatever the outcome of the above debate, the future form and content of Europe as a political entity will depend in large measure on the preservation of these values and their further development among the citizenry.
Europes role in the world is also an important issue in the debate on Europes political future. Today, through the intermediary of the European Union, the interests of small (if admittedly disproportionately wealthy) countries can be considered in international politics. On the other hand, the European Unions pretension to global player status in the field of international affairs is not yet substantiated by any apparent will on the part of its member states to develop a common European foreign and security policy. This necessarily weakens the claim that national politics has outlived its usefulness and that governance in Europe is most effective at the supra-national and sub-national levels.
However, a number of key political decisions pending in the European Union, will have an important effect on the future development of the Economic Europe, not least the timing of East and Southward enlargement, and the reform of the present budgetary system, that is necessitated by the simultaneous widening and deepening undertaken by the European Union. Thankfully, unlike in the political field, economic integration in Europe has meant true integration: a ceding of sovereign decision making power to the body best equipped to handle the decision and implement the result. The common currency is not a small achievement, given both the political and economic climate in Europe in the last years. However, it remains to be seen whether economics can have knock on effects of any significance in the political and social realms, and to which extent the existence of the common currency can contribute to the development of an image of European Union as more than an economic giant.
The main challenges facing this working group will be to debate the following issues:
Europes role in the globalisation process: New networks of co-operation, integration, confrontation:
Two poles characterise the debate on the issue of Europes role in the process of globalisation pessimists vs. optimists:
1. Globalisation as Global Doom and Gloom: Those who espouse this position are resolute in the pessimism. They believe that globalisation causes nothing but harm, that will in the end result in an acute economic crisis, immense political problem and social conflicts of colossal proportions. Their solution is to maintain protectionist policies and do everything possible to slow its pace.
2. Globalisation as Global Eden: Those who espouse this position are equally resolute. They see globalisation as a chance - an opportunity - that needs only to be harnessed and taken. They believe that the global system would be the ideal form of organisation in both the economic and social spheres, and that it would avoid present-day exclusivity and barriers erected in selfish national interest. It is considered that globalisation will open up new perspectives for equitable governance and for developing new resources. Their solution would be to bring down all the fire-walls and institute absolute freedom of exchange and movement.
The protagonists of these poles in the discussion are equally unrealistic in their extreme assessments. Clearly, the distinction is somewhat extreme. However, it is a useful typology, as it allows for the development of more realistic and objective scenarios of the role that Europe can, and indeed must play, in the globalisation process.
Here, a definition of globalisation is useful. According to Anthony Giddens, globalisation is: "Growing interdependence between different peoples, regions and countries in the world". G lobalisation is a fact and it has objective causes, not least of which is the rapid development of communication and other technologies that allow for contact and exchange until recently thought the realm of science fiction and star wars. The advent of the Internet is just one example. It is neither the hell nor the heaven that the above typologies portray. It is a complex process of social transformation, that if studied and understood and can be accommodated and influenced, depending on the attitude and actions of individual countries and of countries in co-operation.
For individuals, groups, society and the world the process of globalisation is at once an opportunity and a threat. It is imperative for Europe to influence the process in a positive direction and not to crumble into inaction in the face of seeming threat.
According to the contributions of the participants, Europe has a two-fold role in the process of globalisation:
The main challenges for this work group will be to debate the following issues:
The Vienna Peace Summit is a unique opportunity for its distinguished participants to enter into a dialogue on issues of the utmost concern to the citizens and all those living on the European continent. As should be evident from the summaries of the contributions of participants and the resumés of the main challenges facing each work group in their forthcoming discussions, these issues span family, education, social concerns, political development, questions of governance and democracy and, in particular, the preservation and the promotion of peace on the continent and the world over.
More specifically, the Peace Summit faces the challenge of discussing, in depth, the desirability of present and the prospects for the future development of European society in many spheres affecting the everyday lives of people living on the continent: the functions of government, social legislation, the maintenance of peace and the defence of human rights, and of developing clear recommendations for action.
Looking forward to the actual discussions, we can foresee controversies and dialogue emerging as issues such as that of the role of families in the development of European Society, such as the changes needed in education systems to prepare young people for their role as the future citizens of Europe and such as the factual content of European identity, all relate to confronting our personal values with those of others.
In work group 1 a, the issues of the continuing crisis of the adequacy of the education of the young, whether through family structures or formal educational channels, will be debated. This discussion will touch on the importance of the family for the socialisation of the young and will necessarily have to treat the deep and difficult issues such as why many families do not manage to prepare children for the adult world, in particular the multicultural reality of that world. The same criticism can be levelled against the myriad of education systems functioning in Europe today. The result expected from this work group will be to produce strategies for the development of a culture of peaceful cohabitation among coming generations through family and educational structures.
In work group 1 b, the question of the future of work and recreation under the conditions of increasing unemployment, the obsolescence of certain forms of work and the rapid development of information and communication technologies will be addressed. The result expected from these discussions will be the presentation of innovative ideas about the desirable forms of work and recreation that will be appropriate for the further development of European society.
In work group 2 a, the debate will focus on the question of European identity, its content and its role in developing a European society where inter-ethnic conflicts will be resolved through novel rituals. The expected result of this debate will be the presentation of strategies oriented towards both the development of an inclusive European identity and through this to contribute to the development of a culture of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue.
Work group 2 b will explore the role that civil societies in Europe can play in the development of a widespread European consciousness. The debate will focus on the content of the European consciousness and strategies for its development through the medium of civil society. The expected result of this work group will be the presentation of recommendations that favour the development of European or transnational civil society and hence the development of a European consciousness.
The debate in work group 3 will focus on the threats and opportunities to European and global progress represented by the increasing and rapid development of communication technologies and new media. The expected result of this work group is the development of a consensual understanding of what the implications of the development of new media will be for Europe in a number of spheres, not least the political sphere.
Work group 4 a, will treat the political, economic and military development of Europe. The desired form and content of these crucial aspects of European development will be discussed in light of recent development and existing projects for the further development of European integration. The question will be "Europe - Quo Vadis?". The expected result will be clearly formulated scenarios in the mentioned fields - political Europe, economic Europe, and military Europe.
Finally, work group 4 b will attempt to assess the roles, positive and negative, that Europe can play in the process of globalisation that is factually affecting the development of the world as a whole. The debate will focus, in particular, on political choices that Europe must make in order to remain abreast of current developments. The expected result of this discussion will be scenarios for the further development of Europe as a partner for global development and peace, and for how Europe can positively influence the process of globalisation to its own advantage and to that of other regions, less privileged.
To conclude, we believe that the work groups are faced with an interesting and complex challenge - to profile the future development of European politics and society at the turn of the Millennium. We are certainly looking forward to the fruitful, open and debate filled discussions, and to the concrete results, the work groups promise to produce.
The following is a summary of the actions and projects proposed by the participants of the Peace Summit. It is the intention that these actions and projects be implemented in the context of the work of the Foundation for the International Peace University:
Position Papers |