WRITTEN QUESTION E-0140/99

by André Fourçans (PPE) to the Commission

(11 February 1999)

Subject: The Erasmus student exchange programme

Under the Erasmus student exchange programme students obtain grants to fund part of their time abroad. It would appear that these grants are paid late, not before the February of the respective academic year. It is obvious that such late payment can complicate the situation for many students who therefore have to find other ways of financing their studies.

What does the Commission intend to do to remedy this state of affairs and ensure that grants are more promptly paid?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission

(12 March 1999)

The Commission would draw the Honourable Member's attention to the fact that student mobility under the Erasmus programme is a decentralised action managed by the national authorities designated for that purpose. The grant payment procedure is complex, involving various different partners, and is therefore subject to contingencies and delays which are beyond the Commission's control. The payment schedule for grants also depends on the type of student (i.e. from a Member State or from one of the central or eastern European countries participating in the programme) and the type of grant (standard grant, disabled student grant, grant for intensive language course).

As the Honourable Member is not specific about the case in question, the Commission is not in a position to investigate the matter in the departments concerned. However, since the contracts between the Commission and the national agencies for implementation of the student mobility programme in 1998-1999 were sent out at the beginning of June 1998 and the bank accounts of these agencies credited between 15 June 1998 and 24 July 1998 (in the case of France, the payments to the Centre National des Oeuvres Universitaires et Scolaires (CNOUS) were made on 6 July 1998 and the National Agency's account was credited on 29 July 1998), this kind of delay certainly seems unusual, even given that the agencies have to redistribute the money to the various higher education establishments, which must in turn transfer the grants to the students concerned. In view of university vacations, this can mean in some cases that the student only receives the Erasmus grant shortly before departure abroad under the scheme, if he or she is leaving at the beginning of the academic year. The Honourable Member should also take into account the fact that some agencies distribute the funds in two stages, and there is a redistribution exercise during the year, which enables additional funds to be allocated to certain students.

The Commission shares the Honourable Member's concern about the late payment of certain Erasmus grants and the problems this can cause for the more disadvantaged students. This is why it has decided, for 1999-2000, to speed up its own internal procedures to enable the agencies to sign their contracts in March so that the Community funds can be paid in May at the latest, which will enable the agencies to distribute the funds before the summer vacation. It will also, as in previous years, urge the agencies to take into account the socio-economic situation of students when awarding the grants.