Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the second phase of the Community vocational training action programme 'Leonardo da Vinci` (98/C 309/06) (Text with EEA relevance) COM(1998) 330 final - 98/0196(SYN)

(Submitted by the Commission on 1 September 1998)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and in particular Article 127 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,

Acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 189c of the Treaty in cooperation with the European Parliament,

(1) Whereas the Treaty establishing the European Community stipulates that the latter's action shall, inter alia, contribute to the development of quality education and training; whereas this was resolutely reiterated by the Amsterdam Treaty signed on 2 October 1997, which states that the Community's objective is also to promote the highest possible level of knowledge for its peoples through a wide access to education and through a continuous updating of knowledge;

(2) Whereas, by Decision 94/819/EC (1), the Council set up an action programme to implement a Community vocational training policy; whereas it is appropriate, on the basis of the acquired experience of that programme, to ensure its extension, taking into account the results obtained to date;

(3) Whereas the extraordinary European Council on Employment held in Luxembourg on 20 and 21 November 1997 adopted a coordinated employment strategy in which lifelong education and training have a fundamental role to play in implementing guidelines (2) for the Member States' employment policies in order to enhance employability, adaptability, and the culture of entrepreneurship (3) and to promote equal opportunities;

(4) Whereas the Commission in its communication 'Towards a Europe of knowledge` (4) set out guidelines on the creation of a European education area capable of achieving the objective of lifelong education and training, defining six types of measures to be developed at Community level, all focusing on transnational cooperation and designed to bring added-value to the action taken by the Member States, in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity, and in a context of simplified procedures;

(5) Whereas the White Paper (5) 'Teaching and learning - Towards the learning society` states that the emergence of the learning society entails encouraging the acquisition of new knowledge and to this end providing motivation to learn at every opportunity; and whereas the Green Paper (6) 'Education, training, research: the obstacles to transnational mobility` highlighted the advantages mobility brings to people and competitiveness in the Union;

(6) Whereas there is a need to promote active citizenship, to strengthen the links between measures pursued under this programme, and to step up the fight against exclusion in all its forms, including racism and xenophobia: whereas special attention should be focused on removing all forms of inequality and on promoting equal opportunities for women and men;

(7) Whereas the European Parliament and the Council in their decisions on education and youth have established Community action programmes for the education and youth fields respectively, which contribute together with the training programme to implementing a knowledge policy;

(8) Whereas it is necessary, in order to reinforce the added-value of Community action to ensure, at all levels, a coherence and a complementarity between the actions implemented in the framework of this Decision and the Community interventions, in particular in the domains of culture (7), audiovisual media, the completion of the single market, the environment, consumer protection, the information society, SMEs, social policies, employment and public health;

(9) Whereas the Commission's proposals for reforming the Structural Funds (8), particularly the European Social Fund, and the Community initiatives stemming therefrom, are based on objectives designed to support the adaptation and modernisation of policies and systems relating to education, training and employment;

(10) Whereas the Commission, in conjunction with the Member States, is seeking to secure coherence between the actions under this programme and Community action of a structural nature; whereas the Commission, in partnership with both sides of industry, is endeavouring to develop cooperation between this programme and the activities of the Community social dialogue;

(11) Whereas provision should be made to open up this programme to participation by the associated Central and East European countries, in accordance with the conditions established in the relevant agreements, notably the association agreements and the additional protocols to these agreements, to Cyprus on the same terms as those applied to the EFTA/EEA countries as well as to Turkey and Malta according to procedures to be agreed with those countries;

(12) Whereas this programme should be monitored and continually assessed in cooperation with the Commission and the Member States in order to allow for readjustments, particularly in the priorities for implementing the measures;

(13) Whereas in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity and the principle of proportionality as set out in Article 3b of the Treaty, the objectives of the action envisaged concerning the implementation of a vocational training policy at Community level cannot be adequately realised by the Member States given the complexity of training partnerships and can therefore, because of the transnational dimension of the Community actions and measures, be best realised at Community level; whereas this Decision is limited to the minimum required to achieve these objectives and does not exceed what is necessary to this end,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Establishment of the programme

1. This Decision establishes the second phase of the action programme for the implementation of a Community vocational training policy 'Leonardo da Vinci`, hereinafter referred to as 'this programme`.

2. This programme shall be implemented in the period starting on 1 January 2000 and ending on 31 December 2004.

3. This programme shall contribute to the Community's knowledge policy through the implementation of a European education area fostering the development of lifelong education and training. It shall permit the development of the knowledge and skills likely to foster the full exercise of citizenship.

4. This programme shall support and supplement action taken by and within the Member States, while fully respecting their responsibility for the content and organisation of vocational training, and their cultural and linguistic diversity.

Article 2

Aims of the programme

1. The implementation of this programme is based on objectives, in support of and as a supplement to policies and actions undertaken by and in the Member States, and designed as a matter of priority:

(a) to improve and strengthen the social and occupational integration of young people, particularly through work-linked training and apprenticeship;

(b) to expand and develop access to quality continuing training and access to lifelong skills, particularly in order to consolidate technological and organisational innovation, and investment in training;

(c) to support the vocational training systems to assist, those in difficult circumstances owing to inadequate or outdated skills, to find employment and to better insert themselves in the labour market.

2. In implementing these objectives, the Commission and the Member States shall ensure that action under this programme is consistent with the Community's other actions and policies, particularly with regard to employment, to the removal of inequality, to equal opportunities for women and men, and to social policy.

Article 3

Community actions

The aims of this programme shall be pursued through actions supported by the following Community measures, the operational content and the application procedures of which are described in Annex A, and which can be used in combination:

(a) support for the mobility of people undergoing vocational training;

(b) promotion of virtual mobility in the context of vocational training, particularly by promoting access to educational multimedia;

(c) support for the development of European level cooperation networks permitting mutual 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 partnerships designed to develop innovation and quality in vocational training in order to create training products, instruments of skills accreditation or in order to test out any new approach;

(f) the constant improvement of the Community terms of reference through support for the dissemination of good practice and through the observation and dissemination of innovation.

Article 4

Access to the programme

Under the conditions and in accordance with the definitions and arrangements for implementation specified in the Annex, participation in this programme shall be open to all public and/or private bodies and institutions involved in vocational training as defined in Annex A, and in particular:

(a) training establishments, centres and bodies at all levels, including universities and higher education establishments;

(b) research centres and bodies;

(c) companies and consortia, particularly SMEs or public or private sector establishments, including those involved in training;

(d) trade organisations, including Chambers of Commerce;

(e) organisations of both sides of industry at all levels;

(f) local and regional bodies and organisations;

(g) associations.

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 accordance with the Annexes.

2. In cooperation with the Member States, the Commission shall take the steps described in point 8 of Annex A to make the best use of what has been achieved through the action undertaken under the first phase of the Leonardo da Vinci programme and the Community initiatives on training.

3. Member States shall take appropriate action to secure nationally the coordination organisation and the follow-up needed for the attainment of the objectives of this programme, involving all the parties concerned by vocational training in accordance with national practice.

To that end, they shall set up an integrated management structure for the operational implementation of the programme's actions and shall ensure that appropriate information and publicity is provided on actions co-financed by the programme.

4. Each Member State shall endeavour to take the necessary steps to ensure the efficient running of this programme and to take appropriate measures to remove any obstacles to access to this programme.

5. The Commission, in conjunction with the Member States, shall ensure the transition between those actions developed within the framework of the preceding 'Leonardo` programme in the field of vocational training and those to be implemented under this programme.

Article 6

Joint actions

As part of the process of building up a Europe of knowledge, the measures of this programme may be implemented as joint actions with other Community actions forming part of the knowledge policy, particularly Community programmes in the area of education and youth-related matters.

Article 7

Committee

1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee composed of the representatives of Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of the measures to be taken as regards:

(a) the arrangements for implementing the programme, including where appropriate the annual plan of work for the implementation of the programme's actions;

(b) the criteria applicable for establishing the indicative breakdown of funds among the Member States for the purpose of the actions to be managed on a decentralised basis;

(c) the arrangements for evaluating the programme.

3. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The Chairman shall not vote.

4. The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. However, if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the Committee, they shall be communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith.

In that event,

- the Commission may defer application of the measures which it has decided for a period of up to one month from the date of the Communication,

- the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different decision within the time limit referred to in the first indent.

5. The Commission may consult the Committee on any other matter concerning implementation of the programme.

In that event, the Commission representative shall submit to the Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a timelimit which the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by taking a vote.

The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member States shall have the right to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes.

The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the Committee. It shall inform the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has been taken into account.

Article 8

The two sides of industry

Without prejudice to the procedure described in Article 7(3) and (4), the Commission may consult the committee on any matter concerning the application of this Decision.

Whenever such consultation takes place, representatives of both sides of industry, appointed by the Commission on the basis of proposals from both sides of industry at Community level, and equal in number to that of the representatives of the Member States, shall participate in the work of the committee as observers.

They shall have the right to request that their position be recorded in the minutes of committee meetings.

Article 9

Consistency and complementarity

1. The Commission shall, in conjunction with the Member States, ensure the overall consistency with other Community policies and actions. There shall be coordination between the activities of this programme and the other Community actions, in particular those covered by the knowledge policy.

The Commission shall ensure in conjunction with the Member States consistency between implementation of this programme and the other Community actions relating to training in the domain of culture and the audiovisual sector, the completion of the internal market, the information society, environment, consumer protection, SMEs, social policies, employment, and public health.

The Commission shall ensure an efficient link-up between this programme and the programmes and actions in the area of vocational training undertaken as part of the Community's external relations.

2. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure that the measures of this programme are, as part of the implementation of the coordinated employment strategy, consistent with the orientations established annually for the employment guidelines and in conjunction with the other actions contributing to the implementation of the action plans.

3. The Commission and the Member States shall ensure consistency and complementarity between action taken under this programme and Community action under the Structural Funds.

4. When implementing this programme, the Commission in close conjunction with both sides of industry at Community level will endeavour to develop the social dialogue at the Community level, particularly by providing support at all levels, including sectoral levels, and by disseminating its results.

5. The Commission shall secure the assistance of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) in implementing this programme, in accordance with the arrangements set out in Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75 (9). Subject to the same conditions and in the areas which lend themselves to it, coordination shall be established under the auspices of the Commission with the European Training Foundation as specified by Regulation (EEC) No 1360/90 (10).

6. The Commission shall keep the Advisory Committee on Vocational Training regularly informed of the progress of this programme.

Article 10

Participation of the associated Central and East, European countries, Cyprus, Turkey and Malta

1. This programme shall be open to the participation of the associated Central and East European countries (CEEs) in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Europe Agreements or in existing or anticipated additional protocols governing the participation of these countries in Community programmes. This programme shall also be open to the participation, funded by additional appropriations, of Cyprus under the same rules as those applied to the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which belong to the European Economic Area (EEA) according to the procedures to be agreed with this country. This programme shall also be open to participation by Turkey according to the procedures to be established with that country.

2. This programme shall also be open to participation by Malta according to the procedures to be agreed with that country.

Article 11

International cooperation

The Commission shall strengthen its cooperation with non-Community countries and with the relevant international organisations.

Article 12

Monitoring and evaluation

1. The Commission shall continually monitor this programme in conjunction with the Member States.

This monitoring shall be effected through the reports referred to in paragraph 3 and through specific activities.

2. The Commission shall evaluate this programme periodically in conjunction with the Member States. The evaluation shall seek to appraise the effectiveness of the actions implemented, by reference to the objectives set out in Article 2.

The evaluation shall also examine the complementarity between actions under this programme and those pursued under other Community programmes, particularly actions supported by the European Social Fund.

In accordance with criteria established using the procedure described in Article 7(2), there shall be periodical external evaluations of the results of the Community actions.

3. Member States shall submit to the Commission by 31 December 2002 and 30 June 2005, respectively, reports on the implementation and the impact of this programme, and on the vocational training systems and arrangements which exist in the Member States.

4. The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee:

- an interim report on the implementation of this programme no later than 30 June 2003,

- no later than 31 December 2005, a final report on the implementation of this programme.

Article 13

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

(1) OJ L 340, 29.12.1994, p. 8.

(2) OJ C 30, 28.1.1998, p. 1.

(3) Communication from the Commission to the Council 'Fostering entrepreneurship in Europe: priorities for the future` (COM(1998) 222 final/2 of 21 April 1998).

(4) Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, 'Towards a Europe of knowledge`, COM(97) 563 final, 12 November 1997.

(5) Commission's White Paper, 'Education and training: Teaching and learning - Towards the learning society`, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 1996.

(6) Commission's Green Paper, 'Education, training, research: the obstacles to transnational mobility`, COM(96) 462 final, 2 October 1996.

(7) Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision establishing a single financing and programming instrument for cultural cooperation (Programme 'Culture 2000`) (OJ C 211, 7.7.1998, p. 18).

(8) Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds (OJ C 176, 9.6.1998, p. 1).

(9) OJ L 39, 13.2.1975, p. 1.

(10) OJ L 131, 23.5.1990, p. 1.

ANNEX A

COMMUNITY ACTIONS AND MEASURES

Section I - General principles

1. The aims set out in Article 2 of this Decision will be implemented by means of transnational partnerships which submit proposals for action on the basis of the Community measures described in Article 3.

2. Each proposal submitted by a transnational partnership will be part of the implementation of one of the objectives of the programme, indicating the measure(s) proposed.

3. A Community call for proposals will define the priorities for the objectives, the timetable, the conditions of submission, the common eligibility criteria, particularly in terms of transnationality and selection.

This call for proposals will remain valid for three years for the first phase of the progamme. A second call for proposals will be drawn up at the halfway stage of the programme on the basis of the interim assessment referred to in Article 12(4) of this Decision.

The Community call for proposals will be published by the Commission after consultation of the Programme Committee.

4. The proposals for action must set out clearly the aims established, the results anticipated and the partners associated in the other Member States, as well as the nature and level of participation of these partners, including their financial contribution and the timetable of work.

5. The proposals can be sent in at any time during the period of validity of the overall call for proposals. Proposal selection by the Commission will take place at least once yearly in accordance with the procedures defined below.

Section II - Actions

1. PHYSICAL MOBILITY

Support for transnational physical mobility programmes for people undergoing training and for trainers and training organisers

Community support shall be provided for the following actions:

(a) preparation and implementation of transnational programmes of placement and exchange for young people undergoing initial vocational training, studying or who have just finished studying: including students and qualified young people, young workers or young people available on the labour market in accordance with the national laws and practices, particularly programmes which are part of 'European pathways for work-linked training and apprenticeship` within the meaning of Council Decision 98/. . ./EEC. Placements for young people may be short term (two weeks to three months) and in such cases are designed essentially to familiarise them with the occupational and cultural context of another Member State. Long-term placements (three months to a maximum of 12 months) are intended primarily for young people who already have initial occupational training or a work experience. Long-term placements can be carried out in two or more periods.

The transnational placement programmes for young people undergoing training which involve SMEs and craft industry as host bodies will receive special treatment under the conditions described below;

(b) the organisation of transnational programmes of exchanges between companies on the one hand and training organisations or universities and targeting human resources managers in the business sector, and training programme planners and managers (particularly trainers and mentors), advisers and occupational guidance specialists and economic and social circles on the other. Study visits for vocational training organisers on the themes defined by the Commission can be provided by Cedefop on behalf of the Commission in the conditions to be decided on after receiving the opinion of the programme committee.

As a general rule, placements and exchanges as well as study visits for these categories will last between one week and a maximum of six weeks.

The transnational placement and exchange programmes may be multiannual and last up to three years.

Demonstration actions

As part of the 'Physical mobility` measure, pilot demonstration actions will be given support and will relate to the organisation and implementation of multiannual transnational placement programmes organised among regions and/or sectors in European work-linked training and apprenticeship networks.

Funding

The Community's financial contribution to the transnational placement and exchange programmes defined under the measure above may not exceed ECU 5 000 per beneficiary for a placement or an exchange, the maximum amount of this contribution corresponding to the maximum duration indicated above.

For this measure, the Commission may allocate to each Member State an annual global grant the amount of which will be defined in accordance with the procedures described in Annex C.

Of this allocation 10 % is set aside, in accordance with procedures agreed on with the management structure concerned, to help potential promoters of programmes to prepare their proposals. The sum allowed for this purpose may not exceed ECU 500 per promoter.

In line with the same procedure, and within the same allocation, a sum will be granted to transnational programmes undertaken in the SMEs and in craft industry and lasting a minimum of three weeks. This sum is designed to facilitate the pedagogic, cultural and linguistic follow-up of young people placed in a host company in another Member State may not exceed ECU 250 per placement, with a ceiling of ECU 25 000 per company. This amount is on top of that set aside for the body of the original Member State for the management and monitoring of transnational placement programmes.

2. VIRTUAL MOBILITY

Support for actions to promote the new information and communication technologies and designed to develop virtual mobility

Community support is available for transnational actions to develop the use of new ICT in training actions and products to, inter alia, promote access for people undergoing training to new tools, services and products in training which use the new ICT, to support the development of European distance training networks through the new ICT (multimedia products, websites, network transmission, etc.) and to try out new training approaches stemming from new work situations (e.g. teleworking).

These projects may last for a maximum of two years.

Demonstration actions

Under the measure 'Virtual mobility`, Community demonstration actions on experimental 'pilot actions` to promote the new ICT will be supported and specifically targeted partly towards the development of European arrangements for guidance/counselling/training in business-related services, particularly with a view to building up a virtual European area of training and job seeking.

Funding

The Commission's financial contribution to the transnational virtual mobility projects may be up to 75 % of eligible expenditure, with a ceiling of ECU 300 000 per project and per year.

In no case may the project partners' own resources be derived from other Community funding.

3. INNOVATORY PILOT PROJECTS

Support for transnational pilot training projects to develop aptitude to innovation, its transfer and entrepreneurship, and the development of innovation and its transfer in training

Community support is available for the design, development, testing and assessment of European transnational pilot projects to develop and/or disseminate innovation in training and to develop aptitude to innovation and its transfer. These projects may relate to the dissemination and transfer to other Member States of the results of innovatory approaches in training, developed and validated in another Member State. They may relate to the development of quality in training and to occupational guidance in the context of lifelong training. They may also relate to the promotion of new methods of training as part of new configurations of work organisation and the development of new forms of working, e.g. teleworking.

Projects under this measure may last a maximum of two years.

Demonstration actions

Under 'Innovatory pilot projects`, there will be support for experimental demonstration actions relating to:

- the implementation at European level of new forms of accreditation of skills, with emphasis on recognising skills and expertise learned on the job,

- stepping up the fight to head off exclusion through 'second chance` training arrangements for the different public affected, especially in problem urban districts, in order to reintegrate young and adult unemployed persons, particularly the long-term unemployed, and those who have no qualifications.

Funding

The Community may contribute up to 75 % of eligible expenditure for the transnational pilot projects, with a ceiling of ECU 200 000 per year and per project.

Under no circumstances may the projects partners' own resources derive from other Community funding.

4. COMMUNITY NETWORKS

Support for Community networks of Community expertise and dissemination

Community support is available for setting up and organising Community networks of cooperation in training, bringing together in the Member States at the regional or sectoral level the public and private players concerned including researchers, in the area of vocational training and designed (i) to assemble, distil and build on European expertise and innovatory approaches on a priority theme of common interest, (ii) to improve the analysis and anticipation of skills requirements, (iii) to disseminate the results throughout the EU in the appropriate circles.

Projects under this measure may last a maximum of three years.

Demonstration actions

Under 'European networks`, there will be support for experimental demonstration actions relating to the development and networking of multi-player training consortia organised regionally or sectorally and involving in particular the local authorities, local chambers of commerce, trade organisations for employers and employees, and research and training centres, including the universities, and fulfilling the role of centres providing services, advice and information on access to validated training methods and products.

Funding

The Community may contribute up to 75 % of eligible expenditure for the organisation of European networks, with a minimum of ECU 150 000 per year and per network and a ceiling of ECU 500 000 per year, this ceiling applicable only in the case of proposals for transnational networks seeking to develop an integrated set of experimental measures opening on to validated and transferable training products. The financial contribution to 'multi-player training consortia` will be restricted to ECU 50 000 per year and per operation, representing a maximum of 50 % of the eligible operational costs.

Under no circumstances may the project partners' own resources be derived from other Community funding.

5. LANGUAGE SKILLS

Support for actions to promote language and cultural skills in training

Community support is available for transnational pilot projects to develop language skills linked to the promotion of the social and occupational integration of young people and a higher level of employability and adaptability of workers. Language skills can be considered as key skills in the context of the knowledge-based society.

The point of these projects is to design, test and validate, assess and disseminate teaching material tailored to the specific needs of each occupational area and economic sector, including through the use of language audits, and also innovatory teaching methods based on language self-tuition and the dissemination of their results.

Proposals for linguistic and cultural support may also be submitted under other actions and measures, particularly in order to improve language and cultural skills among the trainers and mentors responsible for the pedagogic supervision of young people taking part in transnational physical mobility programmes.

Community support is also available for transnational programmes and exchanges between the business sector on the one hand and the specialised language training establishments or training bodies on the other. The exchanges relate to trainers and mentors in the area of language skills.

The maximum duration of the projects under this measure is usually two years.

Funding

The Community may contribute up to 75 % of eligible expenditure, with a ceiling of ECU 150 000 per project and per year.

Under no circumstances may the project partners' own resources be derived from other Community funding.

6. COMMUNITY TERMS OF REFERENCE

Support for actions to establish, update and disseminate Community terms of reference which can be used to compare training systems

Community support is available for actions undertaken on a transnational basis and making a contribution through surveys, analyses and/or studies, to establishing comparable data on vocational training systems and arrangements in the Member States or likely to produce quantitative and/or qualitative information in support of policies and enhance training practices for lifelong training. Eurostat and Cedefop are closely associated with the production of statistical instruments within the procedures currently in place notably those defined by Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community statistics, taking into account the Council Decision on the statistical programme 1998 to 2002. In the same connection, the Community will support the introduction of arrangements to observe innovatory practices in lifelong training, particularly with regard to access to continuing training, in close conjunction with both sides of industry at the various levels.

The maximum duration of projects under this measure is three years.

The Commission will ensure that these terms of reference are disseminated as widely as possible in different ways, particularly in order to make them available to public and private decision-makers in vocational training.

Demonstration actions

Under the measure 'Community terms of reference` and as a follow-up to its report on the implementation of the Council recommendation of June 1993 on access to continuing training, the Commission, in close conjunction with both sides of industry and in cooperation with Cedefop, will propose support for an arrangement to observe good practice on access to training, the development and the transparency of qualifications and skills, particularly at branch and company level.

Funding

The Community's financial contribution will be between 50 % and 100 % of eligible expenditure, with a ceiling af ECU 500 000 per year and per project.

Under no circumstances can the project partners' own resources be derived from other Community funding.

7. JOINT ACTIONS

1. For the joint actions described in Article 6 of this Decision, Community support may be provided for joint actions with other actions under the knowledge policy, particularly Community education and youth programmes designed to widen access to knowledge.

2. Coordination of the programmes can be achieved by common calls for proposals. The Commission intends in particular to develop a joint information and observation arrangement with regard to good practice in the field of knowledge, and joint actions on education and training multimedia.

3. Appropriate steps, a significant one being the setting up of European knowledge centres, will be taken to ensure regional and local contact and interaction between the players taking part in this programme and in education and youth-related programmes. This will contribute to the implementation of a policy of lifelong learning in the regions and local districts concerend.

8. ACCOMPANYING MEASURES

To attain the objectives set out in Article 2 of the Decision, Community support is available for:

- coordination and monitoring activities by the Member States as described in Article 5 of this Decision,

- information, monitoring, organisation assessment and dissemination activities by the Member States and the Commission to facilitate access to the programme and consolidate the transfer of methods, products and tools designed, and of the results obtained by the Community measures, including through telematics links and data banks,

- in carrying out the programme the Commission can have recourse to technical assistance organisations the financing of which may be provided for within the overall envelope for the programme. It can, under the same conditions, have recourse to experts. Furthermore, the Commission will be able to organise seminars, colloquia or other meetings or experts, likely to facilitate the implementation of the programme. The Commission can also take forward information, publication and dissemination actions.

Section III - Selection procedures

III A - Decentralised selection procedure

1. The decentralised selection procedure will be applied to all Community actions and measures and comprises the following stages.

2. Under the rules defined in the general call for proposals, proposals are to be submitted by the coordinators of transnational projects at the management structure designated by the Member State.

3. The management structure will assess the proposals on the basis of specifications established at Community level, using the definitions given in Annex C.

4. Every year, on the basis of this assessment at a date to be decided by the Commisson following consultation with the Committee, Member States will submit to the Commission (and to the other Member States for information) their overall proposal in the form of a report, presenting, the results of the general call for proposals, by objective and by measure, the assessment procedure and the technical backup given to promoters as well as a descriptive and reasoned list of proposals likely to be retained in order of priority.

5. The Commission will examine each report and liaise accordingly with the Member State concerned.

6. At the end of the examination, the Commission will submit to the Committee a proposal on how the year's budgetary resources to be allocated on a decentralised basis should be distributed by measure and by Member State, and will obtain its opinion in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 6 of the Decision.

7. After receiving the opinion of the Committee, the Commission will determine the final amount to be allocated to each Member State and the list of proposals accepted per measure.

8. The process on stages 5, 6 and 7 must not take more than two months.

III B - Centralised selection procedure

The centralised selection procedure applies to the Community demonstration actions for each measure and in particular concerns the proposals submitted by European organisations, networks set up to utilise, disseminate and propagate the results of transnational projects on a Community theme, and actions, projects or demonstration networks having an experimental character as defined in Section II.

(i) Under the general call for proposals setting out the priorities, project coordinators must submit a preproposal to the Commission and, for information, to the management structure in their Member State.

(ii) The Commission, in consultation with the programme Committee, will examine all the preproposals and make a selection. The project coordinators will be informed of the outcome of this preselection.

(iii) The coordinator for each project selected at the close of this first phase will forward the final proposal to the Commission within three months and, for information, to the management structure of his/her Member State.

(iv) The Commission, with the assistance of a group of independent experts appointed by the Commission after consulting the Member States and the circles concerned, particularly both sides of industry, will undertake a transnational appraisal of the proposals received and establish a shortlist of actions for a European knowledge programme.

(v) The Commission will seek the opinion of the Committee on this shortlist and finalise, in accordance with the arrangements set out in Article 7 of this Decision, the European knowledge programme.

(vi) The Commission will establish the final list of proposals selected and inform the Committee. It will set out the conditions for monitoring these experimental projects.

ANNEX B

Overall budget breakdown

1. At the beginning of the operation, and no later than 1 March every year, the Commission will submit to the Committee an ex ante breakdown of budget resources by type of measure, by procedures and taking into account, to this end, the objectives set out in Article 2 of the present Decision and will seek its opinion. The Commission will, on this basis, define an indicative budget for each Member State for the implementation of the measures covered by decentralised selection procedure.

2. For the first year of programme implementation and only for the transnational programmes of placements and exchanges described in measure B1 and defined below undertaken before 1 October 2000, the Member States must submit to the Commission an operational plan no later than 31 March 2000. The Commission will on this basis allocate to each Member State an amount on the basis of which it can go ahead with transnational programmes. The amounts not used up within this allocation at 1 September 2000 will be incorporated in the final amount of the global grant as shown in the procedure described in Selection II.

Procedure for determining amounts for transnational placement and exchange programmes

The transnational placement and exchange programmes for young people undergoing initial training must be presented to the Commission for examination and approval by 31 March every year. They must indicate clearly for each programme by group of beneficiaries:

- the target publics of the programmes,

- the content and objectives in terms of skills and/or qualifications,

- the duration of training and/or work learning experience in a training establishment and/or company,

- the partners associated in the other Member State or States if the training periods take place consecutively in several,

- the arrangements for validating or recognising skills and/or qualifications acquired in the training system of the original Member State in which the beneficiaries are pursuing their training.

For each category of public targeted by these programmes, the Commission will allocate a global grant established on the basis of calculation criteria defined within the procedure described in Article 7 of this decision, taking into account:

- the population,

- the GDP per capita in each Member State in terms of purchasing power parities,

- the geographical distance and the costs of transport,

- whenever possible, the weight of the target public concerned in relation to the overall population,

- the overall unemployment figure and the level of long-term unemployment.

In any event, the application of these criteria cannot result in the exclusion of any Member State from funding of the transnational placement and exchange programmes described above.

The overall grant is allocated to each Member State on the basis of the abovementioned operational plan which must set out clearly:

- the arrangements for managing financial aid,

- the steps to be taken to assist placement and exchange organisers to identify potential partners,

- appropriate measures to be taken in the interests of sound preparation (particularly in terms of teaching and language preparation), organisation and follow-up of placements and exchanges.

ANNEX C

Definitions

For the purposes of this Decision and taking account of the differences which exist between the systems and arrangements in the Member States:

(a) 'initial vocational training` means any form of initial vocational training, including technical and vocational teaching and apprenticeship, which gives young people access to a vocational qualification recognised by the competent authorities in the Member State in which it is obtained;

(b) 'work-linked training` means vocational training at all levels, including higher education, which opens on to a certificate or a qualification recognised by the competent authorities of the Member State concerned, and involving structured periods of work-linked training in a training establishment and a company as separate and complementary forums of training;

(c) 'continuing vocational training` means any vocational training undertaken by a worker in the Community during his working life;

(d) 'lifelong training` means the training opportunities offered to any individual throughout their lives to enable them to continually update their knowledge and skills for the purposes of his career;

(e) 'vocational guidance` means the provision of advice and information on the choice of an occupation and changes of occupation, both through vocational education and training and through individual information initiatives;

(f) '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;

(g) 'worker` means all persons, whether in work or not, including the self-employed, who have links with the labour market;

(h) (i) 'both sides of industry at national level` means employers' and workers' organisations in conformity with national laws and/or practices;

(ii) 'both sides of industry at Community level` means employers' and workers' organisations taking part in the social dialogue at the Community level;

(i) 'training body` means any type of public, semi-public or private establishment which, in accordance with national laws and/or practices, design or undertake vocational training, further training, refresher training or retraining, irrespective of the designation given to it in the Member States;

(j) 'university` means any type of higher education institution which, in accordance with national laws and/or practices, offer higher level qualifications or diplomas, whatever such establishments may be called in the Member States;

(k) 'local and regional partners` means any player in regional and local life, local authority, association, local chambers of commerce and associations, consortia, advisory bodies, the media, participating in local or regional cooperation activities which include training;

(l) 'apprenticeship and open and distance training` means any form of flexible vocational training involving:

- the use of ICT techniques and services in traditional or modern form,

and

- support in the form of individualised advice and mentoring;

(m) 'European training pathways` means any period of initial or continuing vocational training undertaken in a Member State other than that in which the person concerned is pursuing his/her training;

(n) 'Community terms of reference` means all the analyses, studies, surveys and identification of good practice which make it possible to locate, at Community level, the relative position of the various Member States and the progress made on a given subject or in a given area.