CELEX: 51989PC0392
Language: en
Date: 1989-07-28
Title: Revised proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION amending the Council Decision of 15 June 1987 (87/327/EEC) adopting the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) (presented by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (89) 392
Vol. 1989/0129
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
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In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning
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In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar
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der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S. 1), zuletzt geändert durch die
Verordnung (EU) Nr. 2015/496 vom 17. März 2015 (ABI. L 79 vom 25.3.2015, S. 1), ist dieser Akt
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Verschlusssachen als herabgestuft angesehen.
 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                            COM(89) 392 final
                                            Brussels , 28 July 1989
                     Revised proposal for a
                         COUNCIL DECISION
   amending the Council Decision of 15 June 1987 (87 / 327/ EEC )
     adopting the European Community Action Scheme for the
                 Mobility of University Students
                             ( ERASMUS )
                  (presented by the Commission )
 ---pagebreak---                                EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
On  12.5.1989 ,    the    Commission    transmitted    a  proposal  for   a  Council
Decision regarding the modification of Decision 87 / 327 / EEC ( ERASMUS ) to
the Council . The text was published In the O.J. of 17.6.1989 N°C 150
p. 10-13 .
The Council at      Its meeting of 22.05.1989 had an Initial exchange of .
views on the proposal and It          is envisaged that a final decision        will
be taken in December 1989 .
Meanwhile the European Court of Justice has delivered its Judgement of
30.5.1989 in case 242 / 87 , the case taken by the Commission against the
Council with respect to the addition of art . 235 as a legal basis for
Decision 87 / 327 / EEC .
The Commission has examined the Implications of this Judgement , and
proposes a revision of the proposal to amend the ERASMUS Decision in
order to clarify that research Is not covered by the programme .
The  Commission     believes     that   the  text   in   Its  present   form  avoids
ambiguities in this respect , and would stress that this Is indeed
simply a clarification , as the ERASMUS programme has never In fact
supported activities In the field of research .
The text has been amended on pages 1-7 and on page 11 .
In order to facilitate the reading of the revised text all new wording
has been underlined .
 ---pagebreak---                                          REVISED
                          Proposal for a Council Decision
               amending the Council Decision of 15 June 1987
                ( 87 / 327 / EEC) adopting the European Community
          Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students
                                       ( ERASMUS )
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Having regard to the Treaty establishing               the  European Economic
Community , and in particular Article 128
thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ( 1 ),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee
( 2 ),
Whereas the fundamental objectives of the common vocational training
policy set down in the second principle of Decision 63/266/EEC of 2
April 1963 ( 3 ) aim in particular at enabling every person to reach
the highest possible level of vocational training which is necessary
for his professional activity , and refer also to broadening
vocational training to meet requirements arising from technical
progress , linking the different forms of vocational training to
social and economic developments ;
Whereas on the basis of the sixth principle of that Decision it is
the Commission 's responsibility to encourage direct exchanges of
vocational training specialists in order to enable them to acquaint
themselves with and study the achievements and new developments in
the other countries of the Community ;
Whereas the Council established the European Community Action Scheme
for the Mobility of University Students ( ERASMUS ) by its Decision
87/ 327/EEC of 15 June 1987 and whereas Article 7 of that Decision
provides for the possibility of adapting that Decision ;
Whereas the Council has adopted measures with a view to strengthening
technological cooperation at Community level and providing the
( 1 ) to be inserted
( 2 ) to be inserted
( 3 ) O.J. 63 , 20.4.1963
 ---pagebreak---                                            2
necessary human resources for            this purpose , notably through the
Council Decision ( 89 / 27 / EEC ) of     16.12.1988 for the second phase of
the programme on cooperation             between universities and industry
regarding training in the field          of technology ( COMETT II 1990-1994 )
( 4 );
Whereas the Council has adopted measures to stimulate cooperation and
interchange between European research scientists , notably through
decision ( 88/419 /EEC ) of 29.6.1988 establishing the SCIENCE Programme
( 5 ) and decision ( 89 / 118 / EEC ) of 13.2.1989 establishing the SPES
Programme    ( 6 ) , whereas it is therefore not appropriate that             such
activities should also be covered bv the ERASMUS Proeramme .
Whereas on the       basis of the iudeement of the Court of the European
Communities of       30.5.1989 ( ) the ERASMUS Proeramme as            amended bv
this Decision        falls within the scone of the common vocational
trainine DOIÌCV      as provided for in Article 128 :
Whereas the Commission 's aim , in following up the People 's Europe
initiative of the European Council , is that by 1992 nearly 10% of all
students in the Community will be following a university course
organized by universities in more than one Member State ;
Whereas    the     Council   at   its  meeting   on  . . . . adopted  the  LINGUA
Programme to promote training in foreign languages as well as the
teaching and learning of foreign languages in the European Community ;
Whereas the Council at its meeting on 21 December 1988 adopted a
Directive on a general system for the recognition of higher education
diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training
of at least three years' duration ( 7 );
Whereas the annual reports on the functioning of the ERASMUS
Programme in 1987 and 1988 and the monitoring of the Programme to
date have shown that the Programme is a successful means of
increasing        student     mobility      via   effective      inter-university
cooperation within the Community ;
Whereas    the refore    the    existing actions under decision 87 / 327 / EEC
should be maintained up to the coming into force of the present
decision , and should be continued thereafter with adaptations              which
experience has shown to be necessary .
( 4 ) O.J. N° 13 , 17.1.1989 , p.28
( 5 ) O.J. N° C335 , 30.12.1988 , p.3
( 6 ) O.J. N° L44 , 16.2.1989 , p.44
( 7 ) O.J. N° L 19 of 24.1.1989 , p.16
 ---pagebreak--- Whereas  the  estimated  amount   required  to  finance  the  ERASMUS
Programme in the first three years of the five-year period is 192 ECU
mio ;
 ---pagebreak---                                        4
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS
                                  Article 1
In Article 1 of Council Decision 87 / 327/EEC :
      The following is added to paragraph 2 :
       " All students studying in those establishments , regardless of the
       field of study and the level of study are eligible for support
      within the Erasmus programme , up to doctorate level , provided the
      studies carried out in another Member State constitute vocational
      traininz .
      The ERASMUS Programme does not cover research and technological
      development activities .
                                  Article 2
In Article 2 of Council Decision 87 / 327 / EEC :
1 . Paraeraph ( ii ) is replaced by the following text :
    " to promote broad and intensive cooperation in vocational training
      between universities in all Member States :"
2 . Paragraph ( Hi ) is modified as follows :
     The words " education and " are deleted in line 4 .
                                  Article 4
Article 4 of Council Decision 87 / 327/EEC is replaced by the following
text :
" As from 1 January 1990 the annual credits necessary to cover the
Community contribution to the actions provided for in the programme
will be established in the annual budgetary procedure , taking into
account the results of the programme as well as any new needs which
may emerge during its operation . These credits are intended to
finance the various actions set out in the Annex , including
appropriate measures taken to ensure the technical assistance at
Community level , continuing monitoring and evaluation of the
programme .
The appropriations deemed necessary for the first three years of the
programme will form part of future budgets within the framework of
the present financial forecasts 1988-1992 agreed jointly by the three
Institutions in June 1988 and their development ."
 ---pagebreak---                                      5
                                Artide 5
Article 5 of Council Decision 87 / 327 / EEC is modified as follows :
The phrase " the other actions already scheduled at Community level "
is replaced by " other actions at Community level ".
                                Article 7
In Article 7 of Council Decision 87 / 327 / EEC the date of 31 December
1989 referred to in line 1 is replaced by 31 December 1993 and the
date of 30 June 1990 referred to in line 5 is replaced by 30 June
1994 .
                                Article 8
Th is dec ision comes into effect on J. July 1 9 90 in the case o f_Ac t ion
2 ( 2 ) and on 1 January 1991 in a ll other re spects .
Done at ...
 ---pagebreak---                                      6
                                   ANNEX
                                ACTION 1
Establishment and operation of a European University Network
Action 1 of the Annex to Council Decision 87 / 327/EEC is modified to
read as follows :
" l.The Community will further develop the European University Network
     established within the ERASMUS Programme and designed to
     stimulate Community-wide exchange of students .
     The   European University Network will be composed of those
     universities which , in the framework of the ERASMUS Programme ,
     have concluded agreements and organized programmes providing for
     exchanges of students and teachers with universities of other
     Member States and which recognize study periods thus accomplished
     outside the home university .
     The main aim of inter-university agreements is to give the
     students of one university the opportunity to undertake a fully
     recognized period of study in at least one other Member State , as
     an integral part of their diploma or academic qualification .
     These joint programmes should include as necessary an integrated
     period of foreign language preparation as well as cooperation
     among teachers and administrative staff in order to prepare the
     conditions necessary for the exchange of students and for the
     mutual recognition of periods of study accomplished abroad .
     Priority will be given to programmes involving an integrated and
     fully recognized period of study in another Member State . For
     each joint programme , each participating university will receive
     support of up to an annual ceiling of 25,000 ECU normally for a
     period of three years in the first instance subject to periodic
     review " .
2 . Support will also be provided for exchanges of teaching staff for
     the purpose of carrying out integrated teaching assignments in
     other Member States .
3.   Support will also be provided for joint curriculum development
     projects between universities in different Member States as a
     means of facilitating academic recognition and of contributing by
     means of an exchange of experience and expertise to the process
     of innovation and improvement of courses on a Community - wide
     basis .
4 . In addition , support will be provided to universities organizing
     intensive teaching programmes of short duration involving
     students from several different Member States .
5 . The Community will also provide support for teaching staff and
     university administrators to carry out visits to other Member
     States , to enable them to prepare programmes of integrated study
    with universities of these Member States and to increase their
 ---pagebreak---                                7
mutual understanding   of the trainine aspects of the higher
education systems of   other Member States . Grants will also be
provided  to  allow   teaching   staff to   conduct a  series of
specialised lectures in several Member States ."
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 8 -
                                  ACTION 2
                       ERASMUS student grants scheme
Action 2 of the Annex to Council Decision 87 / 327/EEC is modified to
read as follows :
" l.The Community will further develop a scheme for the direct
     financial support of students at universities as defined in
     Article 1(2 ) of Council decision 87/327/EEC carrying out a period
     of study in another Member State . In determining the total
     expenditure for Actions 1 and 2 respectively , the Community will
     have regard to the number of students to be exchanged within the
     European University Network as it develops .
2 . The ERASMUS student grants are administered normally through the
     competent authorities in the Member States . The allocation of the
     amount to each Member State will be based on the total number of
     students at universities as defined in Article 1(2 ), as well as
     on the total number of 18 to 25 year-olds in each Member State .
    Moreover , the Commission will take the necessary steps to ensure
     a balanced participation across Member States and disciplines and
    will therefore allocate a small proportion of the funds available
     for student grants , not to exceed 5% of the total annual student
     grants budget . The funds for student grants in respect of certain
     exceptional programmes whose structure renders administration of
     the grants via national agencies impracticable will be allocated
     directly by the Commission .
3 . The National Grant - Awarding Authorities will issue grants up to a
    maximum of 5,000 ECU per student for a stay of one year , subject
     to the following conditions :
     a ) the grants are not normally intended to cover the full cost of
         study abroad , but as a means of offsetting the additional
         costs of mobility , that is travel costs , foreign language
         preparation as necessary and higher cost of living in the host
         country ( including , where appropriate , the extra cost of
         living away from the student 's home country ). Member States
         will provide , in cases of need , for the complementary funding
         of students to whom mobility grants have been awarded ;
    b ) priority will be given to students on courses which are part
         of the European University Network under Action 1 as well as
         to those students participating in the European Community
         Course Credit Transfer System ( ECTS ) under Action 3 . Grants
         may also be provided for other students on courses for whom
         special arrangements are made outside the network in another
         Member State provided they fulfil the eligibility criteria ;
    c ) normally , grants will be awarded only in cases where the
         period of study spent in another Member State will be granted
         full recognition by the student 's home university . However ,
         grants may be awarded exceptionally in cases where the period
             V
 ---pagebreak---                                 9
    of study to be spent in another Member State will be granted
    full recognition by the degree - awarding university in that
    Member State , provided that this arrangement forms part of an
    inter-university agreement supported under Action 1 .
d) no tuition fees will be charged by the host university to
    incoming students ; where appropriate , grantholders      will
    continue to pay tuition fees at their home university ;
e ) grants will be awarded for periods of study in another Member
    State of six months to a full academic year ; grants may be
    awarded exceptionally for periods of study of a minimum
    duration of three months or for more than twelve months in the
    case of highly integrated programmes ;
f) any grants or loans available to students in their own country
    will continue to be paid in full during their period of study
    at the host university for which they are receiving an ERASMUS
    grant . M
 ---pagebreak---                                    10
                                ACTION 3
   Measures to promote mobility through the academic recognition of
                         diplomas and periods of study
Within Action 3 of the Annex to Council Decision 87 / 327 /EEC :
1.  Section 2 is modified to read as follows :
    " measures to promote the Community - wide exchange of information
    on the academic recognition of diplomas acquired and periods of
    study spent in another Member State , notably by means of the
    further development of the European Community Network of National
    Academic Recognition Information Centres ; grants will be awarded
    to the centres to facilitate exchange of information , in
    particular by means of a computerized system for data exchange "
2.  Section 3 is deleted .
 ---pagebreak---                                       11
                                  ACTION 4
Complementary measures to promote student mobility in the Community
Action 4 of the Annex to Council Decision 87 / 327 /EEC is modified to
read as follows :
" l.To provide informational support for ERASMUS and to increase
     mutual awareness of university systems in the Community , ERASMUS
     will provide for :
         support     to associations    and   consortia   of  universities ,
         teaching staff , administrators or students acting on a
         European basis , in particular with a view to making
         initiatives in specific fields of training better known
         throughout the Community ;
         publications   designed   to   enhance   awareness  of  study and
         teaching opportunities in the other Member States <- r to draw
         attention to important developments and innovative models for
         university cooperation throughout the Community ;
         other initiatives designed to promote inter-university
         cooperation in the field of vocational training w ithin the
         Community ;
         measures facilitating the dissemination of information on the
         ERASMUS programme ;
         ERASMUS prizes of the European Community to be awarded to
         students , staff members , universities or ERASMUS projects
        which have made an outstanding contribution to the development
         of inter-university cooperation within the Community .
2.  The cost of measures under Action 4 will not exceed 5%           of the
    annual appropriations for the ERASMUS Programme ."