A4-0062/99

Decision on the common position adopted by the Council with a view to adopting a European Parliament and Council Decision establishing the second phase of the Community action programme in the field of education 'SOCRATES' (13327/98 - C4-0018/99 - 98/0195(COD))(Codecision procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the common position of the Council, 13327/98 - C4-0018/99 - 98/0195(COD),

- having regard to its opinion at first reading ((Minutes of 5.11.1998, Part II, Item 6(b).)) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council, COM(98)0329 ((OJ C 314, 13.10.1998, p. 5.)),

- having regard to the amended Commission proposal COM(98)0719 ((OJ C 34, 9.2.1999, p. 7.)),

- having regard to Article 189b(2) of the EC Treaty,

- having regard to Rule 72 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media (A4-0062/99),

1. Amends the common position as follows;

2. Calls on the Commission to support Parliament's amendments in the opinion it is required to deliver pursuant to Article 189b(2)(d) of the EC Treaty;

3. Calls on the Council to approve all Parliament's amendments, amend its common position accordingly and definitively adopt the act;

4. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission.

(Amendment 1)

Recital 12

>Original text>

(12) Whereas provision should be made to open up this programme to participation 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 decisions of the respective Association Councils, of Cyprus under the same conditions as those applied to the EFTA/EEA countries, funded by additional appropriations in accordance with the procedures to be agreed with that country, as well as of Malta and Turkey, funded by additional appropriations in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty;

>Text following EP vote>

(12)

Whereas provision should be made to open up this programme to participation 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 decisions of the respective Association Councils, of Cyprus, funded by additional appropriations in accordance with the procedures to be agreed with that country, as well as of Malta and Turkey, funded by additional appropriations in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty;

(Amendment 2)

Article 1(3)

>Original text>

3. This programme shall contribute to the promotion of a Europe of knowledge through the development of a European area of cooperation in the field of education and training by promoting life-long learning, based on formal and informal education, and training. It shall support the building up of the knowledge, skills and competences likely to foster active citizenship and employability.

>Text following EP vote>

3.

This programme shall contribute to the promotion of a Europe of knowledge through the development of a European educational area by promoting life-long learning, based on formal and informal education, and training. It shall support the building up of the knowledge, skills and competences likely to foster active citizenship and employability.

(Amendment 3)

Article 2(b)

>Original text>

(b) to promote a quantitative and qualitative improvement of the knowledge of the languages of the European Union, in particular those languages which are less widely used and less widely taught, so as to lead to greater understanding and solidarity between the peoples of the European Union and promote the intercultural dimension of education;

>Text following EP vote>

(b)

to promote a quantitative and qualitative improvement of the knowledge of the languages of the European Union, in particular those languages which are less widely used and less widely taught or, in frontier regions of Member States, the official language of the Community of the neighbouring region of the other Member State, so as to lead to greater understanding and solidarity between the peoples of the European Union and promote the intercultural dimension of education;

(Amendment 4)

Article 4(2), 4th indent

>Original text>

- social partners;

>Text following EP vote>

-

social partners and their organisations at all levels;

(Amendment 6)

Article 8

>Original text>

1. The financial framework for the implementation of this programme for the period specified in Article 1 is hereby set at EUR 1 550 million.

>Text following EP vote>

1.

The financial framework for the operational implementation of this programme for the period specified in Article 1 is hereby set at EUR 2 500 million.

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

1a. A proportion not exceeding 20% of that amount may possibly be reviewed as part of annual budgetary conciliation.

>Original text>

2. The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspective.

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2.

The annual appropriations, including those intended for technical assistance, shall be authorised by the budgetary authority within the limits of the financial perspective and as part of the annual budgetary procedure.

(Amendment 7)

Article 10, 3rd indent

>Original text>

- Cyprus, under the same conditions as those applied to the EFTA/EEA countries, funded by additional appropriations in accordance with procedures to be agreed with that country;

>Text following EP vote>

-

Cyprus, funded by additional appropriations in accordance with procedures to be agreed with that country;

(Amendment 8)

Article 12(4), indent -1 (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

- a report on the results achieved by the programme, accompanied by any proposals it deems appropriate, also as regards the financial framework set in Article 8, by 31 December 2002. The European Parliament and the Council shall take a decision on such proposals as soon as possible;

(Amendment 9)

Annex (II), Action 1.1(2)(b)

>Original text>

(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 Letzeburgesch (a language spoken throughout the territory of Luxembourg). The projects may be bilateral, especially where they target a less widely used or less taught language and should include exchanges of pupils in addition to the activities referred to in point (a);

>Text following EP vote>

(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 Letzeburgesch (a language spoken throughout the territory of Luxembourg). The projects may be bilateral, especially where they target a less widely used or less widely taught language or, in frontier regions of Member States, the official language of the Community of the neighbouring region of the other Member State, and should include exchanges of pupils in addition to the activities referred to in point (a);

(Amendment 10)

Annex (II), Action 1.2(2)(b)

>Original text>

(b) mobility undertaken for the purpose of in-service training and updating the skills of school education staff;

>Text following EP vote>

(b)

mobility undertaken for the purpose of in-service training and updating the skills of trained school education staff;

(Amendment 11)

Annex (II), Action 2.1(2)(c)

>Original text>

(c) consolidation, extension and further development of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which is designed to facilitate academic recognition.

>Text following EP vote>

(c)

consolidation, extension and further development of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), to facilitate the reciprocal academic recognition of study credits in other Member States of the European Union. Institutes of higher education participating in the programme are urged to ensure the widest possible application of the ECTS.

(Amendment 12)

Annex (II), Action 2.2(3), 1st indent

>Original text>

- the mobility of students. As the Community¨s contribution covers only part of the cost of students' mobility, Member States are invited to help provide 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;

>Text following EP vote>

-

the mobility of students. In the context of the awarding of grants, and in so far as the universities are able to do so, the socio-economic situation of applicants should be taken into consideration in an appropriate fashion. As the Community¨s contribution covers only part of the cost of students' mobility, Member States are invited to help provide 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;

(Amendment 13)

Annex (II), Action 4(2)

>Original text>

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 Letzeburgesch (a language spoken throughout the territory of Luxembourg).

>Text following EP vote>

2.

In this context, foreign language teaching covers the teaching and learning as foreign languages of all the official languages in the Member States of the European Community, Irish and Luxemburgish. Special attention shall be paid throughout the programme to promoting less widely used and less widely taught official languages of the Community.

(Amendment 14)

Annex (III)(2)(a)(iii)

>Original text>

(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 consult with the Member State concerned.

>Text following EP vote>

Deleted

(Amendment 15)

Annex (IV)(B)(1), (a) to (c)

>Original text>

(a) the resources to be committed under Action 1 (Comenius) will not be less than 27% of the total budget available for this programme;

>Text following EP vote>

(a)

the resources to be committed under Action 1 (Comenius) will not be less than 27% of the total budget available for this programme; measures and projects must encourage especially mobility on the part of persons undergoing training;

>Original text>

(b) the resources to be committed under Action 2 (Erasmus) will not be less than 51% of the total budget available for this programme;

>Text following EP vote>

(b)

the resources to be committed under Action 2 (Erasmus) will not be less than 50% of the total budget available for this programme;

>Original text>

(c) the resources to be committed under Action 3 (Grundtvig) will not be less than 7% of the total budget available for this programme;

>Text following EP vote>

(c)

the resources to be committed under Action 3 (Grundtvig) will not be less than 6% of the total budget available for this programme;