COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 20.11.1997 
COM(97) 636 final 
97/0103 (COD) 
OPINION OF THE COMMISSION 
pursuant to Article 189 b (2) (d) of the EC Treaty, 
on the European Parliament's amendment 
to the Council's common position regarding the 
proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION 
amending Decision 819/95/EC establishing 
the Community action programme 
SOCRATES f 
Decision 819/95/EC of the EP and the Council of 14.3.95, OJ No L 87/10 of 20.4.95. 

1. Pursuant to Article 189B, par. 2(d) of the EC Treaty, the Commission must deliver 
an opinion on the Parliament's proposal adopted at the second reading on 23 
October 1997 for an amendment to the Council's common position of 22 September 
1997. 
2. The Commission is gratified by the Parliament's support for the Commission 
proposal to increase the financial resources of this programme, which is generally 
considered to be a key instrument in the strengthening of the European dimension of 
education, the improvement of European human resources, and in bringing the EU 
closer to its citizens. Socrates also plays a major role in the pre-accession context by 
gradually opening up to the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe and 
Cyprus. 
3. In its amended proposal of 26 June 19972 the Commission had taken account of 
most of the amendments tabled by the Parliament at the first reading with regard to 
the recitals of the decision. The Council very broadly followed in its common 
position the proposals of the European Parliament and of the Commission with 
regard to the recitals, which set out the grounds for a substantial increase in the 
programme's financial resources. In its opinion of 26 September 1997 on the 
Council's common position3 the Commission accordingly stressed that the scale of 
the increase proposed by the Council, viz. ECU 25 million, is well below that 
required to enable the programme to continue to attain its objectives. 
4. In the explanatory statement supporting the proposal for an amendment to the 
decision establishing the programme, the Commission stated that had the overall 
budget context been more favourable it would not have hesitated to propose a much 
bigger increase. However, in view of the continuing need i'or budgetary restraint, the 
Commission feels that its proposal for an increase of ECU 50 million is reasonable. 
It cannot therefore as things currently stand accept the amendment tabled by the 
European Parliament at the second reading with regard to the Council's common 
position, as this amendment seeks an increase of ECU 100 million, i.e. twice that 
proposed by the Commission. 
5. The Commission is prepared to play to the full role given to it by the Treaty with 
regard to the conciliation procedure which lies ahead if the Council does not accept 
the Parliament's amendment. It will actively endeavour to favour a reconciliation of 
the respective positions of the European Parliament and the Council around the 
Commission's proposal. 
2 COM(97) 338 final, OJ No C 262/3 of 28.8.97. 
3 SEC (97) 1761 final. 
ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(97) 636 final 
S 
EN 16 01 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-97-649-EN-C 
ISBN 92-78-28246-4 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
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