No C 73/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 2.4.86 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Decision adopting the European Community Action Scheme for the 
Mobility of University Students (Erasmus) 
COM(85) 756 final 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 3 January 1986) 
(86/C 73/04) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 128 
thereof, 
Having regard to Council Decision 63/266/EEC of 2 
April 1963 laying down general principles for 
implementing a common vocational training policy ('), 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Par­
liament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas the fundamental objectives of the common 
vocational training policy set down in the second 
principle of Decision 63/266/EEC refer in particular to 
possibilities for a citizen to receive the highest possible 
level of vocational training which is necessary for his 
professional activity and refer also to broadening 
vocational training to meet requirements arising from 
technical progress relating closely the different forms of 
vocational training to social and economic developments; 
Whereas on the basis of the sixth principle of that 
Decision it is the Commission's responsibility to 
encourage direct exchanges of vocational training 
specialists in order to enable them to acquaint themselves 
with and study the achievements and new developments 
in the other countries of the Community; 
Whereas the action programme in the field of education 
contained in the Resolution of the Council and Ministers 
of Education meeting within the Council of 9 February 
1976 (2) enabled the Commission to implement initial 
measures for the promotion of university cooperation in 
the Community; 
O OJ No 63, 20. 4. 1963, p. 1338/63. 
O OJNoC 38, 19. 2. 1976, p. 1. Whereas the Council and Ministers of Education 
meeting within the Council of 2 June 1983 (3) adopted 
conclusions concerning the promotion of mobility in 
higher education which already comprise first initiatives 
for action in fields such as funding for study abroad 
within the Community, academic recognition of 
diplomas and of periods of study, and development of 
university cooperation; 
Whereas the Council and Ministers of Education 
meeting within the Council on 3 June 1985 (4) confirmed 
the importance which they attached to promoting an 
intensification of inter-university cooperation in the 
Community and noted with satisfaction the 
Commission's intention to submit proposals in this 
regard before the end of 1985; 
Whereas measures have been adopted with a view to 
strengthening technological cooperation at Community 
level and providing the necessary human resources for 
this purpose, notably through the action programme of 
the Community in Education and Training for 
Technology — 'Comett' (5); 
Whereas the European Parliament on 13 March 1984 
adopted a Resolution on higher education and the 
development of cooperation between higher education 
establishments (6); 
Whereas the European Parliament on 14 March 1984 
adopted a Resolution on the academic recognition of 
diplomas and of periods of study (7); 
Whereas the European Council at its meeting of 28/29 
June 1985 (8) adopted the report of the ad hoc 
Committee on a People's Europe (9) and mandated the 
Commission and the Council, acting within their 
respective powers, to ensure the implementation of the 
proposals contained therein; 
;3) Council Document 7533/83 (EDUC 57). 
M) Council Document 7179/85 (PV/CONS EDUC 35) and 
Council Document 6859/85 EDUC 29. 
;5) COM(85) 431 final. 
;6) OJ No C 104, 16. 4. 1984, p. 50. 
7) OJ No C 104, 16. 4. 1984, p. 64. 
;8) SI(85) 500. 
;9) SN/2536/3/85. 
2.4. 86 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 73/5 
Whereas the Commission, in following up the People's 
Europe initiative of the European Council, has attached 
the highest priority to university cooperation; 
Whereas in following up the European Council meeting 
in June 1984 the Commission has drawn up a proposal 
for a Council Directive on a general system for the 
recognition of higher education diplomas for pro­
fessional activities which is directly linked to the 
vocational training periods that precede professional 
activities ('); 
Whereas the further development of the European 
Community depends to a large extent on its being able 
to draw on a high number of graduates who have had 
direct experience of studying and living in another 
Member State; 
Whereas the competitiveness of the Community in world 
markets depends on ensuring that the entire intellectual 
resources of the universities in all Member States are 
harnessed to provide top quality levels of training for the 
mutual benefit of the Community as a whole; 
Whereas the intellectual potential of the individual 
universities throughout the Community could be much 
more effectively exploited by providing a network for 
increasing student and university teacher mobility and 
other forms of inter-university cooperation throughout 
the Community; 
Whereas the Conference on Higher Education 
Cooperation in the European Community, convened by 
the Commission at the initiative of the European Par­
liament on 27-29 November 1985, called for urgent and 
comprehensive action to boost support for university 
cooperation and in particular the mobility of students in 
the Community; 
Whereas the 10 years of pilot Community funding have 
generated a significant body of relevant experience in the 
field of practical cooperation between universities, 
thereby providing the basis for the measures set out in 
this Decision; 
Whereas the commitment entered into at Community 
level as regards the stimulation of student mobility also 
involves the Member States, who are called upon to 
make their contribution to the effort which is necessary 
for the objectives of Erasmus to be fulfilled, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
The European Community Action Scheme for the 
Mobility of University Students (Erasmus) is hereby 
adopted, as set out in the Annex. It shall be implemented 
from 1 January 1987. 
(') COM(85) 355 final. Article 2 
In the context of Erasmus, the term 'university' shall be 
used in its general sense to indicate all types of post-
secondary education and training establishments which 
offer, where appropriate within the framework of 
advanced training, qualifications or diplomas of that 
level, whatever such establishments may be called in the 
Member States. 
Article 3 
The objectives of Erasmus shall be as follows: 
(i) to promote broad and intensive cooperation 
between universities in all Member States of the 
Community; 
(ii) to enable an increasing number of students — 
reaching a minimum of 10 % of the total student 
population by 1992 — to acquire initial training by 
spending an integrated period of study in another 
Member State, in order that the Community may 
draw upon an adequate pool of manpower with 
first-hand experience of economic and social aspects 
of other Member States, while ensuring equality of 
opportunity for male and female students as regards 
participation in such mobility; 
(iii) to harness the full intellectual potential of the 
universities in the Community by means of an 
increased mobility of university teaching staff, 
thereby improving the quality of the education and 
training provided by the universities in the 
Community with a view to securing the 
competitiveness of the Community in the world 
market; 
(iv) to strengthen the interaction between citizens in 
different Member States with a view to 
consolidating the concept of a People's Europe; 
(v) to ensure the development of a pool of graduates 
with direct experience of intra-Community 
cooperation, thereby creating the basis upon which 
intensified cooperation in the economic and social 
sectors can develop at Community level. 
Article 4 
In order to achieve the objectives set out in Article 3, 
Community support currently estimated at 175 million 
ECU shall be provided during the period 1987-1989. The 
current estimate of the amount needed in 1987 is 25 
million ECU. 
No C 73/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 2.4.86 
Article 5 
1. The Commission shall implement the Erasmus 
Programme in accordance with the Annex. 
2. In performing this task, the Commission shall be 
assisted by a committee. The committee shall be 
composed of two representatives per Member State, at 
least one of whom shall be drawn from the academic 
community; the members of the committee shall be 
nominated by the Commission on the basis of proposals 
from the Member State concerned; the committee shall 
be chaired by a representative of the Commission. The 
secretariat of the committee shall be provided by the 
Commission. 
3. The Commission may consult the committee on all 
questions concerning the implementation of the 
programme, 
committee on: The Commission shall consult the 
— the general approach concerning the measures 
provided for by the programme, 
— questions of general balance between the various 
types of actions. 4. In seeking the committee's views, the Commission 
may specify the deadlines by which these views shall be 
submitted. 
5. An annual report on the functioning of the Erasmus 
programme shall be submitted by the Commission to the 
Council, the European Parliament, the Advisory 
Committee on Vocational Training and the Education 
Committee. 
6. The Commission shall ensure coherence between 
the Erasmus programme and the other actions already 
scheduled at Community level. 
Article 6 
Erasmus shall be implemented on a permanent basis, 
subject to periodic review. A report on the progress 
achieved during the first three years (1987-1989) shall be 
submitted by the Commission to the Council and to the 
European Parliament not later than 31 December 1990. 
Article 7 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
ANNEX 
To draft Council Decision 
Actions to be undertaken in the Framework of the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility 
of University Students (Erasmus) 
The purpose of Erasmus is to stimulate greater mobility of students between universities in the Community. 
The measures to be introduced to this end will be as follows: 
Action 1: Mobility Support for individual Students: the European Community Student Grants Scheme 
and Intensive Teaching Programmes 
The Community will introduce a scheme for the direct financial support of students 
acquiring initial training by carrying out a period of study in another Member State, 
comprising provision for two types of such support: 
— Partial EC Grants of on average 2 000 ECU to cover all the costs of mobility (5 000 
partial grants will be provided in 1987, 10 000 in 1988 and 25 000 in 1989); 
— Full EC Grants: a limited number of such grants, of an average 5 000 ECU, will be 
provided (500 awards in 1987, 1 000 in 1988 and 2 500 in 1989). 
Both types of Community grants will be administered through appropriate authorities in the 
Member States, each of them being assigned quantitative objectives proportional to the total 
student population in the Member State concerned. 
Grants of 20 000 ECU will be awarded to universities organizing intensive teaching 
programmes of short duration, involving students from several EC countries. 
Action 2: Establishment and Operation of a European University Network 
The Community will introduce a network for university cooperation designed to stimulate 
Community-wide exchanges of students, notably through the medium of Inter-University 
Student Exchange Programmes. Priority will be given to programmes involving an integrated 
and fully recognized period of study in another Member State. The participating universities 
will be provided with grants of 10 000 ECU per year. 
2.4. 86 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 73/7 
Action 3: Measures to improve Academic Recognition of Diplomas and Periods of Study 
The Community will undertake the following actions in order to improve arrangements 
whereby academic recognition is provided for initial training acquired by means of study in 
another Member State: 
Action 3.1: the creation of the European Community Course Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in order to 
provide a means by which students undergoing or having completed initial training may 
receive credit for such training carried out at universities in other Member States. Grants of 
20 000 ECU per year will be awarded to the universities participating in the System; 
Action 3.2: further development of the European Community Network of National Academic Recognition 
Information Centres; grants of 20 000 ECU per year will be awarded to the Centres to faci­
litate exchange of information, in particular by means of a computerized system for data 
exchange; 
Action 3.3: measures to promote joint curriculum development between universities in different Member 
States as a means of facilitating academic recognition and of contributing by means of an 
exchange of experience and expertise to the process of innovation and improvement of 
courses on an EC-wide basis. Grants of on average 20 000 ECU per year will be awarded to 
each project involved. 
Action 4: Complementary Measures to promote Student Mobility in the Community 
Action 4.1: Contacts between University Teachers .in order to increase student mobility while maintaining 
the highest academic standards, measures will be introduced to promote a greater mobility of 
university teaching staff throughout the Community. In particular, support will be provided 
for: 
— University Teacher Exchange Programmes: priority will be given to programmes involving 
a substantial and integrated input into courses at the host institution; 
— European Community Travelling Scholars Programme: top level experts will conduct a 
series of specialized lectures in several different Member States. 
Action 4.2: Information Policy: to provide informational support for Erasmus and to increase mutual 
awareness of university systems in the Community, Erasmus will support: 
— Study Visit Grants to enable teaching staff and university administrators to acquaint 
themselves more thoroughly with the current situation and future trends in other Member 
States in their area of expertise; 
— Support for University Associations, in particular with a view to making innovative 
initiatives in specific fields better known through the Community; 
— Publications designed to enhance awareness of study and teaching opportunities 
elsewhere in the Community, to draw attention to important developments and 
innovative models for university cooperation throughout the European Community; 
— Erasmus Prizes to be awarded to students and staff members who have made an out­
standing contribution to the development of inter-university cooperation within the 
Community.