2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B DECISION NO 253/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 24 January 2000
establishing the second phase of the Community action programme in the field of education
‘Socrates’
(OJ L 28, 3.2.2000, p. 1)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Decision No 451/2003/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 27 February 2003L 69 6 13.3.2003
▼B
DECISION NO 253/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIA-
MENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 24 January 2000
establishing the second phase of the Community action programme
in the field of education ‘Socrates’
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and
in particular Articles 149 and 150 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of
the Treaty (4),
In the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on
10 November 1999,
Whereas:
(1)the Treaty establishing the European Community provides that
the latter's action shall contribute, inter alia , to the development
of quality education and training; measures under thisprogramme should promote the European dimension of educa-tion and contribute to the development of quality education
with a view to encouraging life-long learning;
(2)by Decision No 819/95/EC the European Parliament and theCouncil established the Community action programme
Socrates (
5);
(3)the extraordinary European Council on employment held in
Luxembourg on 20 and 21 November 1997 recognised that life-
long education and training can make an important contributionto the Member States' employment policies in order to enhanceemployability, adaptability and the culture of entrepreneurshipand to promote equal opportunities;
(4)in its communication ‘Towards a Europe of Knowledge’, theCommission set out guidelines for the creation of an open anddynamic European education area capable of achieving the
objective of life-long education and training;
(5)in its White Paper ‘Teaching and learning — Towards the
learning society’,the Commission stated that the emergence of
the learning society entails encouraging the acquisition of new
knowledge and to this end providing motivation to learn at everyopportunity; and in its Green Paper ‘Education, training,research: the obstacles to transnational mobility’, the Commis-sion highlighted the advantages of mobility for people and
competitiveness in the European Union;
(6)the Commission's aim, in line with the European Parliament's
wish, is to attain a participation rate of around 10 % of schools2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 2
(1) OJ C 314, 13.10.1998, p. 5.
(2) OJ C 410, 30.12.1998, p. 2.
(3) OJ C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 77.
(4) Opinion of the European Parliament of 5 November 1998 (OJ C 359,
23.11.1998, p. 60), Council common position of 21 December 1998 (OJ C
49, 22.2.1999, p. 42), Decision of the European Parliament of 25 February1999 (OJ C 153, 1.6.1999, p. 24) and Decision of the European Parliament
of 15 December 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Council
Decision of 17 December 1999.
(
5) OJ L 87, 20.4.1995, p. 10. Decision as amended by Decision No 576/98/EC
(OJ L 77, 14.3.1998, p. 1 ).
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under the Comenius action and of around 10 % of students in the
mobility activities under the Erasmus action;
(7)there is a need to promote active citizenship and to step up thefight against exclusion in all its forms, including racism andxenophobia; special attention should be focused on promotingequality and furthering equal opportunities for women and men;
whereas special attention should be given to persons with special
needs;
(8)the European Parliament and the Council, in their Decision on
youth, and the Council, in Decision 1999/382/EC on training (1),
have established Community action programmes for the youthand training fields respectively, which contribute, together withthe Socrates programme, to promoting a Europe of knowledge;
(9)it is necessary, in order to reinforce the added value of Commu-nity action, that the Commission, in cooperation with theMember States, should ensure, at all levels, a coherence and acomplementarity between the actions implemented in the frame-work of this Decision and other relevant Community policies,
instruments and actions;
(10)it is necessary to provide for the possibility of organising joint
activities involving the Socrates programme and other Commu-
nity programmes or actions that have an educational dimension,
thus encouraging synergies and reinforcing the added value ofCommunity action;
(11)the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA Agree-ment) provides for greater cooperation in the field of education,training and youth between the European Community and itsMember States, on the one hand, and the countries of theEuropean Free Trade Association participating in the European
Economic Area (EFTA/EEA countries), on the other;
(12)provision should be made to open up this programme to partici-
pation of the associated central and eastern European countries(CEEC), in accordance with the conditions established in the
Europe agreements, in their additional protocols and in the deci-
sions of the respective Association Councils, of Cyprus fundedby additional appropriations in accordance with the proceduresto be agreed with that country, as well as of Malta and Turkey,funded by additional appropriations in accordance with the
provisions of the Treaty;
(13)this programme should be regularly monitored and evaluated in
cooperation between the Commission and the Member States in
order to allow for readjustments, particularly in the priorities for
implementing the measures; whereas the evaluation shouldinclude an external evaluation to be conducted by independent,impartial bodies;
(14)in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and proportion-ality as defined in Article 5 of the Treaty, since the objectives ofthe proposed action concerning the contribution of Europeancooperation to quality education cannot be sufficiently achievedby the Member States, inter alia , because of the need for multi-
lateral partnerships, multilateral mobility and Community-wide
exchanges of information, they can therefore be better achievedby the Community owing to the transnational dimension of theCommunity actions and measures; this Decision does not gobeyond what is necessary to achieve those objectives;
(15)improvement of the European credit transfer system (ECTS) isan effective means of ensuring that mobility fully attains itsobjectives; universities participating in the programme are to beencouraged to make the widest possible use of the ECTS;2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 3
(1) OJ L 146, 11.6.1999, p. 33.
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(16)this Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the
programme, a financial framework constituting the prime refer-
ence, within the meaning of point 33 of the interinstitutionalagreement of 6 May 1999 between the European Parliament,the Council and the Commission (
1), on budgetary discipline
and improvement of the budgetary procedure;
(17)the measures necessary for the implementation of this Decisionshould be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for theexercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commis-sion(
2),
HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
Establishment of the programme
1. This Decision establishes the second phase of the Community
action programme in the field of education, ‘Socrates’, hereinafter
referred to as ‘this programme’.
2. This programme shall be implemented over the period starting on
1 January 2000 and ending on 31 December 2006.
3. This programme shall contribute to the promotion of a Europe of
knowledge through the development of the European dimension ineducation and training by promoting life-long learning, based on formaland informal education and training. It shall support the building up of
the knowledge, skills and competences likely to foster active citizen-
shipand emp loyability.
4. This programme shall support and supplement action taken by
and in the Member States, while fully respecting their responsibilityfor the content of education and the organisation of education andtraining systems, and their cultural and linguistic diversity.
Article 2
Objectives of the programme
In order to contribute to the development of quality education and
encourage life-long learning, while fully respecting the responsibility
of the Member States, the objectives of the programme shall be:
(a) to strengthen the European dimension in education at all levels and
to facilitate wide transnational access to educational resources inEurope while promoting equal opportunities throughout all fieldsof education;
(b) to promote a quantitative and qualitative improvement of the
knowledge of the languages of the European Union, in particularthose languages which are less widely used and less widely taught,so as to lead to greater understanding and solidarity between thepeoples of the European Union and promote the interculturaldimension of education;
(c) to promote cooperation and mobility in the field of education, in
particular by:
— encouraging exchanges between educational institutions,
— promoting open and distance learning,— encouraging improvements in the recognition of diplomas and
periods of study,
— developing the exchange of information,
and to helpremove the obstacles in this regard;2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 4
(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.
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(d) to encourage innovation in the development of educational prac-
tices and materials including, where appropriate, the use of newtechnologies, and to explore matters of common policy interest in
the field of education.
Article 3
Community actions
1. The objectives of this programme as set out in Article 2 shall be
pursued by means of the following actions, the operational content andthe application procedures of which are described in the Annex:
Action 1 School education (Comenius);
Action 2 Higher education (Erasmus);Action 3 Adult education and other educational pathways
(Grundtvig);
Action 4 Teaching and learning of languages (Lingua);Action 5 Open and distance learning; information and communi-
cation technologies in the field of education (Minerva);
Action 6 Observation and innovation;Action 7 Joint actions;Action 8 Accompanying measures.
2. These actions shall be implemented through the following types
of measures, in the form of transnational operations which maycombine several of the measures:
(a) support for the transnational mobility of people in the field of
education in Europe;
(b) support for the use of information and communication technologies
(ICT) in education;
(c) support for the development of transnational cooperation networks
facilitating the exchange of experience and good practice;
(d) promotion of language skills and understanding of different
cultures;
(e) support for innovatory pilot projects based on transnational partner-
ships designed to develop innovation and quality in education;
(f) constant improvement of Community reference material through
the
— observation and analysis of national education policies,
— observation and dissemination of good practice and innovation,— comprehensive exchange of information.
Article 4
Access to the programme
1. Under the conditions and arrangements for implementation speci-
fied in the Annex, this programme is aimed in particular at:
(a) pupils, students or other learners;
(b) staff directly involved in education;
(c) all types of educational institutions specified by each Member
State;
(d) the persons and bodies responsible for education systems and poli-
cies at local, regional and national level within the Member States.
2. Public or private bodies cooperating with educational institutions
may also take part in appropriate actions under this programme, in
particular:
— local and regional bodies and organisations,2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 5
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— associations working in the field of education, including students',
pupils', teachers' and parents' associations,
— companies and consortia, trade organisations and Chambers of
Commerce and Industry,
— social partners and their organisations at all levels,— research centres and bodies.
Article 5
Implementation of the programme and cooperation with the
Member States
1. The Commission shall
— ensure the implementation of the Community actions covered by
this programme in conformity with the Annex,
— consult the social partners and relevant associations in the field of
education at European level and shall inform the Committeereferred to in Article 8(1) of their opinions.
2. The Member States shall
— take the necessary steps to ensure the efficient running of the
programme at Member State level involving all the partiesconcerned in education in accordance with national practice,
— establish an appropriate structure for the coordinated management
of the implementation of the programme's actions at Member Statelevel (Socrates national agencies),
— endeavour to adopt such measures as they deem appropriate to
remove legal and administrative obstacles to access to thisprogramme,
— take steps to ensure that potential synergies with other Community
programmes are realised at Member State level.
3. The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, shall
ensure
— the transition between those actions carried out within the frame-
work of the preceding programme in the field of education
(Socrates, established by Decision No 819/95/EC) and those to be
implemented under this programme,
— the dissemination of the results of the actions undertaken within the
framework of the preceding programme in the field of education(Socrates) and of those to be implemented under this programme,
— appropriate information, publicity and follow-up with regard to
actions supported by this programme.
Article 6
Joint Actions
As part of the process of building up a Europe of knowledge, the
measures contained in this programme may be implemented in accor-dance with the procedures laid down in Article 8(2) as joint actions
with related Community programmes and actions, particularly
Leonardo da Vinci and Youth as well as Community programmes inthe field of research and development and new technologies.
Article 7
Implementing measures
1. The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision
relating to the matters referred to below shall be adopted in accordancewith the management procedure referred to in Article 8(2).
(a) the annual plan of work, including priorities, themes for joint
actions and the selection criteria and procedures;
(b) the financial support to be supplied by the Community (amounts,
duration and recipients) and the general guidelines for imple-menting the programme;2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 6
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(c) the annual budget and the breakdown of funds among the different
actions of the programme;
(d) the breakdown of funds among the Member States for the actions
to be managed on a decentralised basis;
(e) the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating the programme and
for the dissemination and transfer of results;
(f) Commission proposals for project selection, including those under
action 7 (Joint actions).
2. The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision
relating to all other matters shall be adopted in accordance with the
advisory procedure referred to in Article 8(3).
Article 8
Committee
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee.2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of
Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions ofArticle 8 thereof.
The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be
set at two months.
3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 3 and 7 of
Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions ofArticle 8 thereof.
4. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 9
Cooperation with other programme committees and information on
other Community initiatives
1. The Committee shall establish regular and structured cooperation
with the Committee set upwithin the framework of the Leonardo da
Vinci action programme for the implementation of a Community voca-tional training policy as well as with the Committee set up within theframework of the Youth Community action programme.
2. To ensure the consistency of this programme with other measures
referred to in Article 11, the Commission shall keepthe Committeeregularly informed about Community initiatives taken in the fields ofeducation, training and youth, including cooperation with third coun-
tries and international organisations.
Article 10
Funding
1. The financial framework for the implementation of this
programme for the period specified in Article 1 is hereby set atEUR 1 850 million.
2. The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the budgetary
authority within the limits of the financial perspective.
Article 11
Consistency and complementarity
1. The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member States,
ensure overall consistency and complementarity with other relevant
Community policies, instruments and actions. The programme shallcontribute to achieving the aims of Community policy in the areas ofequality, equal opportunities for women and men and promotion ofsocial inclusion.
The Commission shall ensure an efficient link-upbetween this
programme and the programmes and actions in the area of education2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 7
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undertaken within the framework of the Community's cooperation with
third countries and the competent international organisations.
2. In implementing the measures of this programme, the Commis-
sion and the Member States shall have regard to the priorities set out
in the employment guidelines adopted by the Council, as part of a
coordinated employment strategy.
Article 12
Participation of the EFTA/EEA countries, the associated central
and eastern European countries (CEEC), Cyprus, Malta and
Turkey
This programme shall be open to the participation of
— the EFTA/EEA countries in accordance with the conditions estab-
lished in the EEA agreement,
— the associated central and eastern European countries (CEEC) in
accordance with the conditions established in the Europe agree-
ments, in their additional protocols and in the decisions of therespective Association Councils,
— Cyprus, funded by additional appropriations in accordance with
procedures to be agreed with that country,
— Malta and Turkey, funded by additional appropriations in accor-
dance with the provisions of the Treaty.
Article 13
International cooperation
Under this programme, and in accordance with the procedure laid down
in Article 8(2), the Commission may cooperate with third countries andwith the competent international organisations, in particular the Councilof Europe.
Article 14
Monitoring and evaluation
1. The Commission shall regularly monitor this programme in coop-
eration with the Member States. The results of the monitoring andevaluation process should be utilised when implementing theprogramme.
This monitoring shall include the reports referred to in paragraph 3 and
specific activities.
2. This programme shall be evaluated regularly by the Commission
in cooperation with the Member States. This evaluation is intended toassess the relevance, effectiveness and impact of actions implemented
with regard to the objectives referred to in Article 2. It will also look
at the impact of the programme as a whole.
This evaluation will also examine the complementarity between action
under this programme and that pursued under other relevant Commu-nity policies, instruments and actions.
In accordance with criteria established using the procedure described in
Article 8(2), there will be regular independent external evaluations ofthis programme.
3. Member States shall submit to the Commission by 31 December
2003 and 30 June 2007, respectively, reports on the implementationand the impact of this programme.
4. The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament, the
Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of
the Regions:
— on the accession of new Member States, a report on the financial
consequences of these accessions on the programme, followed, ifappropriate, by financial proposals to deal with the financial conse-quences of these accessions on the programme, in accordance with2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 8
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the provisions of the interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999
between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commissionon budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary proce-
dure and with the conclusions of the Berlin European Council of
March 1999. The European Parliament and the Council will take adecision on such proposals as soon as possible,
— an interim evaluation report on the results achieved and on the
qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of thisprogramme by 30 June 2004,
— a communication on the continuation of this programme by 31
December 2006,
—a nex postevaluation report by 31 December 2007.
Article 15
Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the
Official Journal of the European Communities .2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 9
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ANNEX
I.INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. The objectives laid down in Article 2 are to be implemented by means of the
actions set out in this Annex on the basis of the Community measures
described in Article 3.
2. The provisions relating to the timetable, the conditions for the submission of
applications and the eligibility and selection criteria are to be determined in
accordance with Article 8(2) and published regularly by the Commission in
the ‘Socrates Guidelines for Applicants’. In addition calls for proposals will
be published, specifying all deadlines for the submission of proposals.
3. In the context of activities involving the mobility of persons, adequate
linguistic preparation should be provided in order to ensure that the benefici-
aries possess the necessary competence in the language(s) of instruction in
the host establishment. Appropriate organisational arrangements should be
made at the home and host establishments in order to ensure that maximum
benefit is derived from the mobility activity in question.
4. The projects coordinated by universities under the various actions of the
programme should form part of the ‘institutional contract’ of the institutions
concerned provided for in Action 2.
5. Supporting measures may be taken to promote access and participation by
persons with special educational needs. Where appropriate, positive actions
may be taken in order to promote equal opportunities for women and men.
Activities giving special emphasis to intercultural aspects or to promoting
competence in other languages, in particular the less widely used and less
taught languages of the Community, are to be particularly encouraged. The
promotion of all types of open and distance learning, as well as the appro-
priate use of information and communication technology, is to be
encouraged across all actions of the programme. Under all actions of the
programme, particular attention will be paid to the dissemination of results.
II.COMMUNITY ACTIONS
This Annex contains two main types of actions:
— the first type, Actions 1 to 3, is aimed at the three basic stages of life-long
education (school, university, other);
— the second type, Actions 4 to 8, concerns transversal measures in fields such
as languages, information and communication technology (ICT) for educa-
tional purposes, including in particular educational multimedia and the
exchange of information, as well as matters of horizontal interest such as
innovation, the dissemination of results, joint actions and the evaluation of
the programme.
ACTION 1: ‘COMENIUS’: SCHOOL EDUCATIONAction 1.1 School partnerships
Action 1.2 Initial and in-service training of staff involved in
school education
Action 1.3 Networks related to school partnerships and the
training of staff involved in school education
ACTION 2: ‘ERASMUS’: HIGHER EDUCATION
Action 2.1 European interuniversity cooperation
Action 2.2 Mobility of students and university teachers
Action 2.3 Thematic networks
ACTION 3: ‘GRUNDTVIG’: ADULT EDUCATION AND OTHER
EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS
ACTION 4: ‘LINGUA’: TEACHING AND LEARNING OF
LANGUAGES
ACTION 5: ‘MINERVA’: OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING,
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECH-
NOLOGIES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION
ACTION 6: OBSERVATION AND INNOVATIONAction 6.1: Observation of education systems, policies and inno-
vation
Action 6.2: Innovatory initiatives responding to emerging needs2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 10
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ACTION 7: JOINT ACTIONS
ACTION 8: ACCOMPANYING MEASURES
ACTION 1: ‘COMENIUS’: SCHOOL EDUCATION
Comenius seeks to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of
school education, in particular by encouraging transnational cooperation
between schools and contributing to improved professional development of staff
directly involved in the school education sector, and to promote the learning of
languages and intercultural awareness.
Action 1.1: School partnerships
1. The Community encourages the creation of multilateral partnerships between
schools. Such partnerships may also involve other appropriate bodies, such
as teacher training establishments, local institutions and authorities, busi-
nesses or cultural establishments as well as parents', pupils' and other
relevant organisations.
2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:
(a) projects which focus on one or more topics of common interest to the
participating schools, involving:
— the participation of pupils in project preparation and project activ-
ities, including project-related mobility where appropriate,
— the mobility of teachers to prepare and monitor a project or to teach
in another Member State, including in-company placements,
— the development of teaching material and the exchange of good prac-
tice;
(b) projects aimed specifically at teaching and learning the official
languages of the Community, together with Irish (one of the languages
in which the Treaties establishing the European Communities are drawn
up) and Lëtzeburgesch (a language spoken throughout the territory of
Luxembourg), including in frontier regions of the Member States, the
official languages of the Community in neighbouring regions of other
Member States. The projects may be bilateral, especially where they
target one of the less widely used or less widely taught of these
languages and should include exchanges of pupils in addition to the
activities referred to in point (a);
(c) projects aimed at promoting intercultural awareness and in particular
those designed to helpcombat racism and xenop hobia or to address the
specific needs of the children of migrant workers, gypsies and travellers
and occupational travellers;
(d) projects addressing issues related to pupils with special educational
needs, with particular attention to the integration of such pupils into
mainstream schooling.
3. Schools wishing to take part in this action shall submit a brief outline
description of the activities which they plan to carry out during the coming
school year within the framework of this programme (‘Comenius Plan’). The
Comenius Plan shall enable the Socrates national agencies to take into
account the overall development of European activities of the respective
school when carrying out the selection under this action.
Action 1.2: Initial and in-service training of staff involved in school educa-
tion
1. The Community is to support multilateral projects undertaken by establish-
ments and bodies active in the initial or in-service training of staff directly
involved in school education. The participation of schools and other playersinvolved in the field of education described in Article 4 of the Decision is to
be encouraged, as is the involvement of supervisory bodies at regional and
local level, where appropriate.
2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:
Mobility actions:
(a) mobility undertaken for the purpose of initial training, including prac-
tical training periods, language assistantships and in-company
placements;
(b) mobility undertaken for the purpose of in-service training and updating
the skills of trained school education staff;
(c) mobility of limited duration, including immersion courses, for language
teachers, staff retraining as language teachers, qualified teachers
intending soon to return to employment as language teachers, and2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 11
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teaching staff of other disciplines required or wishing to teach in a
foreign language;
Multilateral cooperation projects concerning:
(d) contributions to the development of curricula, courses, modules or
teaching material in the context of reinforcing the European dimension
of school education;
(e) training activities and information exchange concerning school manage-
ment and related services such as guidance and counselling;
(f) education and training activities and information exchange designed to
enhance intercultural awareness in school education or to promote the
integration and improved educational achievement of children of migrant
workers, gypsies and travellers and occupational travellers;
(g) activities concerning the training and development of staff involved in
the education of pupils at risk and of pupils with special educational
needs.
Action 1.3: Networks related to school partnerships and the training of
staff involved in school education
The Community is to promote the networking of school partnerships and of
projects concerned with the training of staff involved in school education,
supported within Actions 1.1 and 1.2 respectively, to enable cooperation to
take place on subjects of mutual interest, the dissemination of results and good
practice and discussion of qualitative and innovatory aspects of school educa-
tion. The staff training networks are to be developed, where appropriate, in
close cooperation with the university ‘thematic networks’ provided for in the
Erasmus action.
ACTION 2: ‘ERASMUS’: HIGHER EDUCATION
Erasmus seeks to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of
higher education, to encourage transnational cooperation between universities, to
boost European mobility in the higher education sector and to improve transpar-
ency and academic recognition of studies and qualifications throughout the
Community.
Participating universities conclude ‘institutional contracts’ with the Commission
covering all the Erasmus activities approved. Such contracts will normally be of
three years' duration and will be renewable.
Action 2.1: European interuniversity cooperation
1. The Community supports interuniversity cooperation activities including the
development of innovative projects, carried out by universities in conjunc-
tion with partners in other Member States, with the participation, where
appropriate, of other players involved in education, as described in Article
4 of the Decision.
2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:
(a) the organisation of mobility of students and university teachers;
(b) joint development and implementation of curricula, modules, intensive
courses or other educational activities, including multidisciplinary activ-
ities and the teaching of subjects in other languages;
(c) consolidation, extension and further development of the European credit
transfer system (ECTS), which is designed to facilitate academic recog-
nition in other Member States.
Action 2.2: Mobility of students and university teachers
1. The Community supports transnational mobility activities concerning:
(a) students, in accordance with point 2;
(b) university teachers, for the purpose of carrying out teaching assignments
likely to enhance the European dimension or extend the range of courses
offered by the universities concerned.
2. Students who, after completing at least their first year of studies, spend three
to 12 months in another Member State within the framework of this Action,
will be considered ‘Erasmus students’, regardless whether they have been
awarded financial support in accordance with point 3. Such periods are fully
recognised under the interuniversity agreements forming part of the institu-
tional contracts and may include integrated in-company placements where
appropriate. The host universities will not charge tuition fees to Erasmus
students. Students with special needs will be given particular attention.2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 12
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3. Community financial assistance may be awarded for:
— the mobility of students. The Member States may, in awarding Commu-
nity grants, take appropriate account of the economic situation of
applicants. As the Community's contribution covers only part of the
cost of students' mobility, Member States are invited to helpp rovide
the necessary funds. In this connection, grants or loans available to
students in the Member State of origin shall continue to be paid during
the period of study in a host Member State;
— the mobility of university teachers;
— preparatory measures, in accordance with Section IV B, point 4.
Action 2.3: Thematic networks
The Community promotes the development and consolidation of thematic
networks, each enabling a large grouping of universities to cooperate on topics
relating to one or more disciplines or on other matters of mutual interest in
order to disseminate innovation, facilitate the spread of good practice, encourage
discussion of qualitative and innovative aspects of higher education, improve
teaching methods and stimulate the development of joint programmes and
specialised courses. The involvement of representatives of learned societies,
professional associations and socioeconomic circles is to be encouraged. Special
attention will be paid to the dissemination of results.
ACTION 3: ‘GRUNDTVIG’: ADULT EDUCATION AND OTHER EDUCA-
TIONAL PATHWAYS
1. As a complement to Action 1 (school education) and Action 2 (higher
education), Grundtvig seeks to encourage the European dimension of life-
long learning, to contribute — through enhanced transnational cooperation
— to innovation and improved availability, accessibility and quality of other
educational pathways, and to promote the learning of languages. The action
is thus addressed to people who, at whatever stage of their life, seek access
to knowledge and competences within the framework of formal or non-
formal education or by means of autonomous learning, thereby increasing
their intercultural awareness and employability and enhancing their capacity
to progress in education and play a full and active role in society.
2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for transnational projects
and initiatives seeking to promote:
(a) adults' individual demand for and their participation in life-long learning
activities;
(b) acquisition or updating of competences for persons lacking basic educa-
tion and qualifications;
(c) the development, exchange and dissemination of innovative educational
approaches and good practice, including the development and dissemina-
tion of modules and appropriate teaching material;
(d) the development of information and support services for adult learners
and for providers of adult education, including services related to
guidance and counselling;
(e) the development of tools and methods for the assessment, validation or
certification of the knowledge, skills and competences acquired by adult
learners, including by means of experiential or autonomous learning or
through non-formal education;
(f) improved competence in other Community languages or enhanced inter-
national awareness among adult learners and those involved in the
provision of adult education;
(g) the development of initial or in-service training for educational staff
working in this sector;
(h) visits and exchanges, for persons including those providing adult educa-
tion or the training of adult educators;
(i) projects addressing adult learners with special educational needs.
3. The Community encourages the creation of European networks to strengthen
the links between the various parties involved in this area to enable them to
cooperate on a more stable basis on matters of common interest, and to
enhance their awareness of the European dimension of education.
ACTION 4: ‘LINGUA’: TEACHING AND LEARNING OF LANGUAGES
1. The aim of the Lingua action is to support transversal measures relating to
the learning of languages, with a view to helping to promote and maintain
linguistic diversity within the Community, to improve the quality of
language teaching and learning and to facilitate access to life-long language
learning opportunities tailored to individual requirements. Particular atten-2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 13
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tion is to be given to intensifying transnational contacts in the language
teaching profession and among those responsible for language teaching poli-
cies throughout the Community in all educational sectors. In this way,
Lingua both complements and enriches measures related to the promotion
of language-learning under other actions of this programme, in particular
Actions 1, 2 and 3.
2. In this context, language teaching covers the teaching and learning as
foreign languages of all the official languages of the Community, together
with Irish (one of the languages in which the Treaties establishing the
European Communities are drawn up) and Lëtzeburgesch (a language
spoken throughout the territory of Luxembourg). Special attention shall be
paid throughout the programme to promoting the less widely used and less
widely taught of these languages.
3. Community financial assistance may be awarded to the following transna-
tional language-learning projects and activities:
(a) awareness-raising activities designed to draw attention to the importance
of language-learning and the availability of language-learning opportu-
nities;
(b) activities seeking to promote and/or spread innovations and good prac-
tice, such as the early learning of languages or multilingual
comprehension;
(c) the development and exchange of curricula, production of new teaching
material and improvement of methods and tools for the recognition of
language competence;
(d) exchange of information and transnational networking of resource
centres;
(e) the development of measures to promote competence in foreign
languages as required in specific situations and contexts, and insofar as
these are not related to specific professions;
(f) addressing issues related to the teaching and learning of languages
arising from further enlargement of the Community.
ACTION 5: ‘MINERVA’ OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING, INFORMA-
TION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE FIELD OF
EDUCATION
1. The aim of this action is to support transversal measures relating to open and
distance learning (ODL) and the use of information and communication
technologies (ICT), including multimedia, in the field of education. In so
doing, it complements and enriches the corresponding measures provided
for within the other actions of this programme.
These measures serve a triple purpose:
— to promote improved understanding among teachers, learners, educa-
tional decision-makers and the public at large of the implications of
ODL and, in particular ICT for education, and the critical, responsible
use of tools and methods which utilise such technologies for educational
purposes,
— to support awareness of the need to ensure that pedagogical considera-
tions are given proper weight in the development of ICT-based
educational products, notably multimedia, and
— to promote access to improved methods and educational resources and to
results achieved, in particular through transnational exchange of informa-
tion, experience and good practice.
2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:
(a) projects and studies aimed at helping those involved in education to
understand and exploit the innovative processes under way, in particular
those relating to the use of ICT in teaching and learning, the develop-
ment of innovative instruments and approaches, and methods for
establishing criteria for quality assessment of ICT-based educational
products and services;
(b) projects to develop and test new methods, modules and resources for
ODL and ICT;
(c) projects for the development and interconnection of services and systems
providing information for teachers, decision-makers and other actors
involved in education on educational methods and resources which
utilise ODL and ICT;2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 14
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(d) activities to support the exchange of ideas and experience relating to
ODL and the use of ICT in education, in particular the networking of
resource centres, teacher training institutions, experts, decision-makers
and project coordinators on subjects of common interest.
ACTION 6: OBSERVATION AND INNOVATION
This action contributes to improving the quality and transparency of education
systems and furthering the process of educational innovation in Europe through
the exchange of information and experience, the identification of good practice,
the comparative analysis of systems and policies in this field, and the discussion
and analysis of matters of common educational policy interest to be determined
by the Council.
Action 6.1: Observation of education systems, policies and innovation
1. Making optimal use of existing structures wherever possible, this action
consists of the following:
(a) collection of descriptive and statistical data, and comparative analysis of
educational systems and policies in the Member States;
(b) development of methods for evaluating the quality of education,
including the development of appropriate criteria and indicators;
(c) development and updating of databases and other information resources
on innovatory experiments;
(d) dissemination of experience resulting from relevant activities supported
at Community and Member State level;
(e) facilitation of the recognition of diplomas, qualifications and periods of
learning at all educational levels in other Member States.
2. To this end, Community financial assistance may be awarded for:
(a) the information network on education in Europe, ‘Eurydice’, comprising
the Europ ean Unit set upby the Commission and units set upby the
Member States to enable it to make a full contribution to the implemen-
tation of this action. The network will in particular be called upon to
collect and exchange information on education systems and policies, to
develop data bases, to produce comparative studies and to draw up indi-
cators. Eurydice will seek, when necessary, relevant support from
external experts;
(b) the organisation of and participation in ‘Arion’ multilateral study visits
for decision-makers and senior managers of educational institutions in
any sector of education, designed to facilitate exchanges of information
and experience on subjects of mutual interest to the Member States. The
Commission and Member States will ensure appropriate dissemination
of the results of the visits and promote their interactivity with other
actions within this programme;
(c) networking of institutes and other appropriately qualified bodies engaged
in analysing educational systems and policies, as well as of the bodies
involved in the evaluation of educational quality;
(d) studies, analyses, pilot projects, seminars, exchanges of experts and
other appropriate actions relating to matters of common educational
policy interest bringing together decision-makers on the priority themes
to be determined by the Council. The Commission may call upon the
services of a groupof exp erts to assist it in ensuring the reliability of
the analytical work carried out within the framework of these activities.
The arrangements for establishing the groupwill be determined in accor-
dance with Article 8(2) of the Decision;
(e) activities designed to promote the recognition of diplomas, qualifications
and periods of learning, notably studies, analyses, pilot projects and the
exchange of information and experience. The Community network of
national academic recognition information centres (NARIC) will make
a full contribution in this regard. In particular, it will collect and disse-
minate authenticated information which is necessary for the purpose of
academic recognition, also bearing in mind synergies with the profes-
sional recognition of diplomas.
3. In implementing this action, close cooperation will be ensured in particular
with the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), the
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop),
the European Training Foundation (ETF) and appropriate international orga-
nisations, notably the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 15
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Action 6.2: Innovatory initiatives responding to emerging needs
In addition to the cooperation activities provided for in the other actions of the
present programme, the Community may support transnational projects and
studies aimed at helping to develop innovations in one or more specific sectors
of education. The subjects to be given priority are to be determined by the
Council and reviewed regularly to enable adaptation to the new requirements
which emerge during the period covered by this programme.
ACTION 7: JOINT ACTIONS
1. In accordance with Article 6 of the Decision, Community support may be
provided within the framework of this programme for Joint Actions with
other Community programmes and actions promoting a Europe of knowl-
edge, in particular the Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes.
2. Such joint actions may be carried out by common calls for proposals on
selected themes of common interest which are not exclusively covered by
any single programme concerned, to be determined in accordance with
Article 8(2), of the Decision and agreed with the committees of the other
programmes and actions involved.
3. Appropriate steps will be taken to promote regional and local contact and
interaction between the players taking part in this programme and in the
Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes.
ACTION 8: ACCOMPANYING MEASURES
1. Community financial assistance may be awarded to the following initiatives
aimed at promoting the objectives of this programme, provided that such
initiatives are not eligible for assistance under other actions of the
programme:
(a) awareness-raising activities to promote cooperation in the field of educa-
tion, including support for appropriate competitions and other events
designed to enhance the European dimension of education;
(b) transnational activities carried out by associations and other non-govern-
mental bodies active in the field of education, as well as bodies
concerned with educational guidance and counselling;
(c) conferences and symposia on innovations in the sectors targeted by the
programme;
(d) activities aimed at training persons involved in the management of
European cooperation projects in the field of education;
(e) measures to optimise and disseminate the results of projects and activ-
ities carried out with the support of this programme or its previous
phase;
(f) activities involving cooperation with third countries and with the compe-
tent international organisations, in particular the Council of Europe, in
accordance with Article 13 of the Decision.
2. Community financial assistance will be provided to support the activities of
the Socrates national agencies set upby the Member States in accordance
with Article 5 of the Decision, and to ensure the effective monitoring and
evaluation of this programme.
3. In carrying out the programme, the Commission may have recourse to
experts and to technical assistance organisations, the financing of which
may be provided for within the overall financial framework for the
programme. Furthermore, the Commission may organise such seminars,
colloquia or other meetings of experts as are likely to facilitate the imple-
mentation of the programme, and undertake appropriate information,
publication and dissemination actions.
III.SELECTION PROCEDURES
Procedures for the proposal and selection of the activities referred to in this
Annex are as follows:
1.Decentralised actions
The following actions, under which the selection decisions are taken by the
Member States, are to be considered ‘decentralised’:
(a) — Action 1.1 (School partnerships)
— Action 1.2, point 2(a), (b), (c) (Mobility actions within training part-
nerships for school educational staff)2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 16
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— Action 3, point 2(h) (Visits and exchanges in adult education)
— Action 6.1, point 2(b) (Arion study visits)
— preparatory visits under all actions.
Requests for financial assistance submitted under these actions are to be
submitted to the Socrates national agencies designated by the Member
States in accordance with Article 5 of the Decision. The Member States,
with the assistance of the Socrates national agencies, will carry out the
selection and allocate financial assistance to the applicants selected in
accordance with general guidelines to be established under Article 8(2)
of the Decision.
(b) Action 2.2, point 3 (Mobility of students and university teachers)
The awarding of the financial assistance to students and university
teachers for mobility assignments within the institutional contracts
mentioned in Action 2.1 and for the organisation of the mobility of
students and university teachers will be carried out by Member States
with the assistance of the Socrates national agencies designated pursuant
to Article 5 of the Decision, taking into account the past performance of
the universities concerned, in accordance with general guidelines to be
established under Article 8(2) of the Decision.
2.Centralised actions
The following actions, under which the selection decisions are taken by the
Commission, are to be considered ‘centralised’:
(a) — Action 1.2, point 2(d), (e), (f), (g) (Multilateral cooperation activities)
— Action 3, point 2(a) to (g) and (i) (Multilateral cooperation activities)
— Action 4 (Lingua)— Action 5 (Minerva)— Action 6.2 (Innovatory initiatives).
For the selection of projects under these actions, the following procedure
will apply:
(i) project coordinators will submit a project proposal to the Commis-
sion and send a copy to the Socrates national agency designated by
the respective Member State;
(ii) the Commission, with the assistance of independent experts will
assess the project proposals. National agencies may provide the
Commission with their assessment of these proposals;
(iii) in cases where the Commission's assessment is at variance with the
assessment received from the national agency in the coordinating
country concerning the quality or appropriateness of the project,
the Commission shall, upon request of the Member State, consult
with the Member State concerned. The duration of this consultation
process shall not exceed two weeks;
(iv) the Commission will submit to the committee a proposal on the
final selection (projects to be supported and amounts to be awarded)
in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 8(2) of the Deci-
sion;
(v) after receiving the opinion of the committee, the Commission will
establish the list of selected projects and allocate the amounts to be
awarded.
In certain cases, owing in particular to the scale and nature of the activ-
ities in question, a two-phase procedure may be adopted. In such cases,
the procedure set out above is preceded by the submission and selection
of pre-proposals. The decision in this regard and the arrangements for the
pre-selection will be determined in accordance with Article 8(2) of the
Decision.
(b) — Action 1.3 (Networks related to school partnerships and the training
of staff involved in school education)
— Action 2.1 (European inter-university cooperation)— Action 2.3 (Erasmus thematic networks)— Action 3.3 (Networks in adult education)
— Action 6.1, points 2(a), (c), (d), (e) (Observation)
— Action 8 (Accompanying Measures)
Project proposals under these actions will be submitted to the Commission.
The Commission, in the case of Actions 1.3, 2.3 and 3.3 with the assistance
of independent experts, will assess the project proposals. Decisions on the
project proposals will be taken by the Commission after receiving the
opinion of the committee in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision.
The two-phase procedure referred to in the final paragraph of Section III.2(a)
will apply to Actions 1.3, 2.3 and 3.3 under the same conditions as set out in
that paragraph.2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 17
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3.Joint actions
Procedures for selection under Action 7 of the programme (Joint Actions)
will be determined in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision. Where
appropriate, the procedures set out above may be adapted in order to meet
the special requirements of the Joint Actions in question. The Commission
will make every effort to ensure optimal coordination between these proce-
dures and those adopted within the other Community programmes or actions
with which the Joint Actions in question are implemented.
4. The Commission, assisted by the Member States, will endeavour to ensure
that the selection decisions are made known to applicants at the latest five
months after the closing date for submission of applications under the action
in question. For projects selected in accordance with the two-phase procedure
provided for under point 2(a) and (b), this will only refer to the second stage
of the selection (full project proposal).
5. The Commission and, in the case of decentralised actions, the Member States
will seek to ensure optimal coordination between the procedures and dead-
lines for submitting and selecting applications for support within this
programme and the Community programmes in the fields of vocational
training and youth respectively.
IV.FINANCIAL PROVISIONS
A.Decentralised actions
1. The Community funds intended to provide financial support under the
actions identified as decentralised in Section III, point l, are to be allo-
cated among the Member States in accordance with the following
formulae:
(a) a minimum amount to be determined in accordance with budgetary
availability for the action concerned will be allocated to each
Member State;
(b) the remainder will be allocated to the various Member States on the
basis of:
(i) the difference in the cost of living between the Member State of
origin and the host Member State;
(ii) the distance and cost of travel between the Member State of
origin and the host Member State to be calculated taking into
account the lowest travel price for the journey concerned;
(iii) the country's total number of:
— pupils and teachers in school education for Action 1.1
(School partnerships) and Action 1.2 point 2(a), (b), (c)
(Mobility actions within training partnerships for school
education staff);
— students in higher education for Action 2.2, point 3 (Mobility
of students). The number of graduates should be limited in
its scope as a subsidiary and complementary factor to be
determined in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decisionto qualify, where appropriate, the allocation to the Member
States;
— university teachers for Action 2.2 point 3 (Mobility of
university teachers).
2. The Community funds thus distributed are to be administered by the
Member States with the assistance of the Socrates national agencies
provided for in Article 5 of the Decision.
3. The Commission, acting in cooperation with the Member States, will take
the necessary measures to encourage balanced participation at Commu-
nity, national and, where appropriate, regional level, and, in the case of
higher education, across the various fields of study. The proportion allo-
cated to these measures must not exceed 5 % of the annual budget for
financing each of the Actions in question.
4. The arrangements for the allocation of funds to each Member State for
the mobility activities provided for in Action 3, point 2(h) (Adult educa-
tion visits and exchanges) and 6.1, point 2, second indent (Arion), for the
organisation of the mobility of students and university teachers in accor-
dance with Section III. l.(b), for the support of preparatory visits and for
the preparatory measures referred to in Section IV, point B.4 will be
decided upon by the Commission after receiving the opinion of the
committee in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision.2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 18
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B.Other provisions
1. Having due regard to the quality and quantity of applications for financial
support, the following guidelines will be taken into account when allo-
cating resources in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision:
(a) the resources to be committed under Action 1 (Comenius) will not be
less than 27 % of the total budget available for this programme;
(b) the resources to be committed under Action 2 (Erasmus) will not be
less than 51 % of the total budget available for this programme;
(c) the resources to be committed under Action 3 (Grundtvig) will not be
less than 7 % of the total budget available for this programme;
(d) the resources to be committed for financial assistance for the Socrates
national agencies under Action 8.2 and for technical assistance under
Action 8.3 will not exceed 4,5 % of the total annual budget available
for this programme.
The above percentages are indicative and may be adapted in accordance
with Article 8(2) of the Decision.
2.►M1As a general rule, Community financial assistance granted for
projects under this programme is intended partially to offset the estimated
cost necessary to carry out the activities concerned and may cover a
maximum period of three years, subject to a periodic review of progress
achieved. In accordance with the cofinancing principle, the beneficiary's
contribution may take the form of the provision of the personnel and/or
infrastructure necessary for the realisation of the project. Assistance may
be granted in advance to enable preparatory visits to take place in respect
of the projects in question. ◄
The amount to be made available in the annual budget of the programme
for activities under Action 8.1 (f) shall not exceed EUR 250000.
3. The specific situation of persons with special needs will be taken into
account when determining the amount of Community financial assistance
to be awarded.
4. With regard to activities involving the mobility of persons, Community
financial assistance may be awarded to help ensure adequate preparation
for the period to be spent in another Member State. Such preparatory
measures may include in particular language courses, information on
social and cultural aspects of the host Member State, etc.
V.DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this Decision:
1. ‘company’ means all companies in the public or private sector whatever
their size, legal status or the economic sector in which they operate, and
all types of economic activities, including the social economy;
2. ‘decision-makers’ means any category of staff with managerial, assessment,
training, guidance and inspection duties in the field of education and
persons responsible for this area at local, regional and national level and
within ministries;
3. ‘guidance and counselling’ means a range of activities such as information,
assessment, orientation and advice to assist learners to make choices
relating to education and training programmes or employment opportunities;
4. ‘life-long learning’ means the education and training opportunities offered
to individuals throughout their lives to enable them continually to acquire,
update and adapt their knowledge, skills and competences;
5. ‘open and distance learning’ means any form of flexible education, whether
or not involving the use of information and communication technologies;
6. ‘project’ means transnational cooperation activity developed jointly by a
formal or informal grouping of organisations or institutions;
7. ‘pupil’ means persons enrolled in that capacity at a ‘school’ as defined in
this Annex;
8. ‘resource centre’ means a body engaged in the production, collection or
dissemination of documentation, materials or methodologies relating to a
sector of activity addressed by this programme, such as languages or infor-
mation and communication technologies related to education;
9. ‘school’ means all types of institutions providing general (nursery, primary
or secondary), vocational or technical education and, exceptionally, in the
case of measures to promote language learning, non-school institutions
providing apprenticeship training;2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 19
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10. ‘social partners’ means, at national level, employers' and workers' organisa-
tions in conformity with national laws and/or practices and, at Community
level, employers' and workers' organisations taking part in the social
dialogue at Community level;
11. ‘student’ means persons registered in ‘universities’ as defined by this
Annex, whatever their field of study, in order to follow higher education
studies leading to a degree or diploma, up to and including the level of
doctorate;
12. ‘teacher/educational staff’ means persons who, through their duties, are
involved directly in the educational process in the Member States, in accor-
dance with the organisation of their respective education system;
13. ‘university’ means any type of higher education institution, according to
national legislation or practice, which offers qualifications or diplomas at
that level, whatever such establishments may be called in the Member
States;
14. ‘university teacher’ means any category of personnel employed in that capa-
city at a ‘university’ as defined in this Annex.2000D0253 — EN — 02.04.2003 — 001.001 — 20