Decision No 253/2000/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 January 2000 establishing the second phase of the Community action programme in the field of education 'Socrates'
Date: 2000-01-24
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, association agreement, cooperation agreement, education, international cooperation

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I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

DECISION No 253/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 24 January 2000

establishing the second phase of the Community action programme in the field of education
‘Socrates’

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community and in particular Articles 149 and 150 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (2),

Having regard to the opinion of
Regions (3),

the Committee of

the

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty (4),

In the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation
Committee on 10 November 1999,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

the Treaty establishing the European Community
provides that the latter's action shall contribute,
inter
to the development of quality education and
alia,
should
training; measures under
promote the European dimension of education and
contribute to the development of quality education with
a view to encouraging life-long learning;

this programme

by Decision No 819/95/EC the European Parliament and
the Council
action
programme Socrates (5);

the Community

established

the extraordinary European Council on employment
held in Luxembourg on 20 and 21 November 1997
recognised that lifelong education and training can make
an important contribution to the Member States'

(1) OJ C 314, 13.10.1998, p. 5.
(2) OJ C 410, 30.12.1998, p. 2.
(3) OJ C 51, 22.2.1999, p. 77.
(4) Opinion of the European Parliament of 5 November 1998 (OJ C
359, 23.11.1998, p. 60), Council
common position of 21
December 1998 (OJ C 49, 22.2.1999, p. 42), Decision of the Euro-
pean Parliament of 25 February 1999 (OJ C 153, 1.6.1999, p. 24)
and Decision of
the European Parliament of 15 December 1999
(not yet published in the Official Journal). Council Decision of 17
December 1999.

(5) OJ L 87, 20.4.1995, p. 10. Decision as amended by Decision No

576/98/EC (OJ L 77, 14.3.1998, p. 1 ).

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

employment policies in order to enhance employability,
adaptability and the culture of entrepreneurship and to
promote equal opportunities;

in its communication ‘Towards a Europe of Knowledge’,
the Commission set out guidelines for the creation of an
open and dynamic European education area capable of
achieving the objective of
life-long education and
training;

in its White Paper ‘Teaching and learning — Towards
the learning society’,the Commission stated 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
in its Green Paper ‘Education, training, research: the
obstacles to transnational mobility’,
the Commission
highlighted the advantages of mobility for people and
competitiveness in the European Union;

the Commission's aim, in line with the European Parlia-
ment's wish, is to attain a participation rate of around
10 % of schools under the Comenius action and of
around 10 % of students in the mobility activities under
the Erasmus action;

there is a need to promote active citizenship and to step
up the fight against exclusion in all its forms, including
racism and xenophobia; special attention should be
focused on promoting equality and furthering equal
opportunities for women and men; whereas special
attention should be given to persons with special needs;

the European Parliament and the Council,
in their
Decision on youth, and the Council, in Decision 1999/
382/EC on training (6), have established Community
action programmes for the youth and training fields
respectively, which contribute,
together with the
Socrates programme, to promoting a Europe of knowl-
edge;

(6) OJ L 146, 11.6.1999, p. 33.

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(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

(14)

it is necessary, in order to reinforce the added value of
Community action, that the Commission, in cooperation
with the Member States, should ensure, at all levels, a
coherence and a complementarity between the actions
implemented in the framework of this Decision and
instruments and
other relevant Community policies,
actions;

it is necessary to provide for the possibility of organising
joint activities involving the Socrates programme and
other Community programmes or actions that have an
educational dimension, thus encouraging synergies and
reinforcing the added value of Community action;

the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA
Agreement) provides for greater cooperation in the field
of education, training and youth between the European
Community and its Member States, on the one hand,
and the countries of the European Free Trade Associa-
tion participating in the European Economic Area
(EFTA/EEA countries), on the other;

provision should be made to open up this programme
to participation of the associated central and eastern
in accordance with the
European countries (CEEC),
conditions established in the Europe agreements, in their
additional protocols and in the decisions of the respec-
tive Association Councils, of Cyprus funded by addi-
tional appropriations in accordance with the procedures
to be agreed with that country, as well as of Malta and
Turkey, funded by additional appropriations in accord-
ance with the provisions of the Treaty;

this programme should be regularly monitored and eval-
uated in cooperation between the Commission and the
Member States in order to allow for readjustments,
particularly in the priorities for implementing the meas-
ures; whereas the evaluation should include an external
evaluation to be conducted by independent,
impartial
bodies;

in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and
proportionality as defined in Article 5 of the Treaty,
since the objectives of the proposed action concerning
the contribution of European cooperation to quality
education cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member
States,
inter alia, because of the need for multilateral
partnerships, multilateral mobility and Community-wide
exchanges of information, they can therefore be better
achieved by the Community owing to the transnational
dimension of the Community actions and measures; this
Decision does not go beyond what
is necessary to
achieve those objectives;

(15)

improvement of
transfer system
the European credit
(ECTS) is an effective means of ensuring that mobility
fully attains its objectives; universities participating in
the programme are to be encouraged to make the widest
possible use of the ECTS;

(16)

(17)

this Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the
programme, a financial
framework constituting the
prime reference, within the meaning of point 33 of the
interinstitutional agreement of 6 May 1999 between the
European Parliament,
the Council and the Commis-
sion (1), on budgetary discipline and improvement of the
budgetary procedure;

the measures necessary for the implementation of this
Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council
Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down
the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers
conferred on the Commission (2),

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Establishment of the programme

This Decision establishes

1.
the
Community action programme in the field of education, ‘Socra-
tes’, hereinafter referred to as ‘this programme’.

the second phase of

2.
This programme shall be implemented over the period
starting on 1 January 2000 and ending on 31 December 2006.

3.
This programme shall contribute to the promotion of a
Europe of knowledge through the development of the Euro-
pean dimension in 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.

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

Article 2

Objectives of the programme

In order to contribute to the development of quality education
and encourage life-long learning, while fully respecting the
responsibility of
the
programme shall be:

the Member States,

the objectives of

(a) to strengthen the European dimension in education at all
levels and to facilitate wide transnational access to educa-
tional resources in Europe while promoting equal oppor-
tunities throughout all fields of education;

(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;

(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

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(c) to promote cooperation and mobility in the field of educa-

(f) constant improvement of Community reference material

tion,

in particular by:

through the

— encouraging exchanges between educational

institu-

— observation and analysis of national education policies,

tions,

— observation and dissemination of good practice and

— promoting open and distance learning,

innovation,

— encouraging improvements

in the

recognition of

diplomas and periods of study,

— developing the exchange of information,

and to help remove the obstacles in this regard;

(d) to encourage innovation in the development of educational
practices and materials including, where appropriate, the
use of new technologies, and to explore matters of
common policy interest in the field of education.

— comprehensive exchange of information.

Article 4

Access to the programme

Under the conditions and arrangements for implementa-
this programme is aimed in

1.
tion specified in the Annex,
particular at:

(a) pupils, students or other learners;

Article 3

(b) staff directly involved in education;

Community actions

1.
The objectives of this programme as set out in Article 2
shall be pursued by means of the following actions, the opera-
tional content and the application procedures of which are
described in the Annex:

Action 1

School education (Comenius);

Action 2

Higher education (Erasmus);

Action 3

Adult education and other educational pathways
(Grundtvig);

Action 4

Teaching and learning of languages (Lingua);

Action 5

information and
Open and distance learning;
communication technologies in the field of educa-
tion (Minerva);

Action 6

Observation and innovation;

Action 7

Joint actions;

Action 8

Accompanying measures.

These

actions

2.
following types of measures,
operations which may combine several of the measures:

implemented through the
transnational

in the form of

shall be

(a) support for the transnational mobility of people in the field

of education in Europe;

(b) support for the use of information and communication

technologies (ICT) in education;

(c) support for the development of transnational cooperation
networks facilitating the exchange of experience and good
practice;

(d) promotion of language skills and understanding of different

cultures;

(c) all

types of educational

institutions specified by each

Member State;

(d) the persons and bodies responsible for education systems
and policies at local, regional and national level within the
Member States.

2.
Public or private bodies cooperating with educational
institutions may also take part in appropriate actions under this
programme,

in particular:

— local and regional bodies and organisations,

— associations working in the field of education,

including

students', pupils', teachers' and parents' associations,

— companies and consortia, trade organisations and Cham-

bers of Commerce and Industry,

— social partners and their organisations at all

levels,

— research centres and bodies.

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 conformity with the Annex,

— consult the social partners and relevant associations in the
field of education at European level and shall inform the
Committee referred to in Article 8(1) of their opinions.

2.

The Member States shall

— take the necessary steps to ensure the efficient running of
involving all the
the programme at Member State level
parties concerned in education in accordance with national
practice,

(e) support

for innovatory pilot projects based on trans-
national partnerships designed to develop innovation and
quality in education;

— establish an appropriate structure for

the coordinated
management of the implementation of the programme's
actions at Member State level (Socrates national agencies),

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— endeavour to adopt such measures as they deem appro-
priate to remove legal and administrative obstacles to
access to this programme,

— take steps to ensure that potential synergies with other
Community programmes are realised at Member State level.

The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States,

3.
shall ensure

— the transition between those actions carried out within the
framework of the preceding programme in the field of
education (Socrates, established by Decision No 819/95/EC)
and those to be implemented under this programme,

— the dissemination of the results of the actions undertaken
within the framework of the preceding programme in the
field of education (Socrates) and of those to be imple-
mented under this programme,

— appropriate information, publicity and follow-up with

regard to actions supported by this programme.

Article 6

Joint Actions

As part of the process of building up a Europe of knowledge,
the measures contained in this programme may be imple-
mented in accordance with the procedures laid down in Article
8(2) as joint actions with related Community programmes and
actions, particularly Leonardo da Vinci and Youth as well as
Community programmes in the field of research and develop-
ment and new technologies.

Article 7

Implementing measures

1.
The measures necessary for the implementation of this
Decision relating to the matters referred to below shall be
adopted in accordance with the management procedure
referred to in Article 8(2).

(a) the annual plan of work, including priorities, themes for
joint actions and the selection criteria and procedures;

(b) the financial support to be supplied by the Community
(amounts, duration and recipients) and the general guide-
lines for implementing the programme;

(c) the annual budget and the breakdown of funds among the

different actions of the programme;

(d) the breakdown of funds among the Member States for the

actions to be managed on a decentralised basis;

(e) the arrangements

for monitoring and evaluating the
programme and for the dissemination and transfer of
results;

(f) Commission proposals

for project
those under action 7 (Joint actions).

selection,

including

2.
The measures necessary for the implementation of this
Decision relating to all other matters shall be adopted in

accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article
8(3).

Article 8

Committee

1.

The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the
provisions of Article 8 thereof.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC
shall be set at two months.

3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 3 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the
provisions of Article 8 thereof.

4.

The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Article 9

Cooperation with other programme committees and
information on other Community initiatives

1.
The Committee shall establish regular and structured
cooperation with the Committee set up within the framework
of the Leonardo da Vinci action programme for the imple-
mentation of a Community vocational training policy as well
as with the Committee set up within the framework of the
Youth Community action programme.

2.
To ensure the consistency of this programme with other
measures referred to in Article 11, the Commission shall keep
the Committee regularly informed about Community initiatives
taken in the fields of education, training and youth, including
cooperation with third countries and international organ-
isations.

Article 10

Funding

1.
The financial framework for the implementation of this
programme for the period specified in Article 1 is hereby set at
EUR 1 850 million.

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

Article 11

Consistency and complementarity

The Commission shall, in cooperation with the Member
1.
States, ensure overall consistency and complementarity with
other relevant Community policies,
instruments and actions.
The programme shall contribute to achieving the aims of
Community policy in the areas of equality, equal opportunities
for women and men and promotion of social

inclusion.

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The Commission shall ensure an efficient link-up between this
programme and the programmes and actions in the area of
education undertaken within the framework of the Communi-
ty's cooperation with third countries and the competent inter-
national organisations.

2.
In implementing the measures of this programme, the
Commission and the Member States shall have regard to the
priorities set out in the employment guidelines adopted by the
Council, as part of a coordinated employment strategy.

Article 12

Participation of the EFTA/EEA countries, the associated
central and eastern European countries (CEEC), Cyprus,
Malta and Turkey

This programme shall be open to the participation of
— the EFTA/EEA countries in accordance with the conditions

established in the EEA agreement,

— 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,

— Cyprus, funded by additional appropriations in accordance

with procedures to be agreed with that country,

— Malta and Turkey, funded by additional appropriations in

accordance with the provisions of the Treaty.

Article 13

International cooperation

Under this programme, and in accordance with the procedure
laid down in Article 8(2), the Commission may cooperate with
third countries and with the competent international organ-
isations,

in particular the Council of Europe.

Article 14

Monitoring and evaluation

1.
The Commission shall regularly monitor this programme
in cooperation with the Member States. The results of the
monitoring and evaluation process should be utilised when
implementing the programme.

This monitoring shall include the reports referred to in para-
graph 3 and specific activities.

This programme shall be evaluated regularly by the
2.
Commission in cooperation with the Member States. This
evaluation is intended to assess the relevance, effectiveness and

impact of actions implemented with regard to the objectives
referred to in Article 2. It will also look at the impact of the
programme as a whole.

This evaluation will also examine the complementarity between
action under this programme and that pursued under other
relevant Community policies,

instruments and actions.

In accordance with criteria established using the procedure
described in Article 8(2), there will be regular independent
external evaluations of this programme.

3. Member States shall submit to the Commission by 31
December 2003 and 30 June 2007, respectively, reports on the
implementation and the impact of this programme.

The Commission shall submit to the European Parlia-
4.
ment, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the
Committee of the Regions:

these

consequences of

— on the accession of new Member States, a report on the
accessions on the
financial
programme, followed, if appropriate, by financial proposals
to deal with the financial consequences of these accessions
on the programme, in accordance with the provisions of
the interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between
the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission
on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary
procedure and with the conclusions of the Berlin European
Council of March 1999. The European Parliament and the
Council will take a decision on such proposals as soon as
possible,

— an interim evaluation report on the results achieved and on
the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementa-
tion of this programme by 30 June 2004,

— a communication on the continuation of this programme

by 31 December 2006,

— an ex post evaluation report by 31 December 2007.

Article 15

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publica-
tion in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Done at Brussels, 24 January 2000.

For the European Parliament

For the Council

The President

N. FONTAINE

The President

J. GAMA

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I. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL PROVISIONS

ANNEX

1. The objectives laid down in Article 2 are to be implemented by means of the actions set out in this Annex on the

basis of the Community measures described in Article 3.

2. The provisions relating to the timetable, the conditions for the submission of applications and the eligibility and
selection criteria are to be determined in accordance with Article 8(2) and published regularly by the Commission in
the ‘Socrates Guidelines for Applicants’. In addition calls for proposals will be published, specifying all deadlines for
the submission of proposals.

3.

In the context of activities involving the mobility of persons, adequate linguistic preparation should be provided in
order to ensure that the beneficiaries possess the necessary competence in the language(s) of instruction in the host
establishment. Appropriate organisational arrangements should be made at the home and host establishments in order
to ensure that maximum benefit is derived from the mobility activity in question.

4. The projects coordinated by universities under the various actions of the programme should form part of the

‘institutional contract’ of the institutions concerned provided for in Action 2.

5. Supporting measures may be taken to promote access and participation by persons with special educational needs.
Where appropriate, positive actions may be taken in order to promote equal opportunities for women and men.
Activities giving special emphasis to intercultural aspects or to promoting competence in other languages,
in
particular the less widely used and less taught languages of the Community, are to be particularly encouraged. The
promotion of all types of open and distance learning, as well as the appropriate use of information and communi-
cation technology, is to be encouraged across all actions of the programme. Under all actions of the programme,
particular attention will be paid to the dissemination of results.

II. COMMUNITY ACTIONS

This Annex contains two main types of actions:

— the first type, Actions 1 to 3, is aimed at the three basic stages of life-long education (school, university, other);

— the second type, Actions 4 to 8, concerns transversal measures in fields such as languages,

information and
communication technology (ICT) for educational purposes, including in particular educational multimedia and the
exchange of information, as well as matters of horizontal interest such as innovation, the dissemination of results,
joint actions and the evaluation of the programme.

ACTION 1:

‘COMENIUS’: SCHOOL EDUCATION

Action 1.1

School partnerships

Action 1.2

Initial and in-service training of staff involved in school education

Action 1.3

Networks related to school partnerships and the training of staff involved in school education

ACTION 2:

‘ERASMUS’: HIGHER EDUCATION

Action 2.1

European interuniversity cooperation

Action 2.2

Mobility of students and university teachers

Action 2.3

Thematic networks

ACTION 3:

‘GRUNDTVIG’: ADULT EDUCATION AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS

ACTION 4:

‘LINGUA’: TEACHING AND LEARNING OF LANGUAGES

ACTION 5:

‘MINERVA’: OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING, INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOL-
OGIES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION

ACTION 6:

OBSERVATION AND INNOVATION

Action 6.1:

Observation of education systems, policies and innovation

Action 6.2:

Innovatory initiatives responding to emerging needs

ACTION 7:

JOINT ACTIONS

ACTION 8:

ACCOMPANYING MEASURES

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ACTION 1:

‘COMENIUS’: SCHOOL EDUCATION

Comenius seeks to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of school education, in particular by
encouraging transnational cooperation between schools and contributing to improved professional development of staff
directly involved in the school education sector, and to promote the learning of languages and intercultural awareness.

Action 1.1: School partnerships

1. The Community encourages the creation of multilateral partnerships between schools. Such partnerships may also
involve other appropriate bodies, such as teacher training establishments, local institutions and authorities, businesses
or cultural establishments as well as parents', pupils' and other relevant organisations.

2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:

(a) projects which focus on one or more topics of common interest to the participating schools,

involving:

— the participation of pupils in project preparation and project activities,

including project-related mobility

where appropriate,

— the mobility of teachers to prepare and monitor a project or to teach in another Member State, including

in-company placements,

— the development of teaching material and the exchange of good practice;

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

(c) projects aimed at promoting intercultural awareness and in particular those designed to help combat racism and
xenophobia or to address the specific needs of the children of migrant workers, gypsies and travellers and
occupational travellers;

(d) projects addressing issues related to pupils with special educational needs, with particular attention to the

integration of such pupils into mainstream schooling.

3. Schools wishing to take part in this action shall submit a brief outline description of the activities which they plan to
carry out during the coming school year within the framework of this programme (‘Comenius Plan’). The Comenius
Plan shall enable the Socrates national agencies to take into account the overall development of European activities of
the respective school when carrying out the selection under this action.

Action 1.2: Initial and in-service training of staff involved in school education

1. The Community is to support multilateral projects undertaken by establishments and bodies active in the initial or
in-service training of staff directly involved in school education. The participation of schools and other players
involved in the field of education described in Article 4 of the Decision is to be encouraged, as is the involvement of
supervisory bodies at regional and local

level, where appropriate.

2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:

Mobility actions:

(a) mobility undertaken for the purpose of initial training, including practical training periods, language assistantships

and in-company placements;

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

(c) mobility of limited duration, including immersion courses, for language teachers, staff retraining as language
teachers, qualified teachers intending soon to return to employment as language teachers, and teaching staff of
other disciplines required or wishing to teach in a foreign language;

Multilateral cooperation projects concerning:

(d) contributions to the development of curricula, courses, modules or teaching material in the context of reinforcing

the European dimension of school education;

(e) training activities and information exchange concerning school management and related services such as guidance

and counselling;

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(f) education and training activities and information exchange designed to enhance intercultural awareness in school
education or to promote the integration and improved educational achievement of children of migrant workers,
gypsies and travellers and occupational travellers;

(g) activities concerning the training and development of staff involved in the education of pupils at risk and of pupils

with special educational needs.

Action 1.3: Networks related to school partnerships and the training of staff involved in school education

The Community is to promote the networking of school partnerships and of projects concerned with the training of staff
involved in school education, supported within Actions 1.1 and 1.2 respectively, to enable cooperation to take place on
subjects of mutual interest, the dissemination of results and good practice and discussion of qualitative and innovatory
aspects of school education. The staff training networks are to be developed, where appropriate, in close cooperation with
the university ‘thematic networks’ provided for in the Erasmus action.

ACTION 2:

‘ERASMUS’: HIGHER EDUCATION

to encourage
Erasmus seeks to enhance the quality and reinforce the European dimension of higher education,
transnational cooperation between universities, to boost European mobility in the higher education sector and to improve
transparency and academic recognition of studies and qualifications throughout the Community.

Participating universities conclude ‘institutional contracts’ with the Commission covering all the Erasmus activities
approved. Such contracts will normally be of three years' duration and will be renewable.

Action 2.1: European interuniversity cooperation

1. The Community supports interuniversity cooperation activities including the development of innovative projects,
carried out by universities in conjunction with partners in other Member States, with the participation, where
appropriate, of other players involved in education, as described in Article 4 of the Decision.

2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:

(a) the organisation of mobility of students and university teachers;

(b) joint development and implementation of curricula, modules, intensive courses or other educational activities,

including multidisciplinary activities and the teaching of subjects in other languages;

(c) consolidation, extension and further development of the European credit transfer system (ECTS), which is designed

to facilitate academic recognition in other Member States.

Action 2.2: Mobility of students and university teachers

1. The Community supports transnational mobility activities concerning:

(a) students,

in accordance with point 2;

(b) university teachers,

for the purpose of carrying out teaching assignments likely to enhance the European

dimension or extend the range of courses offered by the universities concerned.

2. Students who, after completing at least their first year of studies, spend three to 12 months in another Member State
within the framework of this Action, will be considered ‘Erasmus students’, regardless whether they have been
awarded financial support in accordance with point 3. Such periods are fully recognised under the interuniversity
agreements forming part of the institutional contracts and may include integrated in-company placements where
appropriate. The host universities will not charge tuition fees to Erasmus students. Students with special needs will be
given particular attention.

3. Community financial assistance may be awarded for:

— the mobility of students. The Member States may, in awarding Community grants, take appropriate account of the
economic situation of applicants. 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;

— the mobility of university teachers;

— preparatory measures,

in accordance with Section IV B, point 4.

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Action 2.3: Thematic networks

The Community promotes the development and consolidation of thematic networks, each enabling a large grouping of
universities to cooperate on topics relating to one or more disciplines or on other matters of mutual interest in order to
disseminate innovation, facilitate the spread of good practice, encourage discussion of qualitative and innovative aspects
of higher education, improve teaching methods and stimulate the development of joint programmes and specialised
courses. The involvement of representatives of learned societies, professional associations and socioeconomic circles is to
be encouraged. Special attention will be paid to the dissemination of results.

ACTION 3:

‘GRUNDTVIG’: ADULT EDUCATION AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS

1. As a complement to Action 1 (school education) and Action 2 (higher education), Grundtvig seeks to encourage the
European dimension of life-long learning, to contribute — through enhanced transnational cooperation — to
innovation and improved availability, accessibility and quality of other educational pathways, and to promote the
learning of languages. The action is thus addressed to people who, at whatever stage of their life, seek access to
knowledge and competences within the framework of formal or non-formal education or by means of autonomous
learning, thereby increasing their intercultural awareness and employability and enhancing their capacity to progress
in education and play a full and active role in society.

2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for transnational projects and initiatives seeking to promote:

(a) adults'

individual demand for and their participation in life-long learning activities;

(b) acquisition or updating of competences for persons lacking basic education and qualifications;

(c) the development, exchange and dissemination of innovative educational approaches and good practice, including

the development and dissemination of modules and appropriate teaching material;

(d) the development of information and support services for adult learners and for providers of adult education,

including services related to guidance and counselling;

(e) the development of tools and methods for the assessment, validation or certification of the knowledge, skills and
competences acquired by adult learners, including by means of experiential or autonomous learning or through
non-formal education;

(f) improved competence in other Community languages or enhanced international awareness among adult learners

and those involved in the provision of adult education;

(g) the development of initial or in-service training for educational staff working in this sector;

(h) visits and exchanges, for persons including those providing adult education or the training of adult educators;

(i) projects addressing adult learners with special educational needs.

3. The Community encourages the creation of European networks to strengthen the links between the various parties
involved in this area to enable them to cooperate on a more stable basis on matters of common interest, and to
enhance their awareness of the European dimension of education.

ACTION 4:

‘LINGUA’: TEACHING AND LEARNING OF LANGUAGES

1. The aim of the Lingua action is to support transversal measures relating to the learning of languages, with a view to
helping to promote and maintain linguistic diversity within the Community, to improve the quality of language
teaching and learning and to facilitate access to life-long language learning opportunities tailored to individual
requirements. Particular attention is to be given to intensifying transnational contacts in the language teaching
profession and among those responsible for language teaching policies throughout the Community in all educational
sectors. In this way, Lingua both complements and enriches measures related to the promotion of language-learning
under other actions of this programme,

in particular Actions 1, 2 and 3.

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 Communi-
ties are drawn up) and Lëtzeburgesch (a language spoken throughout the territory of Luxembourg). Special attention
shall be paid throughout the programme to promoting the less widely used and less widely taught of these languages.

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3. Community financial assistance may be awarded to the following transnational

language-learning projects and

activities:

(a) awareness-raising activities designed to draw attention to the importance of language-learning and the availability

of language-learning opportunities;

(b) activities seeking to promote and/or spread innovations and good practice, such as the early learning of languages

or multilingual comprehension;

(c) the development and exchange of curricula, production of new teaching material and improvement of methods

and tools for the recognition of language competence;

(d) exchange of information and transnational networking of resource centres;

(e) the development of measures to promote competence in foreign languages as required in specific situations and

contexts, and insofar as these are not related to specific professions;

(f) addressing issues related to the teaching and learning of languages arising from further enlargement of the

Community.

ACTION 5: ‘MINERVA’ OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING, INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION

1. The aim of this action is to support transversal measures relating to open and distance learning (ODL) and the use of
information and communication technologies (ICT), including multimedia, in the field of education. In so doing, it
complements and enriches the corresponding measures provided for within the other actions of this programme.

These measures serve a triple purpose:

— to promote improved understanding among teachers, learners, educational decision-makers and the public at large
of the implications of ODL and, in particular ICT for education, and the critical, responsible use of tools and
methods which utilise such technologies for educational purposes,

— to support awareness of the need to ensure that pedagogical considerations are given proper weight in the

development of ICT-based educational products, notably multimedia, and

— to promote access to improved methods and educational resources and to results achieved, in particular through

transnational exchange of information, experience and good practice.

2. Community financial assistance may be awarded for the following:

(a) projects and studies aimed at helping those involved in education to understand and exploit the innovative
processes under way, in particular those relating to the use of ICT in teaching and learning, the development of
innovative instruments and approaches, and methods for establishing criteria for quality assessment of ICT-based
educational products and services;

(b) projects to develop and test new methods, modules and resources for ODL and ICT;

(c) projects for the development and interconnection of services and systems providing information for teachers,
decision-makers and other actors involved in education on educational methods and resources which utilise ODL
and ICT;

(d) activities to support the exchange of ideas and experience relating to ODL and the use of ICT in education, in
particular the networking of resource centres, teacher training institutions, experts, decision-makers and project
coordinators on subjects of common interest.

ACTION 6: OBSERVATION AND INNOVATION

This action contributes to improving the quality and transparency of education systems and furthering the process of
educational innovation in Europe through the exchange of information and experience, the identification of good practice,
the comparative analysis of systems and policies in this field, and the discussion and analysis of matters of common
educational policy interest to be determined by the Council.

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Action 6.1: Observation of education systems, policies and innovation

1. Making optimal use of existing structures wherever possible, this action consists of the following:

(a) collection of descriptive and statistical data, and comparative analysis of educational systems and policies in the

Member States;

(b) development of methods for evaluating the quality of education, including the development of appropriate criteria

and indicators;

(c) development and updating of databases and other information resources on innovatory experiments;

(d) dissemination of experience resulting from relevant activities supported at Community and Member State level;

(e) facilitation of the recognition of diplomas, qualifications and periods of learning at all educational levels in other

Member States.

2. To this end, Community financial assistance may be awarded for:

(a) the information network on education in Europe,

‘Eurydice’, comprising the European Unit set up by the
Commission and units set up by the Member States to enable it to make a full contribution to the implementation
of this action. The network will in particular be called upon to collect and exchange information on education
systems and policies, to develop data bases, to produce comparative studies and to draw up indicators. Eurydice
will seek, when necessary, relevant support from external experts;

(b) the organisation of and participation in ‘Arion’ multilateral study visits for decision-makers and senior managers
of educational
institutions in any sector of education, designed to facilitate exchanges of information and
experience on subjects of mutual interest to the Member States. The Commission and Member States will ensure
appropriate dissemination of the results of the visits and promote their interactivity with other actions within this
programme;

(c) networking of institutes and other appropriately qualified bodies engaged in analysing educational systems and

policies, as well as of the bodies involved in the evaluation of educational quality;

(d) studies, analyses, pilot projects, seminars, exchanges of experts and other appropriate actions relating to matters of
common educational policy interest bringing together decision-makers on the priority themes to be determined by
the Council. The Commission may call upon the services of a group of experts to assist it in ensuring the
reliability of the analytical work carried out within the framework of these activities. The arrangements for
establishing the group will be determined in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision;

(e) activities designed to promote the recognition of diplomas, qualifications and periods of learning, notably studies,
analyses, pilot projects and the exchange of information and experience. The Community network of national
academic recognition information centres (NARIC) will make a full contribution in this regard. In particular, it will
collect and disseminate authenticated information which is necessary for the purpose of academic recognition,
also bearing in mind synergies with the professional recognition of diplomas.

3.

In implementing this action, close cooperation will be ensured in particular with the Statistical Office of the European
Communities (Eurostat), the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), the European
Training Foundation (ETF) and appropriate international organisations, notably the Council of Europe, the Organ-
isation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Action 6.2: Innovatory initiatives responding to emerging needs

In addition to the cooperation activities provided for in the other actions of the present programme, the Community may
support transnational projects and studies aimed at helping to develop innovations in one or more specific sectors of
education. The subjects to be given priority are to be determined by the Council and reviewed regularly to enable
adaptation to the new requirements which emerge during the period covered by this programme.

ACTION 7: JOINT ACTIONS

1.

In accordance with Article 6 of the Decision, Community support may be provided within the framework of this
programme for Joint Actions with other Community programmes and actions promoting a Europe of knowledge, in
particular the Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes.

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2. Such joint actions may be carried out by common calls for proposals on selected themes of common interest which
are not exclusively covered by any single programme concerned, to be determined in accordance with Article 8(2), of
the Decision and agreed with the committees of the other programmes and actions involved.

3. Appropriate steps will be taken to promote regional and local contact and interaction between the players taking part

in this programme and in the Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes.

ACTION 8: ACCOMPANYING MEASURES

1. Community financial assistance may be awarded to the following initiatives aimed at promoting the objectives of this
programme, provided that such initiatives are not eligible for assistance under other actions of the programme:

(a) awareness-raising activities to promote cooperation in the field of education, including support for appropriate

competitions and other events designed to enhance the European dimension of education;

(b) transnational activities carried out by associations and other non-governmental bodies active in the field of

education, as well as bodies concerned with educational guidance and counselling;

(c) conferences and symposia on innovations in the sectors targeted by the programme;

(d) activities aimed at training persons involved in the management of European cooperation projects in the field of

education;

(e) measures to optimise and disseminate the results of projects and activities carried out with the support of this

programme or its previous phase;

(f) activities involving cooperation with third countries and with the competent international organisations,

in

particular the Council of Europe,

in accordance with Article 13 of the Decision.

2. Community financial assistance will be provided to support the activities of the Socrates national agencies set up by
the Member States in accordance with Article 5 of the Decision, and to ensure the effective monitoring and evaluation
of this programme.

3.

In carrying out the programme, the Commission may have recourse to experts and to technical assistance organ-
isations, the financing of which may be provided for within the overall financial framework for the programme.
Furthermore, the Commission may organise such seminars, colloquia or other meetings of experts as are likely to
facilitate the implementation of the programme, and undertake appropriate information, publication and dissemina-
tion actions.

III. SELECTION PROCEDURES

Procedures for the proposal and selection of the activities referred to in this Annex are as follows:

1. Decentralised actions

The following actions, under which the selection decisions are taken by the Member States, are to be considered
‘decentralised’:

(a) — Action 1.1 (School partnerships)

— Action 1.2, point 2(a), (b), (c) (Mobility actions within training partnerships for school educational staff)

— Action 3, point 2(h) (Visits and exchanges in adult education)

— Action 6.1, point 2(b) (Arion study visits)

— preparatory visits under all actions.

Requests for financial assistance submitted under these actions are to be submitted to the Socrates national
agencies designated by the Member States in accordance with Article 5 of the Decision. The Member States, with
the assistance of the Socrates national agencies, will carry out the selection and allocate financial assistance to the
applicants selected in accordance with general guidelines to be established under Article 8(2) of the Decision.

(b) Action 2.2, point 3 (Mobility of students and university teachers)

The awarding of the financial assistance to students and university teachers for mobility assignments within the
institutional contracts mentioned in Action 2.1 and for the organisation of the mobility of students and university
teachers will be carried out by Member States with the assistance of the Socrates national agencies designated
pursuant to Article 5 of the Decision, taking into account the past performance of the universities concerned, in
accordance with general guidelines to be established under Article 8(2) of the Decision.

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2. Centralised actions

The following actions, under which the selection decisions are taken by the Commission, are to be considered
‘centralised’:

(a) — Action 1.2, point 2(d), (e), (f), (g) (Multilateral cooperation activities)

— Action 3, point 2(a) to (g) and (i) (Multilateral cooperation activities)

— Action 4 (Lingua)

— Action 5 (Minerva)

— Action 6.2 (Innovatory initiatives).

For the selection of projects under these actions, the following procedure will apply:

(i) project coordinators will submit a project proposal to the Commission and send a copy to the Socrates

national agency designated by the respective Member State;

(ii) the Commission, with the assistance of independent experts will assess the project proposals. National

agencies may provide the Commission with their assessment of these proposals;

(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, upon request of the Member State, consult with the Member State concerned. The duration of this
consultation process shall not exceed two weeks;

(iv) the Commission will submit to the committee a proposal on the final selection (projects to be supported and
amounts to be awarded) in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 8(2) of the Decision;

(v) after receiving the opinion of the committee, the Commission will establish the list of selected projects and

allocate the amounts to be awarded.

In certain cases, owing in particular to the scale and nature of the activities in question, a two-phase procedure
may be adopted. In such cases, the procedure set out above is preceded by the submission and selection of
pre-proposals. The decision in this regard and the arrangements for the pre-selection will be determined in
accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision.

(b) — Action 1.3 (Networks related to school partnerships and the training of staff involved in school education)

— Action 2.1 (European inter-university cooperation)

— Action 2.3 (Erasmus thematic networks)

— Action 3.3 (Networks in adult education)

— Action 6.1, points 2(a), (c), (d), (e) (Observation)

— Action 8 (Accompanying Measures)

Project proposals under these actions will be submitted to the Commission. The Commission, in the case of Actions
1.3, 2.3 and 3.3 with the assistance of independent experts, will assess the project proposals. Decisions on the project
proposals will be taken by the Commission after receiving the opinion of the committee in accordance with Article
8(2) of the Decision.

The two-phase procedure referred to in the final paragraph of Section III.2(a) will apply to Actions 1.3, 2.3 and 3.3
under the same conditions as set out in that paragraph.

3.

Joint actions

Procedures for selection under Action 7 of the programme (Joint Actions) will be determined in accordance with
Article 8(2) of the Decision. Where appropriate, the procedures set out above may be adapted in order to meet the
special requirements of the Joint Actions in question. The Commission will make every effort to ensure optimal
coordination between these procedures and those adopted within the other Community programmes or actions with
which the Joint Actions in question are implemented.

4. The Commission, assisted by the Member States, will endeavour to ensure that the selection decisions are made
known to applicants at the latest five months after the closing date for submission of applications under the action in
question. For projects selected in accordance with the two-phase procedure provided for under point 2(a) and (b), this
will only refer to the second stage of the selection (full project proposal).

5. The Commission and, in the case of decentralised actions, the Member States will seek to ensure optimal coordination
between the procedures and deadlines for submitting and selecting applications for support within this programme
and the Community programmes in the fields of vocational training and youth respectively.

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IV. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

A. Decentralised actions

1. The Community funds intended to provide financial support under the actions identified as decentralised in
Section III, point l, are to be allocated among the Member States in accordance with the following formulae:

(a) a minimum amount to be determined in accordance with budgetary availability for the action concerned will

be allocated to each Member State;

(b) the remainder will be allocated to the various Member States on the basis of:

(i) the difference in the cost of living between the Member State of origin and the host Member State;

(ii) the distance and cost of travel between the Member State of origin and the host Member State to be

calculated taking into account the lowest travel price for the journey concerned;

(iii) the country's total number of:

— pupils and teachers in school education for Action 1.1 (School partnerships) and Action 1.2 point

2(a), (b), (c) (Mobility actions within training partnerships for school education staff);

— students in higher education for Action 2.2, point 3 (Mobility of students). The number of graduates
should be limited in its scope as a subsidiary and complementary factor to be determined in
accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision to qualify, where appropriate, the allocation to the
Member States;

— university teachers for Action 2.2 point 3 (Mobility of university teachers).

2. The Community funds thus distributed are to be administered by the Member States with the assistance of the

Socrates national agencies provided for in Article 5 of the Decision.

3. The Commission, acting in cooperation with the Member States, will take the necessary measures to encourage
balanced participation at Community, national and, where appropriate, regional level, and, in the case of higher
education, across the various fields of study. The proportion allocated to these measures must not exceed 5 % of
the annual budget for financing each of the Actions in question.

4. The arrangements for the allocation of funds to each Member State for the mobility activities provided for in
Action 3, point 2(h) (Adult education visits and exchanges) and 6.1, point 2, second indent (Arion), for the
organisation of the mobility of students and university teachers in accordance with Section III. l.(b), for the
support of preparatory visits and for the preparatory measures referred to in Section IV, point B.4 will be decided
upon by the Commission after receiving the opinion of the committee in accordance with Article 8(2) of the
Decision.

B. Other provisions

1. Having due regard to the quality and quantity of applications for financial support, the following guidelines will

be taken into account when allocating resources in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision:

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

available for this programme;

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

available for this programme;

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

available for this programme;

(d) the resources to be committed for financial assistance for the Socrates national agencies under Action 8.2 and
for technical assistance under Action 8.3 will not exceed 4,5 % of the total annual budget available for this
programme.

The above percentages are indicative and may be adapted in accordance with Article 8(2) of the Decision.

2. As a general rule, Community financial assistance granted for projects under this programme is intended partially
to offset the estimated cost necessary to carry out the activities concerned and may cover a maximum period of
three years, subject to a periodic review of progress achieved. The Community contribution will not normally
exceed 75 % of the total cost of any specific project, except in the case of accompanying measures. Assistance
may be granted in advance to enable preparatory visits to take place in respect of the projects in question.

The amount to be made available in the annual budget of the programme for activities under Action 8.1 (f) shall
not exceed EUR 250 000.

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3. The specific situation of persons with special needs will be taken into account when determining the amount of

Community financial assistance to be awarded.

4. With regard to activities involving the mobility of persons, Community financial assistance may be awarded to
help ensure adequate preparation for the period to be spent in another Member State. Such preparatory measures
may include in particular language courses, information on social and cultural aspects of the host Member State,
etc.

V. DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this Decision:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

‘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;

‘decision-makers’ means any category of staff with managerial, assessment, training, guidance and inspection duties in
the field of education and persons responsible for this area at local, regional and national level and within ministries;

‘guidance and counselling’ means a range of activities such as information, assessment, orientation and advice to assist
learners to make choices relating to education and training programmes or employment opportunities;

‘life-long learning’ means the education and training opportunities offered to individuals throughout their lives to
enable them continually to acquire, update and adapt their knowledge, skills and competences;

‘open and distance learning’ means any form of flexible education, whether or not involving the use of information
and communication technologies;

‘project’ means transnational cooperation activity developed jointly by a formal or informal grouping of organisations
or institutions;

‘pupil’ means persons enrolled in that capacity at a ‘school’ as defined in this Annex;

‘resource centre’ means a body engaged in the production, collection or dissemination of documentation, materials or
methodologies relating to a sector of activity addressed by this programme, such as languages or information and
communication technologies related to education;

‘school’ means all types of institutions providing general (nursery, primary or secondary), vocational or technical
education and, exceptionally, in the case of measures to promote language learning, non-school institutions providing
apprenticeship training;

‘social partners’ means, at national level, employers' and workers' organisations in conformity with national laws
and/or practices and, at Community level, employers' and workers' organisations taking part in the social dialogue at
Community level;

‘student’ means persons registered in ‘universities’ as defined by this Annex, whatever their field of study, in order to
follow higher education studies leading to a degree or diploma, up to and including the level of doctorate;

‘teacher/educational staff’ means persons who, through their duties, are involved directly in the educational process in
the Member States,

in accordance with the organisation of their respective education system;

‘university’ means any type of higher education institution, according to national legislation or practice, which offers
qualifications or diplomas at that level, whatever such establishments may be called in the Member States;

‘university teacher’ means any category of personnel employed in that capacity at a ‘university’ as defined in this
Annex.