Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 93/246/EEC of 29 April 1993 adopting the second phase of the trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education (Tempus II) (1994-1998)` (96/C 295/06)

On 1 July 1996 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 198a of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 20 June 1996. The rapporteur was Mr Panero Florez.

At its 337th Plenary Session (meeting of 10 July 1996), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following Opinion by 98 votes to one, with three abstentions.

1. Introduction

1.1. Tempus developed from a request by the European Council held in Strasbourg in December 1989 to the Commission to submit proposals on the measures to be taken in the area of higher education and training in order to support the reforms under way in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

On 7 May 1990, the Council adopted Decision 90/233/EEC establishing the trans-European mobility scheme for university studies (Tempus).

1.2. The overall aims of the scheme are to:

- Improve coordination with respect to university teacher and student exchanges between Community countries and countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

- Help improve training in those countries and strengthen their ties with the EU Member States.

- Promote the teaching of Community languages in those countries and vice versa.

- Make it easier for students in those countries to attend training courses in Community universities or firms.

- Provide similar opportunities for students in Community Member States.

- Promote student and teacher exchanges.

1.3. Under Article 1 of the Decision providing for a pilot phase of three years and of Article 11, the Commission submitted a proposal for a Council Decision adopting the second phase of the trans-European cooperation programme on higher education (Tempus II).

1.4. The proposal was submitted to the Economic and Social Committee for its opinion, which was unanimously approved by the Committee's plenary session of 27 January 1993 ().

1.5. Below is a summary of the main comments issued by the Committee in its Opinion:

1.5.1. General comments The Committee:

- Supports the programme's extension to include the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.

- Recognizes the importance of focusing on Joint European Projects.

- Recognizes the importance of the programme's 'bottom-up` approach and the need to tie it in with clear national strategies.

- Draws attention to the need for closer coordination between eligible countries and the Commission.

- Recognises the need to promote the publication of an inter-service 'Vademecum` for Tempus.

- Promotes cooperation between the social partners in project preparation and evaluation.

- Recommends the establishment of a joint liaison committee comprising representatives of the ESC and the eligible countries.

- Welcomes the involvement of enterprise in the programme and recommends that enterprise and the social partners further strengthen that involvement.

1.5.2. Specific comments The Committee - Calls for a clearer definition of priorities and a process, based on such priorities, to filter applications.

- Calls for a broader linguistic balance in the acceptance criteria.

- Recommends that high-quality applications, now being turned down for purely budgetary reasons, should automatically be included in the subsequent application round.

- Urges eligible States to provide a clear definition of their restructuring objectives, manpower needs and the development of corresponding skills and to encourage greater involvement by industry and the social partners.

- Calls for greater involvement by industry in Tempus II than in Tempus I and a closer match between basic research and job market requirements.

- Recommends that the Commission's Advisory Committee should include representatives from industry.

- Calls for coordination between the Tempus, Comett and Erasmus national offices, thereby simplifying the process of setting up new JEPs.

- Stresses the need to facilitate access of all potential participants to the programme by providing clear, comprehensive information on the opportunities offered.

1.6. On 29 April 1993, the Council approved the Decision adopting the second phase of the trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education (Tempus II) covering 1994-1998 (Decision 93/246/EEC) ().

1.7. The programme's overall objectives are to:

- Promote the development of higher education systems in the countries involved in the Phare and Tacis programmes.

- Assist in curriculum development in those countries.

- Assist in university structural reform and management.

- Assist in the development of skill-related advanced training.

1.8. Article 11 of the above Decision requires the Commission to submit an interim report including the results of the programme evaluation, before 30 April 1996 and, where appropriate, a proposal for the continuation or adaptation of Tempus II for the period beginning 1 July 1998.

1.9. The report and proposal were submitted on 8 May last in documents COM(96) 197 final and COM (96) 198 final, at which time the Council asked the Economic and Social Committee to issue an Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision 93/246/EEC of 29 April 1993 adopting the second phase of the trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education.

2. Evaluation of the steps leading up to the proposal for a Decision

2.1. The programme may be said to have had a positive impact in that the gap between the academic world in the Member States and the eligible countries has narrowed significantly. The programme's promotion of the educational reforms called for by the universities and the labour market and its support for the structural and management changes required under such reforms are clear indications that it has effectively been adjusted.

2.2. Although the associated countries' demands still cover a wide range of subjects, they focus mainly on two lines of action: socio-economic reforms and the deepening and consolidation of democracy. In this respect, their efforts to narrow the gap with the EU Member States are commendable.

2.3. Tempus has shifted its focus from matters of basic interest to departments or faculties, with little involvement on the part of the university institutions as a whole, and opened the way for a more integrated 'top-down` approach to developing projects to resolve all the problems facing the beneficiary countries' higher education systems.

2.4. The firms participating in the projects appear to be taking a more active role. One of the aims of university teaching is to prepare students as well as possible to enter the labour market which has requirements that the education system must meet.

2.5. The comments in the ESC Opinion issued prior to the approval of the programme's second phase were only partly taken into account in the adopted Decision. Under the socio-economic reforms in the Phare and Tacis programme beneficiary countries, professional people providing services to public and private sector undertakings should be appropriately qualified and able to meet market requirements. The social partners and industry are best qualified to know exactly what training the labour market requires.

2.6. The pre-occasion stage, in which some of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are now involved, requires public sector employees to be brought up-to-date on Community laws. The public sector bodies of those countries should, through a reformed higher education system, adapted to meet future requirements, provide training to enable their staff to cope with their responsibilities in the medium term. In this connection, we should not forget that directives apply to industries and to the productive processes in which they are involved, which is why they will have to adjust within the time limit for meeting accession requirements. Industry and the social partners in general can and must make a significant contribution to Tempus. Their participation in the programme is therefore vital.

3. Proposal

The proposal to amend Decision 93/246/EEC suggests in broad terms:

3.1. To promote higher education and training as key sectors in the economic and social reform process, in agreement with the Phare and Tacis programme beneficiary countries. Within those programmes, Tempus will ensure continued support for the reform of these countries' education and training systems.

3.2. To include higher education and training in Community programmes such as Leonardo and Socrates which are an integral part of the strategic pre-accession process for countries involved in the Phare programme, as established at the Essen European Council in December 1994.

3.3. To ensure that the development of higher education and the improvement of vocational qualifications become valid instruments for the economic reform required to guarantee the associated countries' integration into the European Union's internal market.

3.4. To gear the programme to the specific needs of each of the Phare and Tacis programme beneficiary countries, based on their level of socio-economic development and democratic consolidation.

3.5. To promote the development of scientific, cultural and economic cooperation as an effective means of diversifying the courses offered and boosting inter-university cooperation.

3.6. To further strengthen the concept of Joint European Projects, clearly basing programme activities on them.

3.7. To promote the programme's 'top-down` approach by making the most of strategic planning to identify the lines of action each country should take to attain the final common objective involving all participants.

To this end, the annex to the draft Decision sets out the different ways the programme is to be implemented in practical terms:

- Joint European Projects, providing a wide range of support for measures designed to:

- Improve university management.

- Improve education systems, through the provision of technical facilities, teaching material and appropriate teaching methodologies.

- Match courses to the needs stemming from the socio-economic reforms by promoting the creation of appropriate degrees, diplomas and courses.

- Provide appropriate teacher training to allow staff to meet this challenge.

- Structural and complementary measures to bolster programme objectives and strengthen its comprehensive, top-down approach.

- Individual grants to promote the quality, development and restructuring of higher education in the associated countries.

4. Comments

4.1. General 4.1.1. The beneficiary countries have made positive strides since the first Tempus programme was approved. The Committee is pleased that proposals have led to activities that have played a decisive role in stepping up pace of social and economic reform in the beneficiary countries, gradually bringing them closer to integration into the European Union.

The Committee, therefore, welcomes the extension of Tempus and its adjustment to meet concrete objectives of improved socio-economic conditions in the beneficiary countries.

4.1.2. The Committee supports the call for the establishment of specific criteria to meet specific situations encountered by the Phare and Tacis beneficiary countries. The internal determining factors stemming from economic, social and political development should be the guide for selecting projects. Each State usually has its own short-term objectives, which is why, as we stated at the beginning of the paragraph, it is appropriate to set separate criteria to meet each State's circumstances.

4.1.3. The Joint European Projects should continue to be the major programme support. The participation of industry in the JEPs should be more highly rated and favoured in the project selection process.

As this is an amendment of the second phase of Tempus II, it would be particularly beneficial for the programme if the participation of beneficiary country enterprises was made a basic selection criterion. The participation of these enterprises will, of course, be matched by the involvement in the project of one European Union enterprise.

4.1.4. The programme's bottom-up and top-down aspects will have to be reconciled during this phase. As there has been a favourable reaction to the activities currently under way, it is essential to ensure that the various needs of the universities and higher education centres are in line with the country's overall needs in terms of higher education, specialised training, ongoing training and retraining.

The Committee, therefore, insists on the need for increasingly effective coordination between the beneficiary countries and the Commission, with the backing of the national offices responsible for the programmes involved.

4.1.5. The Committee recommends that the social partners be assigned a greater role in Joint European Project preparation and evaluation. Those partners most aware of the labour market's training and qualification requirements will, through their active participation in the process, ensure that courses offered by the higher education centres meet the requirements of the labour market.

Without more active involvement of the social partners and industry in the projects, it will not be possible to combine the needs, in terms of restructuring, of the universities, industry and the professions into a single reform process.

The liaison committee, recommended by the Committee in its previous Opinion on the Tempus programme, would give more clout to the social partners in the restructuring process.

4.1.6. The Committee attaches top priority to education reforms designed to meet the industry's training needs.

The professional staff having to meet the production and management challenges in the economies undergoing major reform should be provided with training facilities to allow them to bring themselves up to date, retrain or round off their training. The new generations of professionals coming into the job market should also have received training that meets the market's needs.

Higher education should ensure that it produces professional people with qualifications and knowhow in line with the country's development needs.

4.2. Specific 4.2.1. If the quality of higher education is to be improved and brought into line with the real needs of the Phare and Tacis programme beneficiary countries, a priority component to boost university management must be incorporated into the projects.

It is vital for the success of the programme that university managers as well as teachers and students are made aware of its usefulness.

4.2.2. States now at the pre-accession stage need appropriately trained professionals who can put into operation and manage the new structures needed for integration.

The Committee is of the opinion that in those countries that are not eligible for the Leonardo and Socrates programmes, Tempus should help create the conditions to enable them to obtain the qualifications and skills which flow from the 'acquis communautaire`. The industries affected by community directives should have a say in shaping education reform and developing curricula and under- and post-graduate courses.

4.2.3. The Committee again recommends that the Advisory Committee, established under Article 6 of Decision 93/246/EEC, should include one representative from industry. It reiterates its view that the presence of this representative plus another from the academic community would make for a better balanced opinion, which the Commission requires.

4.2.4. The inclusion of enterprises from the European Union and from Phare and Tacis beneficiary countries has won wide approval and the social partners are now seen as fully involved in the process.

The Committee calls for Joint European Projects to include at least one beneficiary country university and one Member State university plus one enterprise from each country. This would clearly show that the world of work is an integral part of the process and training will be more likely to match the needs of industry.

This quadripartite project arrangement will encourage further contact between industrialists from the European Union and from the Phare and Tacis beneficiary countries and give fresh impetus to economic growth and integration.

4.2.5. The eligible countries must be required to encourage closer cohesion among higher education, national institutions and to develop an institutional strategy geared to overcoming university institutions' excessive individualism, without falling once again into outmoded centralised planning systems, at the same time acknowledging that these centres must have a certain degree of autonomy.

This, plus the assigning of priority to national needs and strategies will ensure that maximum budget efficiency is achieved in the programme.

4.2.6. The need for a similar spirit of budget efficiency with respect to the socio-economic aspects of the programme to the implementation of the Leonardo and Socrates programmes in some associated countries have led the Committee to recommend closer coordination among those involved in programme management. The Commission and the national programme offices should establish appropriate ways and means of carrying through these initiatives effectively and efficiently.

4.2.7. The provision of information on the opportunities offered by Tempus and on its links and contacts with other Community programmes, and dissemination of the results of completed projects are two pillars that the Committee would like to highlight. The Committee therefore recommends that no effort be spared to ensure that they are both given the emphasis they deserve.

The Committee also wishes to stress that transparency regarding the opportunities offered the universities and industries should ensure that they all have access to the programme. Information on this and other programmes can and should be made available to all potential participants via new information technology.

4.2.8. Finally, the Committee wishes to emphasize its interest in and acceptance of initiatives such as Tempus, which, it is hoped, will be maintained for a long time to come. Socio-economic development and the consolidation of democratic values are firmly based on an education system capable of providing citizens with more knowledge and allowing them greater personal freedom. Any initiative that brings the associated countries or countries in the process of association closer to the prescribed goals and values will always be extremely welcome.

Done at Brussels, 10 July 1996.

The President of the Economic and Social Committee Carlos FERRER

() OJ No C 73, 15. 3. 1993.

() OJ No L 112, 6. 5. 1993.