Resources made available to the Agency in 2009

Competences of the Agency as defined in Commission Decision 2005/56/EC of 14 January 2005

Areas of Union competence deriving from the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

The European Union shall contribute to the development of quality education. (Article 165(1) of the Treaty) The European Union shall implement a vocational training policy. (Article 166(1) of the Treaty) The European Union shall contribute to the flowering of the cultures of the Member States. (Article 167(1) of the Treaty) The European Union and the Member States shall ensure that the conditions necessary for the competitiveness of the Union’s industry exist. (Article 173(1) of the Treaty)

Objectives In the framework of the education, culture and industry policies, numerous measures have been taken to promote education, vocational training, audiovisual, culture, youth and active citizenship in the European Union. The main objectives of these measures are to reinforce social cohesion and to contribute to competitiveness, to economic growth and to an ever closer union amongst the people of Europe. These measures include a variety of programmes. The Agency is responsible for managing certain strands of these programmes (e.g. ‘Lifelong learning’, ‘Culture’, ‘Youth in Action’, ‘Europe for Citizens’, ‘MEDIA’, ‘Erasmus Mundus’ (including the new ‘Action 2’) and ‘Tempus’). In this respect, it implements theaid of the Union, except for programme evaluation, strategic studies and any other task which requires discretionary powers in translating political choices.

Tasks — To manage, throughout their duration, the specific projects entrusted to it in the context of the implementation of programmes of the Union. — To adopt the instruments of budget implementation for revenue and expenditure and to carry out, where the Commission has empowered it to do so, the operations necessary for the management of the programmes of the Union and, in particular, those linked to the award of grants and contracts. — To gather, analyse and pass on to the Commission all the information needed to guide the implementation of the programmes of the Union. — To implement, at the level of the Union, the network of information on education in Europe (Eurydice) for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information and the production of studies and publications.

1 — Steering Committee Comprises five members appointed by the European Commission. It adopts the Agency’s annual work programme after approval by the European Commission. In addition, it adopts the administrative budget of the Agency and its annual activity report. 2 — Director Appointed by the European Commission. 3 — External audit Court of Auditors. 4 — Discharge authority Parliament, acting on a recommendation from the Council.

Budget The 2009 administrative budget of the Agency has reached 48 million euro (38 million euro in 2008) (100 % financed by the general budget of the European Union). The Agency has managed 629 million euro related to the programmes and projects delegated by the Commission to the Executive Agency (492 million euro in 2008) Staff at 31 December 2009 (1) Temporary staff: 99 posts for temporary staff in the establishment plan (92 in 2008) Post occupied: 91 (85 in 2008). (2) Contract staff: 327 contract staff (303 in 2008) Posts occupied: 323 (277 in 2008) (3) Total staff: 414 posts occupied (362 in 2008) Allocated to Operational: 340 Administrative: 74