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Recommendation 1030 (1986)
University co-operation between Europe and Latin America
The Assembly,
1. Noting the report of its Committee on Culture and Education on university co-operation between Europe and Latin America (Doc. 5499) ;
2. Recalling its Resolution 814 (1984), on cultural relations between Europe and Latin America, and its Recommendation 976 (1984), on the Council of Europe's contribution to cultural co-operation with Latin America ;
3. Conscious of the fact that all university co-operation between Europe and Latin America must be based on the autonomy of the universities which, in order to promote co-operative activities, may join schemes and projects of multilateral co-operation ;
4. Noting the heterogeneity of Latin American university education in which universities of great prestige coexist with areas lacking university centres or adequate structures and resources ;
5. Considering that &madash because of the serious economic situation in most Latin American countries &madash these deficiencies may be aggravated in the near future by the constant rise in the number of students and the lack of economic resources ;
6. Believing that inter-university co-operation is a way of helping Latin America acquire its own mechanisms for reaching its full potential in the cultural, economic and scientific fields ;
7. Considering that the Council of Europe, in upholding democratic values, is well placed to initiate a form of co-operation which would preserve the specific character of Latin American countries ;
8. Conscious of the fact that university cooperation with Latin America is assisted by the common cultural roots and the European &madash particularly Spanish and Portuguese &madash influence in the creation of important Latin American universities ;
9. Welcoming the bilateral initiatives on university co-operation and the existence of organisations for general university co-operation both in Latin America and in Europe, and conscious of the need to take advantage of the existence of other institutions for co-operation outside the university sector ;
10. Noting the initiatives of Unesco on university planning in Latin America, and assessing the possible future developments of the European Community Institute for Relations between Europe and Latin America ;
11. Convinced of the importance of the pilot project of the Standing Conference on University Problems (CC-PU) on university co-operation between Europe and Latin America, and the results of the first colloquy held in Salamanca in April 1985 in the framework of this project ;
12. Believing that university co-operation will be more balanced if it is the result of global action between Europe and Latin America, and that the strengthening of relations between the Assembly of the Council of Europe and the interparliamentary institutions of Latin America might assist this co-operation ;
13. Considering that the Council of Europe offers a favourable environment for university co-operation with Latin America, and at the same time constitutes a point of convergence for actions intended to stimulate free co-operation between the universities of Europe and Latin America ;
14. Hoping that the Council of Europe will extend this co-operation to the other countries forming part of Europe in the widest sense, as was the case with European Music Year ;
15. Convinced of the need for better-balanced co-operation between Europe and Latin America in the context of three-way co-operation between Latin America, North America and Europe,
16. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :
16.1. co-ordinate and encourage global university co-operation between Europe and Latin America where possible with international representative university associations, both in Europe and in Latin America ;
16.2. support, or complete if necessary, the establishment of an inventory of the bilateral agreements in the university field concluded between all the European countries and those of Latin America and, more concretely, those implemented by the universities, in order to obtain an overview of co-operation ;
16.3. ensure that the Salamanca Colloquy on University Co-operation is followed up :
a. by asking the CC-PU to make an assessment of the results obtained in the implementation of the pilot projects ;
b. by supporting future meetings to be held alternately in Europe and in Latin America ;
16.4. propose to the CC-PU the implementation of activities designed to help the exchange of teachers and students with Latin America, taking into account the legal, administrative and financial aspects, for example by encouraging joint theses ;
16.5. invite the governments of member states :
a. to develop between Europe and Latin America programmes for co-operation in training and research between universities, research institutes and teacher training centres ;
b. to promote education in the history and geography of Latin America by creating specialist university professorships ;
c. to make mobility in Europe easier for teachers, research workers and students from Latin American countries ;
d. to co-ordinate and strengthen existing financial resources in order to create funds for the promotion of university exchanges between Europe and Latin America ;
e. to make access to university training easier for Latin American residents or refugees settled in Europe ;
16.6. invite national and international public organisations to inform the representative university associations of Europe and Latin America of any programme of co-operation with Latin America so that the universities may participate in it.