On 7 February 2007 Mr. Jan Figel – Member of the European Commission for Education, Training, Culture & Youth – arrived in Sarajevo for a 2-day visit.
Commissioner Figel first met with the BiH Presidency: Mr Nebojsa Radmanovic, Mr Zeljko Komsic and Mr Haris Silajdzic, and discussed cooperation in the field of education and culture. During the meeting the Commissioner encouraged the Presidency to pursue the reform agenda needed for BiH to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and to take full advantage of important student exchange programmes offered by the EU, most notably Erasmus Mundus.
Commissioner Figel subsequently watched a street performance by the French theatrical-acrobatic group “Malibar”, whose members include stage and visual artists from across Europe. Their performance preceded the official opening ceremony of the 23rd Sarajevo Winter Festival and created an appropriate festive atmosphere.
Before declaring the 23rd Sarajevo Winter Festival to be officially open, Commissioner Figel congratulated the organisers on the programme and the slogan “Sarajevo – Some Other City” which speaks of the renewal of the city. It is a multi-ethnic, vibrant symbol of the cultural diversity of the Balkans, and cultural diversity is also a hallmark of Europe. He stated that the challenges facing the Balkans are also Europe’s challenges and stressed that there will be continued political and economic support from Europe, as the European Integration Process cannot be complete without the Balkans.
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Profile – Commissioner Figel Jan Figel was born in 1960 in Slovakia, where he trained as an electronics engineer. He subsequently attended courses on International Relations in Georgetown University, Washington, USA, and on European Economic Integration at UFSIA in Antwerp, Belgium. He worked as a research and development engineer from 1983 to 1992 and became politically active in the Christian Democratic Movement in 1990. Since 1992, he has held a wide array of posts linking the Slovak Republic and European institutions. From 1992 to 1998 he was a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. During these years he was also a Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and some of its Committees. From 1998 to 2003 he was Chief Negotiator of the Slovak Republic for negotiations on the accession of Slovakia to the European Union. He joined the Commission on 1 May 2004, when the Slovak Republic became a Member State of the EU. Originally co-responsible for the Enterprise and Information Society portfolio, on 22 January 2004 he assumed the portfolio of Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism. Since 1 January 2007, when two new posts of Commissioner came into being with the most recent enlargement, his portfolio has been Education, Training, Culture and Youth. Commissioner Figel is also the author of numerous publications on Slovakia’s to EU Membership. His full professional biography is available at this link.
Commissioner Figel’s views on Education, Training, Culture and Youth Education and training are crucial for the future of the European Union. Better knowledge and skills are factors for personal and societal development, employability, social cohesion, cultural awareness and civic maturity. High quality and accessible education is essential for all citizens. European-level actions on Culture are indispensable for promoting our common values, a sense of European citizenship and to support an evolving European identity. Youth is now explicitly mentioned in the (.) portfolio. Young people are given increasingly important considerations at European level. There are many EU policies that have an impact on young people that account for a quarter of Europe’s population. (His) area of responsibility also covers sport and relations with civil society. There is one recurring theme throughout (the) portfolio – the citizens and their quality of life. The building of a citizen-friendly environment will be at the centre of all (.) activities. (Excerpts from the Commissioner’s website) |
