COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Main actions implementing the Erasmus Programme Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing 'Erasmus': the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Regulation (EU) 1288/2013
Date: 2018-05-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, cooperation in the field of education, education, education policy, sport, vocational training, youth policy

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.5.2018 SWD(2018) 276 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Main actions implementing the Erasmus Programme  Accompanying the document Proposal for a  Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing 'Erasmus': the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Regulation (EU) 1288/2013 {COM(2018) 367 final} - {SEC(2018) 265 final} - {SWD(2018) 277 final}  
 
 
This  document  provides  further  information  on  the  main  actions  implementing  the  Erasmus 
Programme  for  the  period  2021-2027.  It  outlines  the  architecture  and  key  features  of  the 
different  actions.  It  also  describes  in  general  terms  the  format  of  the  activities  and  the  key 
actors implementing and benefiting from these actions.  

KEY ACTION 1 – LEARNING MOBILITY IN EDUCATION, TRAINING, YOUTH 
AND SPORT 

1)  MOBILITY  PROJECTS  IN  THE  FIELD  OF  EDUCATION,  TRAINING,  YOUTH 
AND SPORT 

This action offers a wide range of opportunities for European and third country nationals to 
undertake learning mobility experiences in another country. 

The  mobility  activities  supported  by  Erasmus  will  have  different  purposes  (such  as  study, 
training,  non-formal  learning,  work-based  learning,  socio-educational  and  professional 
development)  and  different  formats  (short  and  long  term,  virtual,  blended  mobility1,  group 
and individual mobility). 

In  terms  of  geographical  scope,  mobility  activities  will  mostly  be  transnational  (involving 
participants  and  organisations  from  Member  States  and  third  countries  associated  to  the 
Programme), and international (involving participants and organisations from Member States 
and third countries). International mobility activities will be supported in the fields of higher 
education, youth and vocational education and training, Individuals will not receive a direct 
grant  from  the  programme.  They  will  be  selected  by  institutions  and  organisations  that 
promote  mobility  opportunities.  These  institutions  and  organisations  will  set  up  mobility 
projects  -  often  combining  a  number  and  different  types  of  mobility  activities  -  and  request 
financial support from the programme. The Erasmus grant will contribute to covering both the 
costs  of  the  individuals  and  the  costs  of  the  institutions  and  organisations  for  arranging  the 
mobility activities. 

Depending  on the profile of participants  involved, the following types of  mobility activities 
are supported under Key Action 1: 

  Mobility  of  higher  education  students,  in  any  subject area/academic  discipline,  during 
which  students,  including  recent  graduates,  can  either  study  abroad  at  a  partner  higher 
education institution for a period of time, carry out a traineeship in an enterprise or any 
other relevant workplace or do both, in combination while abroad. 

1  Combination of both physical and virtual mobility 

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  Mobility  of  vocational education  and  training  learners,  covering  short  and  long-term 
mobility periods of learners (ErasmusPro) in vocational education and training providers 
and/or in companies abroad, including recent graduates2. Activities can take the form of 
study  periods,  traineeships  or  work  placements,  either  full,  or  combining  school-
institutions based and work-based learning methods. This action will also support learners 
in continuing vocational education and training as a mean for professional up-skilling or 
re-skilling. 

  Mobility  of  school  pupils,  including  short-term  group  exchanges  where  pupils  from 
different  countries  meet  and  get  first-hand  international  learning  experiences;  as  well  as 
short or long-term individual mobility of school pupils carrying out a study period at a 
school abroad or a traineeship. Schools in charge of organising such mobility activities or 
hosting Erasmus pupils will be asked to strengthen their European dimension, building up 
their capacity to cooperate across borders and coping with new challenges. 

  Mobility  of  young  people,  in  the  form  of  youth  exchanges,  allowing  groups  of  young 
people from different countries to meet and live together for a short period of time. During 
a youth exchange, participants jointly carry out a series of activities designed and prepared 
by them prior to the exchange, using a mix of non-formal learning methods. 

  Mobility  of  staff  in  the  field  of  education  and  training,  which  will  allow 
professors/lecturers,  teachers,  trainers,  and  staff  of  educational  and  training  institutions 
and  other  organisations  involved  in  school  education,  vocational  education  and  training, 
higher education and adult education3, to take part in professional development activities 
abroad. These  activities may consist  of teaching as  well as training periods (such as job 
shadowing, observation periods, training courses and events, etc.). 

  Mobility of youth workers,  supporting the professional development of youth workers, 
through  the  implementation  of  activities  such  as  training  assignments  in  a  youth 
organisation abroad, transnational/international seminars, training courses, contact-making 
events, study visits, job shadowing, observation periods, etc. 

  Mobility of sport coaches and staff, supporting the professional development of coaches, 
managers, instructors, dual careers providers, etc, through the implementation of activities 
such  as  transnational/international  training  courses,  contact-making  events,  study  visits, 
job shadowing, observation periods, etc. 

Where  relevant,  the  tried-and-tested  formats  (study  periods,  traineeships,  apprenticeships, 
exchanges  of  pupils,  youth  exchanges,  teaching  and  training  periods,  youth  work  activities 
etc.)  will  be  complemented  or  accompanied  by  language  support  (notably  through  Erasmus 
Online Linguistic Support) and other physical or online activities (such as virtual cooperation, 

2  As footnote above  
3  This may include, for example, those responsible for human resource development in companies, employment 

services, NGO's, social partner organisations, etc. 

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distance-learning, digital skills courses) in order to better prepare and follow up the mobility 
activities as well as improve learning outcomes of participants. Virtual cooperation tools can 
also  be  used  to  reach  out,  in  particular,  to  disadvantaged  and  non-mobile  individuals, 
including people with disabilities. 

In addition, while undertaking their mobility period abroad, participants will be encouraged to 
actively  participate  in  the  local  community  in  the  host  country  (e.g.  acting  as  "Erasmus 
ambassadors"  in  local  education  and  training  institutions  and  associations,  taking  part  in 
civic/cultural/social 
initiatives,  etc.).  These  activities  will  foster  participants'  active 
engagement in society and will allow them to experience cultural diversity and contribute to 
fostering a sense of European identity and promoting European common values. 

The  mobility  activities  described  above  will  be  managed  at  decentralised  level  through  the 
Erasmus National Agencies. 

2) YOUTH PARTICIPATION ACTIVITIES 

This  action  will  also  finance  youth  participation  activities,  supporting  youth-led  local  and 
transnational initiatives run by informal groups of young people and/or youth organisations. 
These projects are conceived by young people for young people and aim to help young people 
to engage and learn to participate in democratic life, raising awareness about European Union 
common values and fundamental rights, bringing together young people and decision makers 
at  local,  national  and  European  level,  as  well  as  contributing  to  European  Union  common 
goals. This project format will support the use of alternative, innovative and smart forms of 
youth  participation  and  is  particularly  suited  to  testing  ideas  at  the  local  level  as  a  starting 
experience within the programme, and also as a tool for following-up previous initiatives to 
help upscale and further develop successful ideas. These projects will involve participants and 
organisations from Member States and third countries. 

These actions will be managed at decentralised level through the Erasmus National Agencies. 

3) DISCOVEREU ACTIVITIES 

This  action will offer 18 years old young people the opportunity to  have a first-time, short-
term individual or group experience traveling throughout Europe in the frame of an informal 
educational  activity  aimed  at  fostering  their  sense  of  belonging  to  the  European  Union  and 
discovering its cultural diversity. The Erasmus Programme will identify bodies in charge of 
reaching  out  and  selecting  the  participants  entitled  to  receive  the  traveling  vouchers,  also 
ensuring  that  this  opportunity  is  offered  to  young  people  with  fewer  opportunities  in  first 
place.  In  addition,  the  Programme  will  identify  and  support  those  bodies  (such  as  youth 
organisations,  municipalities, cultural organisations, education and training institutions, etc.) 
which will be responsible for arranging programmes of activities which reinforce the learning 
dimension of the experience.  

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This action will be managed partly at centralised level, through the Education, Audio-visual 
and Culture Executive Agency, and partly at decentralised level through the Erasmus National 
Agencies. 

4) LANGUAGE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES 

The  programme  will  offer  linguistic  support  to  participants  carrying  out  a  mobility  activity 
abroad. This support will mainly be offered via the Erasmus Online Linguistic Support (OLS) 
tool, adapted as necessary to individual sectors, as e-learning offers advantages for language 
learning in terms of access and flexibility. In particular cases, that is, when online learning is 
not the appropriate tool to reach the target group, also other forms of language support will be 
offered.  The  Erasmus  Online  Linguistic  Support  (OLS)  will  allow  participants  in  mobility 
activities to assess, practice and improve their knowledge of the language to be used during 
their  experience  abroad.  If  needed,  the  Erasmus  Online  Linguistic  Support  (OLS)  will  also 
provide free language e-courses adapted to each type of mobility and reflecting their needs. 
Access to the Erasmus Online Linguistic Support (OLS) may also be extended to other target 
groups, not necessarily involved in mobility activities. 

KEY ACTION 2 – COOPERATION AMONG ORGANISATIONS AND 
INSTITUTIONS IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING, YOUTH AND SPORT 

Key  Action  2  offers  a  wide  range  of  opportunities  for  European,  but  also  third  country 
organisations  and  institutions  to  enter  into  medium  and  long-term4  partnerships  with 
organisations  and  institutions  from  other  countries  for  various  purposes,  such  as  improving 
the  quality  and  outreach  of  their  activities,  developing  and  testing  new  ideas  and  methods, 
establishing  or  strengthening  their  network  of  Europe-wide  and  international  partners,  and 
reaching out to specific target groups. 

This Key Action addresses several cross-cutting objectives in the fields of education, training, 
youth  and  sport,  such  as  fostering  high-quality  practices,  promoting  inclusiveness,  seeking 
excellence  and  innovation,  addressing  social  and  economic  challenges  and  promoting  the 
internationalisation of organisations and institutions. 

This Key Action will be delivered through a mix of decentralised and centralised actions. 

1)  PARTNERSHIPS FOR COOPERATION 

Cooperation partnerships 
The  primary  goal  of  this  action  is  to  allow  organisations  and  institutions  to  increase  the 
quality  and  relevance  of  their  activities  and/or  develop  and  reinforce  their  networks  of 

4  In general, from 6 months to 3 years depending on the type and scope of the actions.  

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
partners, thus increasing their capacity to operate jointly at transnational and international 
level,  boosting  internationalisation  of  their  activities  (including  internationalisation  at 
home),  sharing  and  confronting  ideas,  exchanging  new  practices  and  methods.  Selected 
projects will be expected to disseminate the results of their activities at local, regional and 
national level.  
The  partnerships  for  cooperation  will  be  designed  in  such  a  way  that  the  projects 
supported  are  anchored  to  the  priorities  and  policy  frameworks  of  each  Erasmus  sector, 
both at European and national level, while at the same time providing incentives for cross-
sectoriality and cooperation in horizontal thematic areas.  

These partnerships may also be open to organisations and institutions from third countries 
not associated to the programme. 

Small-scale partnerships   
This action will be designed to widen access to the programme to small-scale actors and 
individuals who are hard to reach in education, training, youth and sport. With lower grant 
to  organisations,  shorter  duration  and  simpler  administrative 
amounts  awarded 
requirements compared to the cooperation partnerships, this action will aim to reach out to 
grassroots  organisations  and  newcomers  to  Erasmus,  reducing  entry  barriers  to  the 
programme  for  organisations  with  smaller  organisational  capacity.  This  action  will  also 
support  flexible  formats  –  mixing  activities  with  transnational  and  national  character 
although  with  a  European  dimension  –  allowing  organisations  to  have  more  means  to 
reach out to people with fewer opportunities. 

The  partnerships  for  cooperation,  including  small-scale  partnerships,  will  be  managed  at 
decentralised  level  by  the  National  Agencies,  with  the  exception  of  large  cooperation 
partnerships in the field of sport, which will be managed at centralised level by the Education, 
Culture and Audio-visual Executive Agency. The partnerships in the field of adult education 
may also provide for mobility of groups of learners. 

2)  PARTNERSHIPS FOR EXCELLENCE 

European universities  
This  action  will  support  the  emergence  of  bottom-up  networks  of  higher  education 
institutions,  which  will  bring  cross-border  cooperation  to  the  next  level  of  ambition, 
through the development of joint long-term strategies for top-quality education, research 
and innovation, based on a common vision and shared values.   
European  Universities  will  act  as  models  of  good  practice  for  other  higher  education 
institutions,  progressively  increasing  the  international  competitiveness  and  attractiveness 
of European higher education. They will drive the development of highly integrated and 
open study programmes combining modules in different countries. Mobility should be a 
standard feature, embedded at Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels. They should operate 
on the basis of multidisciplinary approaches, allowing students, lecturers and researchers 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
to co-create and share knowledge and innovation. This could help address the big societal 
challenges and skills shortages that Europe faces. It could also boost the contribution that 
higher education institutions make to their regions, in particular through their involvement 
in the development and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies. 

Centres of vocational excellence 
This  initiative  will  support  the  development  of  trans-national  platforms  of  centres  of 
vocational  excellence  closely  integrated  in  local  and  regional  strategies  for  growth, 
innovation and competitiveness, while supporting overall structural changes and economic 
policies  in  the  European  Union.  These  platforms  will  embed  partnerships  of  vocational 
education and training providers with the relevant stakeholders responsible for economic 
development, innovation and competitiveness policies in a given economic context. These 
can  include  economic  development  agencies,  regional  authorities  responsible  for 
economic  development,  innovation  clusters,  employment  services,  skills  observatories, 
business  support  services,  business  innovation  centres,  technology  transfer  agencies, 
incubators, as well as key companies, social partners and economic sector representatives. 
The  Centres  of  vocational  excellence  will  act  as  drivers  of  quality  vocational  skills  in  a 
context  of  national,  regional/local,  and  sectorial  challenges,  while  supporting  overall 
structural changes and socio-economic policies in the European Union. They will develop 
and  offer  high  quality  transnational  joint  vocational  programmes  and  qualifications 
focused  on  meeting  current  and  emerging  sectoral  skills  needs  with  a  strong  element  of 
work-based learning, digital content and mobility experience abroad. 

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees 
This  action  aims  at  fostering  excellence  and  world-wide  internationalisation  of  higher 
education  institutions  via  study  programmes  –  at  master  course  level  –  jointly  delivered 
and jointly recognised by higher education institutions established in Europe, and open to 
institutions  in  other  countries  of  the  world,  with  particular  focus  on  cooperation  with 
higher education institutions from emerging and industrialised countries. This action will 
support  the  delivery  of  joint  transnational  and  international  programmes,  including  the 
award  of  scholarships  to  excellent  students,  and  the  funding  of  participation  of  guest 
lecturers in one of these programmes for teaching, training and/or research purposes5. 

The  partnerships  for  excellence  (European  Universities,  Centres  of  vocational  excellence 
and Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees) will have a long-term sustainable perspective. 
These  actions  will  be  managed  by  the  Education,  Audio-visual  and  Culture  Executive 
Agency. 

5  Where relevant, also other educational and/or non-educational partners with specific expertise and interest in 

the study areas/professional domains covered by the joint programme are involved. 

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3)  PARTNERSHIPS FOR INNOVATION 

Alliances 
This  action  will  aim  to  foster  strategic  cooperation  between  key  players  in  higher 
education and vocational education and training, business and research – the "knowledge 
triangle"  –  to  foster  innovation  and  modernisation  of  education  and  training  systems  in 
identifying and supplying the right set of skills, knowledge and competences to match the 
future  labour  market  demand  in  sectors  and  fields  that  are  strategic  for  Europe's 
sustainable growth and competitiveness, building on the experiences with Knowledge and 
Sector Skills Alliances and the Blueprint for sector skills cooperation. 

Forward-looking projects 
This action will aim to foster innovation, creativity and e-participation, as well as social 
entrepreneurship in different fields of education, training, youth and sport. It will support 
forward-looking ideas based around key European priorities, and that have the potential of 
becoming mainstreamed and giving input for improving education and training, youth and 
sport systems, as well as to bring a substantial innovative effect in terms of methods and 
practices  to  all  types  of  learning  and  active  participation  settings  for  Europe's  social 
cohesion.  Projects  will  be  transnational  and,  in  order  to  effectively  innovate  or  reach  a 
systemic  impact  through  their  activities,  they  should  be  led  and  implemented  by  key 
stakeholders with a very solid state-of-the-art knowledge. Projects will be able to combine 
a flexible set of activities and facilitate the development of innovative solutions which are 
also transferable to a broader audience. 

Partnerships for innovation will aim at achieving systemic impact at European level by having 
the  capacity  to  deploy  the  project  outcomes  on  a  European  scale  and/or  by  being  able  to 
transfer  them  into  different  thematic  or  geographical  contexts.  They  will  be  focussed  on 
thematic areas that are strategic for Europe's growth and competitiveness and social cohesion. 
These actions will be managed by the Education Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency. 

4)  NOT FOR PROFIT SPORT EVENTS 

This action will support the preparation, organisation and follow up of not for profit Sport 
events - organised either in one single country or simultaneously in several countries by not-
for-profit organisations or public bodies active in the field of sport. These events will aim at 
increasing the visibility of the Erasmus sport actions as well as raise awareness on the role of 
sport  in  promoting  social  inclusion,  equal  opportunities  and  health-enhancing  physical 
activities. 

This action will be managed by the Education Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency. 

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5)  ONLINE PLATFORMS AND TOOLS FOR VIRTUAL COOPERATION 

Online  platforms  such  as  eTwinning,  the  Electronic  Platform  for  Adult  Learning  in  Europe 
(EPALE),  the  School  Education  Gateway,  the  European  Youth  Portal  and  Erasmus  Virtual 
Exchanges will offer virtual collaboration spaces, partner-finding databases, communities of 
practice  and  other  online  services  for  teachers,  trainers,  youth  workers,  policy  makers  and 
other  practitioners,  as  well  as  for  pupils,  young  people  and  adult  learners  in  Europe  and 
beyond.  These  platforms  will  complement  the  opportunities  of  physical  mobility  and 
cooperation  provided  under  other  actions  of  the  programme,  by  offering  virtual  spaces  for 
people-to-people exchanges and opportunities to learn, share ideas, discuss best practices and 
work  together  on  common  issues,  across  Europe  and  beyond.  Online  platforms  will  expand 
the  capacity  of  the  programme  to  reach  out  to  a  wide  number  of  individuals,  further 
supporting competence-development and further promoting sense of belonging to the EU and 
social inclusion. 

KEY ACTION 3 – SUPPORT TO POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION 
IN EDUCATION, TRAINING YOUTH AND SPORT 

Key  Action  3  provides  support  to  policy  cooperation  at  European  Union  level,  thereby 
contributing to the development of new policies which can trigger modernisation and reforms, 
at European Union and systems' level, in the fields of education, training youth and sport. 

1)  SUPPORT TO EUROPEAN POLICY DEVELOPMENT 

This section will cover actions aimed at preparing and supporting the implementation of the 
EU  policy  agenda  on  education,  training,  youth  and  sport,  including  sectoral  agendas  for 
higher  education,  vocational  education  and  training,  schools  and  adult  learning,  and  in 
particular  by  facilitating  the  governance  and  functioning  of  the  Open  Methods  of 
Coordination.  In  this  context,  the  programme  will  support  European  Union  presidency 
events,  conferences  and  high-level  meetings,  activities  of  national  actors  designated  to 
implement  certain  European  initiatives  (e.g.  national  coordinators  for  adult  learning), 
mutual  learning  activities  and  peer  reviews  as  a  way  to  allow  policy  makers  and 
practitioners to exchange practices in support of better policy development at national level.  

A specific action also aims at carrying out European policy experimentations, led by high-
level  public  authorities  and  involving  field  trials  on  policy  measures  in  several  countries, 
based on sound evaluation methods. In line with the EU Youth Strategy, a financial support 
will also be provided to the structures animating the EU Youth Dialogue at national level, that 
is to say the National Working Group designated by each national authority. 

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This  section  will  also  support  actions  aimed  at  gathering  evidence  and  knowledge  about 
education, training, youth and sport systems and policies at national and European level, with 
a  view  to  facilitate  reasoned  policy-making.  Evidence  gathering  and  analysis  will  be 
undertaken through EU-wide or international surveys and studies as well as thematic and 
country-specific  expertise.  These  activities  of  evidence-gathering  networks  including  for 
example the Eurydice network and the Youth Wiki will feed periodic  reference publications 
such as the Education and Training Monitor and the EU Youth Report. 

In addition, specific actions could be implemented to address new priorities, emerging during 
the  programming  period,  which  cannot  be  properly  tackled  through  the  actions  already  in 
place. In so doing, the programme will demonstrate a proportional level of flexibility, to be 
able to cope with the evolution of policy challenges over the seven-year period. 

These actions will be managed, and partly implemented, by the European Commission or by 
the Education Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency. 

2)  SUPPORT TO UNION TOOLS AND MEASURES THAT FOSTER THE 
QUALITY, TRANSPARENCY AND RECOGNITION OF SKILLS, 
COMPETENCES AND QUALIFICATIONS  

This  section  will  cover  a  series  of  actions  which  facilitate  transparency  and  recognition  of 
skills and qualifications, as well as the transfer of credits, to foster quality assurance, support 
validation  of  non-formal  and  informal  learning,  skills  management  and  guidance.  This  area  
will also include the support to national and European-level bodies or networks that facilitate 
cross-European exchanges as well as the development of flexible learning pathways between 
different fields of education, training and youth and across formal and non-formal settings. 

Support will be also be provided to tools such as Europass and Youthpass6, which facilitate 
the identification of competences, skills and qualifications acquired by individuals in different 
learning settings. In addition, support will be provided to activities and governing bodies of 
processes  aimed  at  strengthening  quality  assurance  and  enabling  an  easier  recognition  of 
qualifications  and  periods  of  study  in  different  fields  of  education  and  training,  such  as  the 
Bologna process in the higher education field and other similar initiatives. 

These  actions  will  be  managed  by  the  Commission  or  by  the  Education  Audio-visual  and 
Culture  Executive  Agency,  although  they  will  largely  be  implemented  by  other  bodies  at 
national level. 

6  Implemented by the European Commission through the SALTO Resource Centre Training and Cooperation    

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3)  POLICY DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND 

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS 

This  section  will  cover  actions  that  foster  policy  dialogue  with  stakeholders  within  and 
outside the European Union, through, for example, conferences, events and other activities 
involving  policy  makers,  practitioners  and  other  stakeholders  in  the  fields  of  education, 
training, youth and sport, to raise awareness about the relevant European policy agendas and 
to promote Europe as an excellent study and research destination. It will support cooperation 
with  international  organisations  with  highly  recognised  expertise  and  analytical  capacity 
(such as the OECD and the Council of Europe), to strengthen the impact and added value of 
policies in the fields of education, training, youth and sport. Specific actions will also provide 
support to the functioning of the European Youth Forum as well as to EU-wide networks 
and  European  NGOs  which  pursue  a  general  EU  interest,  with  a  view  to  strengthening 
dialogue and reinforcing mutual cooperation with key civil society players in the field.  

These  actions  will  be  managed,  and  partially  implemented,  by  the  Commission  or  by  the 
Education Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency. 

4)   MEASURES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE QUALITATIVE AND INCLUSIVE 

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME 

This  section  will  support  activities  and  bodies  that  improve  the  implementation  of  the 
programme  in  qualitative  terms  by  facilitating  knowledge  and  practice  transfer  among 
National  Agencies,  equipping  National  Agencies  and  Commission  with  "think-tank" 
resources that allow for elaboration of activities and strategies to implement the programme in 
stronger connection with policy developments, providing instruments for better exploiting the 
potential of synergies and complementarities. 
This  section  will  support  the  activities  of  the  SALTO  Resource  Centres  in  the  fields  of 
education,  training  and  youth.  It  will  also  support  Training  and  Cooperation  activities, 
implemented  by  National  Agencies,  to  enhance  the  strategic  implementation  of  the 
programme at transnational and national level. 

The programme will also mobilise the potential and support the activities of former Erasmus 
participants (Alumni networks, ambassadors, Europeers, etc.) by encouraging them to act as 
ambassadors multipliers of the programme through raising awareness about the opportunities 
offered  by  the  programme  in  local  communities  and  disseminating  the  results  of  their 
experiences and Erasmus in general in schools, associations and other relevant settings. 

These  actions  will  be  managed  by  the  Commission  or  by  the  Education,  Audio-visual  and 
Culture  Executive  Agency,  although  they  will  be  implemented  by  other  bodies  at  national 
level.   

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5)  COOPERATION WITH OTHER UNION INSTRUMENTS AND SUPPORT TO 

OTHER UNION POLICIES 

A specific action – managed at centralised level - will also provide opportunities for people at 
any stage of their life with a learning experience abroad within their field of expertise, such as 
public  governance,  agriculture  and  rural  development,  new  technologies,  enterprise  etc. 
Supported  activities  may  consist  of  training  periods  (such  as  job  shadowing,  observation 
periods, training courses) and transnational seminars or events to stimulate up-skilling while 
fostering a sense of European identity, active citizenship and participation in democratic life 
in Europe. 

In addition, specific measures will allow Erasmus implementing bodies to act as facilitators to 
the  scaling-up  of  Erasmus  projects  to  apply  for  grants  or  develop  synergies  through  the 
support  of  the  European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds  managed  at  national  and  regional 
level, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and the programmes relating 
to migration, security, justice and citizenship, health and culture,  

6)  DISSEMINATION AND AWARENESS-RAISING ACTIVITIES 

This  section  will  support  events,  campaigns  and  other  activities  which  will  inform  citizens 
and organisations about the Erasmus programme and European Union policies in the fields of 
education, training, youth and sport.  
It  will  also  contribute  to  identifying  and  disseminating  good  practices  as  well  as  success 
stories from the supported projects – via the Erasmus Programme Results Platform - in order 
to give them more visibility and scale them up at local, national and European levels. 
In  particular,  this  action  will  support  the  European  Youth  Week,  the  European  Vocational 
Skills  Week,  the  European  Week  of  Sport,  the  Education,  Training  and  Youth  Forum, 
dedicated Sport awards, or similar activities in the field of education, training youth and sport 
Furthermore,  this  action  will  as  well  support  the  Eurodesk  network  which  is  raising 
awareness among young people on learning mobility opportunities and to encourage them to 
become active citizens. 
These  actions  will  be  managed  by  the  Commission  or  by  the  Education  Audio-visual  and 
Culture Executive Agency, although they will be implemented both at European and national 
level. 

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JEAN MONNET ACTIONS 

Jean Monnet actions will be extended beyond the higher education sector to other sectors of 
education and training. The remit will remain in principle worldwide, even if the geographical 
scope of certain actions may be limited to the Member States and third countries associated to 
the Programme when targeting other sectors than higher education. The Jean Monnet actions 
will contribute to spread knowledge about the European Union integration matters to a wider 
target population after 2020. 

1)  JEAN MONNET ACTION IN THE FIELD OF HIGHER EDUCATION 

This action will support Higher Education Institutions inside and outside Europe to promote 
teaching  and  research  on  European  integration  and  promote  policy  debate  and  exchanges 
involving the academic world and policy-makers on Union policy priorities. Moreover, it will 
facilitate the wider public outreach of academic institutions active in European Union studies.  
It will support the following activities: 

-  Jean  Monnet  Modules:  short  teaching  programmes  in  one  or  more  disciplines  of 

European Union studies; 

-  Jean  Monnet  Chairs:  longer  teaching  posts  with  a  specialisation  in  European  Union 
studies  for  individual  university  professors,  including  Honorary  Jean  Monnet  Chairs 
(without grant); 

-  Jean  Monnet  Centres  of  Excellence:  focal  points  gathering  knowledge  of  high-level 
experts  in  various  disciplines  of  European  studies,  as  well  developing  transnational 
activities and structural links with academic institutions in other countries. 

This action will also support innovative approaches to make European Union subjects more 
attractive  and  adapted  to  various  target  groups,  also  with  a  view  to  reach  out  to  a  wider 
audience, beyond the academic context. 

2)  JEAN MONNET ACTION IN OTHER FIELDS OF EDUCATION AND 

TRAINING 

This  action  will  promote  knowledge  on  the  European  Union  in  education  and  training 
institutions,  including  schools,  vocational  education  and  training  institutes.  It  will  offer 
opportunities  to  education  providers  to  develop  content  (teaching  and  training  modules, 
materials for teachers and trainers, etc.) and innovative tools as well as to carry out activities, 
within  education  and  training  institutions,  to  raise  awareness  and  exchange  views  about  the 
European Union matters and subject studies. 

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In addition, both actions above will support a wide range of activities – such as conferences, 
debates, events, Jean Monnet projects and networking – aimed at raising awareness about EU 
integration  matters  and  involving,  where  relevant,  academics,  representatives  of  public 
institutions, civil society and the private sector. 

3)  SUPPORT TO DESIGNATED INSTITUTIONS 

The programme will support institutions pursuing an aim of European interest, providing to 
the  Union  and  its  Member  States  and  its  citizens  high  quality  services  in  specific  priority 
subject areas. 
The main activities and outreach of these institutions involve research, including collection of 
data and their analysis for preparing future policies, teaching in situ and online for future staff 
of  the  international  organisations  and  for  civil  servants  in  particular  in  juridical  and 
management  areas,  organising  events  on  priority  issues  for  the  Union  and  disseminating 
specific results and general information for the broad public. 
The different activities may involve students, post-doctoral students, researchers and experts, 
visiting  professors,  professionals,  legal  practitioners,  policy  makers  and  staff  of  the  public 
administrations. 
The Designated Institutions will be requested to contribute to the policy of widening access to 
education as well as to reinforce excellence in education in Europe. They may contribute to 
the  establishment  of  a  European  Education  Area  by  entering  into  long  term  and  sustainable 
partnerships with a wider network of key stakeholders in the field of higher education.  
All  Jean  Monnet  actions  will  be  managed  by  the  Education  Audio-visual  and  Culture 
Executive  Agency,  with  the  exception  of  European-level  policy  debate  and  dissemination 
events managed directly by the European Commission. 

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