David COYNE is Director for Education, responsible for co-ordinating the Commission's education programmes and activities.
He was previously Head of Unit for the Policy Co-ordination of the European Social Fund (the EU's major contribution to Employment and Human Resource Investment).
Prior to that he was a member of the private office of Sir Leon Brittan, Vice President of the Commission responsible (at various times) for external trade, relations with the US/Canada/China/ OECD countries, pre-enlargement issues, and Anti-Trust Policy.
David Coyne joined the Commission in 1977. He studied at University Cambridge.

Do you think that the European educational system, in general, sufficiently prepares future decision-makers to face the challenges of the 21st century?

One is never prepared enough for the future! Especially now that our societies change faster than we have ever known, we obviously have to adapt our educational and training systems accordingly.
Maybe the most important thing - which seems to have been understood by the education policy makers, but perhaps not yet by society in general - will be to recognize that we all have regularly to go back to learning during our careers, whether for formal qualifications or just to update particular skills.

According to you, is the European educational system doing enough to integrate the new information and communication technologies?
In this respect, do you think that the European Commission is a driving force in this field ?

Generally, European educational systems have taken up the challenge of the new technologies; even though of course one can see that progress and indeed resources available vary between the countries. The role of the Commission here is one of coordination and support. The Commission deals both with the Ministries of Education and with industrialists, trying to identify the what will be most useful for the future. At the same time, the Commission supports financially the introduction and development of information and communication technologies in the Member States, not only through innovative transnational projects, but also (and this at a much more significant level) via the European Social Fund

What is, at the present time, the evaluation of the exchange policies conducted by the European Commission in the field of education ?

For the last fifteen years or so, the Commission has been supporting exchanges in Europe and a great deal of experience is now available. When we started, in 1987, exchanges were mainly between France, the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2001, they have widened out not only to the 15 states of the Union but also to the candidate-countries and the EFTA countries. Altogether, 30 countries participate in our mobility programmes. Secondly, the idea of student mobility, which was innovative in 1987 (and indeed was at times regarded as dangerous) has become part of universities' general philosophy. No less than 1850 European universities have contracts with the Commission to support mobility. Finally, let me quote only one single figure: during the academic year 2001-2002 we shall see the one millionth Erasmus student, clear evidence that the value of exchanges and mobility is recognized.



Do you think that it is necessary to further develop inter-academic exchanges, between the EU member countries and the countries outside the European Union, and particularly the United States?

The Commission is currently looking at this question. Personally, I believe that it would be useful to develop exchanges with non-European countries, partly to help prepare our fellow citizen for an ever more globalized society, but partly because we need to send the message that Europe is one of the real world centres of excellence in higher education, and thus to attract a bigger proportion of the mobile students towards Europe.

Do you think that Internet can really be a tool of democratization for the service of educational policies?

The jury hasn't returned yet its verdict on the role of Internet in the democratization of education, but what can be said, I believe, it is that the Internet as well as information and communication technologies generally have a capacity to "empower " the individual within educational systems. They increase the choices available to the individual: they enable him to follow what he wants at a pace that suits him; they give him a direct access to a range of information traditionally only held by the teacher. In this sense, the Internet and the information and communication technologies in general, have already proved their capacity to democratize education.

What do you think could be the role played by civil society in the field of democatizing education, particularly at the European level ?

Civil society is a partner of education everywhere. At the European level we strive to maintain contacts with the active associations in education, such as the European Parents Association, the European Confederation of Teacher Trade Unions, or the subject associations. On the other hand, I would certainly agree with you that we have not yet found the best ways to benefit from those contacts.

What are according to you the abilities which future leaders, particularly in sectors such as education, governance, will need?

Without pretending to be able to define the characteristics of future leaders, I believe that three elements are important:
· a willingness and an openness to continuing education
· a supra-national perspective - both European and global -
· and an understanding of the specificities of Europe - cultural, social, economic …
Without these three elements, I'm afraid that a future leader would have difficulties to function properly.

Through the educational system it has set up, how does Europe manage cultural diversity or the difference in the levels ?

Europe doesn't manage cultural diversities. They manage themselves. We certainly believe that diversities exist; but Europe has no ambition to harmonize or to standardize the systems, which anyway are reflections of these cultural and social diversities. On the other hand, I would add that since the Lisbon European Council, in March, 2000, the discourse has changed. The accent is no longer on the diversities between Member States, but on the community of interests between their educational systems, on the identity of the challenges which face them, perhaps even on the sameness of the results they seek. This is the context in which the Education Council sent to the Heads of State and Government in Stockholm a report on the common objectives in the field of education. At the moment, we are in the process of discussing the way these objectives should be implemented, and how we can measure their impact.



What is now the capacity of the European educational system to anticipate future need, in particular as regards to the need for executives trained in the European dimension?

There's no common educational system but rather, national, even regional systems, each of them having its own forecasting method. There is a Eurydice study which gives detailed information on this topic.

Do you think that we can deal with a euro-managerial deficit within 5 - 10 years ?

I don't think that we shall have a deficit of managers, but I would be worried about the notion of "Euro-manager ". Currently, business education in general is very strongly influenced by the American model. Maybe it would be more suitable to develop the already existing European models.

What do you answer to the students claiming that the ongoing European programmes only prepare for European diversity, and don't pay enough attention to the capacity for common action at the European scale ?

To each his own field! European programmes are not there to develop the capacity for common action but rather that of opening to the European perspective and understanding. As for " federalist " education - because that is what your question is in fact about - it is not for the European programmes to provide it. We relate to education systems which correspond to national or indeed regional requirements. We don't have and I believe that we never will have, any power to fix centrally what curricula should be across the whole of Europe.