CELEX: 51991PC0128
Language: en
Date: 1991-04-24
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION CONCERNING THE CONCLUSION OF AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY, ON THE ONE SIDE, AND THE EFTA COUNTRIES AND LIECHTENSTEIN, ON THE OTHER SIDE, ESTABLISHING COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ERASMUS PROGRAMME ( EUROPEAN COMMUNITY ACTION SCHEME FOR THE MOBILITY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS )

17. 5. 91                           Official Journal of the European Communities                           No C 127/3
                                                              II
                                                      (Preparatory Acts)
                                               COMMISSION
           Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of Agreements between the
           European Economic Community, on the one side, and (*) on the other side, establishing
           cooperation in the field of education and training within the framework of the Erasmus
              programme (European Community action scheme for the mobility of university students)
                                                       (91/C 127/03)
                                                    COM(91) 128 final
                                   (Submitted by the Commission on 30 April 1991)
           THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
           Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in
           particular Article 235 thereof,
           Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
           Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,
          Whereas by Decision 87/327/EEC (x) the Council adopted the European Community action
           scheme for the mobility of university students (Erasmus), amended by Decision
           89/663/EEC (2),
          "Whereas on 5 November 1990 the Council authorized the Commission to negotiate with the
           EFTA countries and Liechtenstein, in accordance with specific negotiating directives, bilateral
          agreements having as their objective cooperation in the field of education and training within
          the framework of the Erasmus programme,
          Whereas a cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the (*) by
          its nature enriches the impact of the Erasmus programme so as to develop inter-university
          cooperation and to strengthen the skill level of human resources in Europe,
          HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
                                                          Article 1
          The Agreement between the European Economic Community and (*) establishing cooperation
          in the field of education and training within the framework of the Erasmus programme is
          hereby approved on behalf of the Community.
          The text of the Agreement is attached to this Decision.
                                                          Article 2
          The President of the Council shall carry out the notifications as provided for in Article 13 of
          the Agreement.
          (*) Kingdom of Norway/Kingdom of Sweden/Republic of Austria/Republic of Finland/Republic of
              Iceland/Swiss Confederation/Principality of Liechtenstein
          (») OJ No L 166, 25. 6. 1987, p. 20.
          (2) OJ No L 395, 30. 12. 1989, p. 23.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 127/4                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                                17.5.91
              Agreement between the European Economic Community and (*) establishing cooperation in the
                    field of education and training within the framework of the Erasmus programme
THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY,                                 HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
hereinafter called 'the Community',                                                             Article 1
                                                                  Cooperation between the Community and . . . shall be
                                                                  established in the field of inter-university cooperation
and                                                               and mobility in the context of the implementation of
                                                                  Erasmus. The actions of the Erasmus programme are set
                                                                  out in Annex I.
o -
                                                                                                Article 2
hereinafter called '( 2 )',
                                                                  For the purposes of the Agreement, the term 'university'
                                                                  shall be used to cover all types of post-secondary
                                                                  education and training establishments which offer, where
hereinafter both called the 'Contracting Parties',                appropriate within the framework of advanced training,
                                                                  qualifications or diplomas of that level, whatever such
                                                                  establishments may be called in the Contracting Parties.
Whereas the Community has adopted the European
Community action scheme for the mobility of university
students, hereinafter referred to as Erasmus;                     Students registered in those establishments, regardless of
                                                                  the field of study, are eligible for support within the
                                                                  Erasmus programme, up to and including doctorate
                                                                  level, on condition that the period of study at the host
Whereas the Contracting Parties have a common interest
                                                                  university, which is compatible with the curriculum at the
in cooperation in this field, as part of the wider
                                                                  student's home university, forms part of his or her
cooperation between the Community and the EFTA
                                                                  vocational training.
countries in the field of education and vocational
training with the aim of contributing to a dynamic and
homogeneous development in this field;
                                                                  The Erasmus programme does not cover research and
                                                                  technological development activities.
Whereas in particular cooperation between the
Community and . . . with a view to pursuing the                                                 Article 3
objectives fixed for Erasmus, within the context of a
network of inter-university cooperation involving the             Unless otherwise provided in this article, references in
Community and the EFTA countries as a whole, by its               Annex I to this Agreement to the Member States of the
nature enriches the impact of Erasmus actions so as to            Community shall be understood for the purposes of the
strengthen the skill levels of human resources in the             present Agreement as referring also to . . . .
Community and . . . ;
                                                                  As far as the different actions of Erasmus are concerned,
                                                                  the participation of universities from . . . in Erasmus acti-
Whereas the Contracting Parties consequently expect to            vities shall be subject to the specific conditions and rules
obtain mutual benefit from the participation of . . . in          set out in the present Article.
Erasmus;
                                                                   1. A c t i o n 1 — E s t a b l i s h m e n t a n d o p e r a t i o n of a
                                                                      European university network
Whereas a successful cooperation in this field implies a
general     commitment      by both       sides to     make
complementary efforts to stimulate student mobility;                  The content and objectives of this action shall be
                                                                      those indicated in Action 1 of Annex I to the present
                                                                      Agreement.
(') The Kingdom of Norway/the Kingdom of Sweden/the                   (1) Universities from . . . may formally participate in
    Republic of Austria/the Republic of Finland/the Republic                and receive funding for participation in inter-
    of Iceland/the Swiss Confederation                                      university cooperation programmes (ICPs). In
(2) Norway/Sweden/Austria/Finland/Iceland/Switzerland                       order to create a network of inter-university
 ---pagebreak--- 17.5.91                                       Official Journal of the European Communities                                          No C 127/5
         cooperation between the Community and . ..,                     3. A c t i o n 3 — M e a s u r e s t o p r o m o t e m o b i l i t y
         preference shall be given to multilateral ICPs. In                 through           the       academic            recognition           of
         line with this principle ICPs shall include univer-                d i p l o m a s a n d p e r i o d s of s t u d y
         sities from at least two Community Member
          States. However, in the first year of operation of                The content and objectives of this action shall be
         the present Agreement, ICPs including one or                       those indicated in Action 3 of Annex I to the present
          more universities from at least one Community                     Agreement.
          Member State shall exceptionally be eligible for
         financial support.                                                 Relevant institutions and bodies in . . . shall be eligible
                                                                            to participate in and benefit from the measures
                                                                            referred to under this action on the same basis as
                                                                            similar institutions and bodies in the Community
   (2) Activities within Action 1 solely between univer-
                                                                            Member States and under the same conditions.
         sities from . . . and from EFTA countries, even
         where such countries have a cooperation
         agreement with the Community concerning                        4. A c t i o n 4 — C o m p l e m e n t a r y m e a s u r e s to
         Erasmus, shall not be eligible for financial                       p r o m o t e s t u d e n t m o b i l i t y in t h e C o m m u n i t y
         support.
                                                                            The content and objectives of this action shall be
                                                                            those indicated in Action 4 of Annex I to the present
                                                                            Agreement.
   (3) Under the circumstances set             out in (1) and (2),
         universities from . . . shall          benefit from the
         measures referred to under            this action on the           Relevant institutions and bodies in . . . shall be eligible
         same basis as universities             from Community              to participate in and benefit from the measures
         Member States and under the           same conditions.             referred to under this action on the same basis as
                                                                            similar institutions and bodies in the Community
                                                                            Member States and under the same conditions.
2. A c t i o n 2 — E r a s m u s s t u d e n t g r a n t s s c h e m e                                   Article 4
                                                                         1.     . . . shall make an annual contribution to the
                                                                        financing of the Erasmus programme, beginning in the
   The content and objectives of this action shall be                   calendar year following entry into force of this
   those indicated in Action 2 of Annex I to the present                agreement, up to and including the calendar year in
   Agreement.                                                           which the last academic year of operation of this
                                                                        Agreement begins.
   (1) Erasmus student grants may be awarded to                         2.      This annual financial contribution of . . . shall be
         students from . . . for the purpose of facilitating a          established in proportion to the total annual budget for
         period of study in a Member State of the                       the Erasmus programme.
         Community and vice versa. Such students shall be
         nationals or permanent residents in EC Member
                                                                        3.      The proportionality factor governing the contri-
         States or . . . Grants shall not be awarded to
                                                                        bution by . . . shall be determined by the ratio between its
         students from . . . for the purpose of facilitating a
                                                                        gross domestic product (GDP), at market prices, and the
         period of study in another EFTA country (or vice               sum of the gross domestic products, at market prices, of
         versa), even where that country has a cooperation              the Member States of the Community and . . . This ratio
         agreement with the Community concerning                        shall be calculated year by year on the basis of the latest
         Erasmus.                                                       available OECD statistical data.
                                                                        4.      At the beginning of each year, the Commission
   (2) The Erasmus grants for students moving from                      shall inform . . . of the amount of the appropriations
         universities in . . . shall be administered through            available in the Community budget for that year in
         the competent authority in . . ., which shall be               respect of the Erasmus programme. Amendments of this
         designated by . . . for this purpose.                          amount occuring during the year shall be communicated
                                                                        to . . . by the Community.
   (3) Under the circumstances set out in (1) and (2),                  5.      In addition to the annual contribution referred to in
         university students from . . . may benefit from the            paragraph 1, . . . shall make, not later than by the entry
         measures referred to under Action 2 of Annex I                 into force of this Agreement, an initial contribution of
        to this Agreement, on the same basis as university              ECU . . . to cover the costs of prior preparatory work
         students from Community Member States and                      carried out by the Commission in connection with the
         under the same conditions.                                     implementation of this Agreement.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 127/6                               Official Journal of the European Communities                                 17.5.91
6.      The rules governing the financial contributions by         purpose, guidelines will be provided to the above
. . . to the development of the Erasmus programme shall            competent authority by the Commission of the European
be those set out in Annex II to the present Agreement.             Communities.
                            Article 5
                                                                                              Article 8
Subject to the special requirements referred to in Article
4 of the present Agreement regarding participation by              The Contracting Parties shall make efforts to facilitate
universities from . . . , the terms and conditions for the         the free movement and residence of students, teachers
submission and evaluation of applications and the terms            and university administrators moving between . . . and
and conditions for the granting and conclusion of                  the Community for the purpose of participating in acti-
contracts under the Erasmus programme shall be the                 vities covered by the present Agreement.
same as those applicable to universities in the
Community.
                                                                                              Article 9
                            Article 6
                                                                   ... shall submit to the Commission, to assist the latter in
1.      A Joint Committee is hereby established.                   drafting its annual report on Erasmus as well as a report
                                                                   on the experience acquired in the application of the
2.      The committee shall be responsible            for  the     programme, a contribution describing the national
implementation of the present Agreement.                           measures taken by . . . in this regard. A copy of these
                                                                   reports shall be transmitted to . . .
3.      The Community delegation shall take the appro-
priate steps to ensure coordination between the
implementation of this Agreement and the decisions                                           Article 10
taken by the Community in respect of the implemen-
                                                                   With regard to the application process, contracts, reports
tation of Erasmus.
                                                                   to be submitted and other administrative arrangements
                                                                   for the Erasmus programme, the languages used shall be
4.      For the purpose of the proper implementation of            the official languages of the Community.
the Agreement, the Contracting Parties shall exchange
information and, at the request of either Party, shall
hold consultations within the committee.
                                                                                             Article 11
5.      The committee may deliver opinions and elaborate           The present Agreement shall apply, on the one hand, to
guidelines concerning the implementation of the Erasmus            the territories in which the Treaty establishing the
programme as far as the participation of . . . is                  Community is applied and under the conditions laid
concerned.                                                         down in that Treaty and, on the other hand, to the
                                                                   territory of . . . .
6.      The committee      shall   adopt  its own    rules of
procedure.
                                                                                             Article 12
7.      The committee shall consist of representatives of
the Community, on the one hand, and, on the other                  1.    The present Agreement shall be concluded for a
hand, representatives of . . .                                     period covering the five academic years following entry
                                                                   into force. It may be renewed for a further period of five
                                                                   years by agreement between the contracting parties. A
8.      The committee shall act by mutual agreement.               review of the present Agreement shall be completed
                                                                   before the end of the third academic year after entry into
9.      The committee shall meet at the request of either          force.
Contracting Party, in accordance with the conditions to
be laid down in its rules of procedure.
                                                                   2.    Should the Community revise the Erasmus
                            Article 7                              programme, the present Agreement may be renegotiated
                                                                   or terminated. . . . shall be notified of the exact content
Decisions concerning the selection of projects described           of the revised programme within one week after its
in Annex I (Actions 1, 3 and 4) shall be taken by the              adoption by the Community. The Contracting Parties
Commission of the European Communities.                            shall notify each other within three months after the
                                                                   Community decision has been adopted if a renegotiation
Decisions concerning the award of Erasmus grants for               or termination of the Agreement is requested. In the
students moving from . . . universities (Action 2) shall be        event of termination, the practical arrangements for
taken by the competent authority in . . . in close                 dealing with outstanding commitments shall be the
cooperation with the participating universities. For this          subject of negotiations between the Contracting Parties.
 ---pagebreak--- 17. 5. 91                                 Official Journal of the European Communities                                    No C 127/7
3.    Either Contracting Party may at any time request a               necessary for this purpose, it shall enter into force on the
revision of the Agreement. To this end, it shall submit a              first day of the second month following such notifi-
request to the other Contracting Party. The Contracting                cation. However, if such notification has not taken place
Parties may instruct the Joint Committee to examine this               by the end of September of any year, the provisions of
request and, where appropriate, to make recommen-                      the Agreement shall only become operational with effect
dations to them, particularly with a view to opening                   from the second academic year following such notifi-
negotiations.                                                          cation.
                           Article 13                                                             Article 14
The present Agreement shall be approved by the                         The Present Agreement shall be drawn up in duplicate in
Contracting Parties in accordance with their existing                  the Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek,
procedures. Subject to the Contracting Parties' having                 Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and . . . languages, each of
notified each other of the completion of the procedures                these texts being equally authentic.
                                                               ANNEX I
                                                              ACTION 1
                                     Establishment and operation of a European university network
              1. 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 organize programmes providing for exchanges of
                 students and teachers with universities of other Member States and ensuring full recognition of 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 could include as necessary an inte-
                 grated 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. Wherever possible, the preparation in the foreign
                 language should be commenced in the country of origin before departure.
                 Priority will be given to programmes involving an integrated and fully recognized period of study in
                 another Member State. For each joint progamme, each participating university will receive support of up
                 to an annual ceiling of ECU 25 000 for a maximum 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 to the process of innovation and improvement of courses on a Community-wide
                 basis.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 127/8                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                      17.5.91
           4. In addition, grants of up to ECU 20 000 will be provided to universities organizing intensive teaching
              programmes of short duration involving students from several different Member States. This action will
              be of a complementary nature.
           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 univer-
              sities of these Member States and to increase their mutual understanding of the training aspects of the
              higher education systems of other Member States. Grants will also be provided to allow teaching staff to
              conduct a series of specialized lectures in several Member States.
                                                                ACTION 2
                                                      Erasmus student grants scheme
           1. The Community will further develop a scheme for the direct financial support of students at universities
              as defined in Article 1 (2) 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 through the competent authorities of the Member States.
              In view of the development of the European university network, the Member States shall each be paid a
              minimum of ECU 200 000 (the equivalent of approximately 100 grants); the remainder shall be
              allocated to each Member State on the basis of 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, the average
              cost of the journey between the country of the university of the student's country of origin and that of
              the host university as well as on the difference between the cost of living in the country of the home
              university and that of the host university.
              Moreover, the Commission will take the necessary steps to ensure balanced participation across the
              various subjects, to take account of the demand for programmes and of student flow and to deal with
              certain specific problems, in particular the financing of certain grants which, because of the structure of
              the exceptional programmes concerned, cannot be administered by national agencies. The proportion
              available for such measures shall not exceed 5 % of the total annual student grants budget.
           3. The grant-awarding authorities of the Member States will issue grants up to a maximum of ECU 5 000
              per student for a stay of one year, subject to the following conditions:
              (a) the grants are intended to offset the additional costs of mobility, i.e. 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). They do not aim to cover the full
                   cost of study abroad;
              (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) pursuant to 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) 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 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 pursuant to 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 a significant period of academic study in another Member State of three
                   months to a full academic year, or to more than 12 months in case of highly integrated programmes.
                   Grants will not normally be awarded for the first year of university study;
 ---pagebreak--- 17. 5. 91                              Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s                  N o C 127/9
             (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.
                                                                ACTION 3
              Measures to promote mobility through the academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study
          The Community will undertake, through cooperation with the competent authorities in the Member States,
          the following actions in order to promote mobility through the academic recognition of diplomas and
          periods of study acquired in another Member State:
          1. measures to promote the European Community course credit transfer system (ECTS) on an
             experimental and voluntary basis in order to provide a means by which students undergoing or having
             completed higher education and training may receive credit for such training carried out at universities
             in other Member States. A limited number of grants of up to ECU 20 000 per year will be awarded to
             the universities participating in the pilot system;
          2. 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; annual grants of up to ECU 20 000 will be awarded to the centres to facilitate exchange of
             information, in particular by means of a computerized system for data exchange.
                                                               ACTION 4
                            Complementary measures to promote student mobility in the Community
          1. The complementary measures are intended to finance:
             — 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 or 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
                 within 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.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 127/10                              Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s            17.5.91
                                                                   ANNEX      II
                                                                 Financing rules
                                                                    Article 1
           The financial Regulation in force applicable to the general budget of the European Communities shall
           apply, notably to the management of the appropriations.
                                                                    Article 2
           At the beginning of each year, or whenever the Erasmus programme is revised so as to involve an increase
           in the amount entered in the Community budget for its implementation, the Commission shall send to . . . a
           call for funds corresponding to its contribution to the costs under the present Agreement.
           This contribution shall be expressed in ecus and paid into an ecu bank account of the Commission.
            . . . shall pay its contribution to the annual costs under the Agreement according to the call for funds and
           at the latest one month after the call for funds is sent. Any delay in the payment of the contribution shall
           give rise to the payment of interest by . . . on the outstanding amount from the due date. The interest rate
           shall correspond to the rate applied by the European Monetary Cooperation Fund, for the month of the
           due date, for its operations in ecus (4), increased by 1,5 percentage points.
            O Rate published monthly in the Official Journal of the European Communities, C series.
 ---pagebreak--- 17.5.91                          Official Journal of the European Communities                           N o C 127/11
        Draft Exchange of Letters to be signed on the occasion of the signature of the Agreement
        between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland establishing
        cooperation in the field of education and training within the framework of the Erasmus
                                                    programme
        Letter No 1 (to be signed by Iceland)
        (Complimentary opening)
        I hereby confirm on behalf of the Republic of Iceland our understanding that the total amount
        allocated to Iceland under Action 2 of the Erasmus programme will, for the time being, not
        exceed the minimum referred to in paragraph 2 of Action 2 in Annex I to the Agreement
        between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland establishing
        cooperation in the field of education and training within the framework of the Erasmus
        programme. It is understood, however, that this situation shall be subject to review by the Joint
        Committee provided for in the Agreement.
        (Complimentary close)
        Letter No 2 (to be signed by the Community)
        (Complimentary opening)
        I hereby acknowledge on behalf of the Community your letter of . . . which reads as follows:
        (quote)
        I confirm on behalf of the Community that this corresponds to our understanding of how the
        Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Iceland estab-
        lishing cooperation in the field of education and training within the framework of the Erasmus
        programme should be implemented.
        (Complimentary close)
 ---pagebreak---  N o C 127/12                         Official Journal of the European Communities                                              17. 5. 91
              Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Principality of Liechtenstein
              establishing cooperation in the field of education and training within the framework of the
                                                    Erasmus programme
THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY,                                cooperation and mobility in the context of the
                                                                implementation of Erasmus. The actions of the Erasmus
                                                                programme are set out in Annex I.
hereinafter called 'the Community'
                                                                                              Article 2
and
                                                                For the purposes of the Agreement, the term 'university'
                                                                shall be used to cover all types of post-secondary
THE PRINCIPALITY OF LICHTENSTEIN,                               education and training establishments which offer, where
                                                                appropriate within the framework of advanced training,
                                                                qualifications or diplomas of that level, whatever such
hereinafter called 'Liechtenstein',                             establishments may be called in the Contracting Parties.
hereinafter both called the 'Contracting Parties',              Students registered in those establishments, regardless of
                                                                the field of study, are eligible for support within the
                                                                Erasmus programme, up to and including doctorate
Whereas the Community has adopted the European                  level, on condition that the period of study at the host
Community action scheme for the mobility of university          university, which is compatible with the curriculum at the
students, hereinafter referred to as Erasmus;                   student's home university, forms part of his or her voca-
                                                                tional training.
Whereas the Contracting Parties have a common interest          The Erasmus programme does not cover research and
in cooperation in this field, as part of the wider              technological development activities.
cooperation between the Community and the EFTA
countries in the field of education and vocational
training with the aim of contributing to a dynamic and
                                                                                              Article 3
homogeneous development in this field;
                                                                Unless otherwise provided in this article, references in
                                                                Annex I to this Agreement to the Member States of the
Whereas in particular cooperation between the                   Community shall be understood for the purposes of the
Community and Liechtenstein with a view to pursuing             present Agreement as referring also to Liechtenstein.
the objectives fixed for Erasmus, within the context of a
network of inter-university cooperation involving the
                                                                As far as the different actions of Erasmus are concerned,
Community and the EFTA countries as a whole, by its
                                                                the participation of universities from Liechtenstein in
nature enriches the impact of Erasmus actions so as to
                                                                Erasmus activities shall be subject to the specific
strengthen the skill levels of human resources in the
                                                                conditions and rules set out in the present Article.
Community and Liechtenstein;
                                                                1. A c t i o n 1 — E s t a b l i s h m e n t and o p e r a t i o n of a
Whereas the Contracting Parties consequently expect                 European university network
to obtain mutual benefit from the participation of
Liechtenstein in Erasmus;                                          The content and objectives of this action shall be
                                                                   those indicated in Action 1 of Annex I to the present
                                                                   Agreement.
Whereas a succesful cooperation in this field implies a
general    commitment      by both      sides to     make
                                                                    (1) Universities from Liechtenstein may formally
complementary efforts to stimulate student mobility;
                                                                         participate in and receive funding for part-
                                                                         icipation    in         inter-university        cooperation
                                                                         programmes (ICPs). In order to create a network
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:                                                  of inter-university cooperation between the
                                                                         Community and Liechtenstein, preference shall be
                                                                         given to multilateral ICPs. In line with this
                                                                         principle ICPs shall include universities from at
                          Article 1
                                                                         least two Community Member States. However,
Cooperation between the Community and Liechtenstein                      in the first year of operation of the present
shall be established in the field of inter-university                    Agreement, ICPs including one or more univer-
 ---pagebreak--- 17.5.91                                       Official Journal of the European Communities                                        No C 127/13
         sities from at least one Community Member State                3. A c t i o n 3 — M e a s u r e s t o p r o m o t e m o b i l i t y
         shall exceptionally be eligible for financial                      through           the       academic            recognition           of
         support.                                                           d i p l o m a s a n d p e r i o d s of s t u d y
                                                                            The content and objectives of this action shall be
   (2) Activities within Action 1 solely between univer-                    those indicated in Action 3 of Annex I to the present
         sities from Liechtenstein and from EFTA                            Agreement.
         countries, even where such countries have a
         cooperation agreement with the Community                           Relevant institutions and bodies in Liechtenstein shall
         concerning Erasmus, shall not be eligible for                      be eligible to participate in and benefit from the
         financial support.                                                 measures referred to under this Action on the same
                                                                            basis as similar institutions and bodies in the
                                                                            Community Member States and under the same
   (3) Under the circumstances set out in (1) and (2),                      conditions.
         universities from Liechtenstein shall benefit from
         the measures referred to under this action on the
         same basis as universities from Community                      4. A c t i o n 4 — C o m p l e m e n t a r y m e a s u r e s to
         Member States and under the same condidions.                       p r o m o t e s t u d e n t m o b i l i t y in t h e C o m m u n i t y
                                                                            The content and objectives of this Action shall be
                                                                            those indicated in Action 4 of Annex I to the present
2. A c t i o n 2 — E r a s m u s s t u d e n t g r a n t s s c h e m e      Agreement.
                                                                            Relevant institutions and bodies in Liechtenstein shall
   The content and objectives of this action shall be                       be eligible to participate in and benefit from the
   those indicated in Action 2 of Annex I to the present                    measures referred to under this action on the same
   Agreement.                                                               conditions.
   The minimum amount refered to in Action 2.2 shall                                                     Article 4
   however in the case of Liechtenstein be fixed at ECU                  1.    Liechtenstein shall make an annual contribution to
   6 000.                                                               the financing of the Erasmus programme, beginning in
                                                                        the calendar year following entry into force of this
                                                                        Agreement, up to and including the calendar year in
                                                                        which the last academic year of operation of this
   (1) Erasmus student grants may be awarded to
                                                                        Agreement begins.
         students from Liechtenstein for the purpose of
         facilitating a period of study in a Member State
         of the Community and vice versa. Such students
                                                                        2.     This annual financial contribution of Liechtenstein
         shall be nationals or permanent residents in EC
                                                                        shall be established on an annual basis in relation with
         Member States or Liechtenstein. Grants shall not
                                                                        the total annual budget for the Erasmus programme.
         be awarded to students from Liechtenstein for the
         purpose of facilitating a period of study in
         another EFTA country (or vice versa), even                     For the first year of operation of this Agreement,
         where that country has a cooperation agreement                 the financial contribution of Liechtenstein is fixed at
         with the Community concerning Erasmus.                         ECU 35 000. Consequent annual contributions of Liech-
                                                                        tenstein shall be fixed in the framework of the Joint
                                                                        Committee.
   (2) The Erasmus grants for students moving from
         universities in Liechtenstein shall be administered            Such contributions shall however be at least equal to an
         through the competent authority in Liechtenstein,              amount proportionately related to the contribution by
         which shall be designated by Liechtenstein for                 the Swiss Confederation calculated by reference to the
         this purpose.                                                  respective populations of Liechtenstein and the Swiss
                                                                        Confederation.
   (3) Under the circumstances set out in (1) and (2),                  3.     At the beginning of each year, the Commission
         university students from Liechtenstein may benefit             shall inform Liechtenstein of the amount of the appropri-
         from the measures referred to under Action 2 of                ations available in the Community budget for that year
         Annex I this Agreement, on the same basis as                   in respect of the Erasmus programme. Amendments of
         university students from Community Member                      this amount occuring during the year shall be
         States and under the same conditions.                          communicated to Liechtenstein by the Community.
 ---pagebreak---  No C 127/14                           Official Journal of the European Communities                                 17.5.91
 4.   In addition to the annual contribution referred to in                                  Article 7
paragraph 1, Liechtenstein shall make, not later than by
 the entry into force of this Agreement, an initial contri-       Decisions concerning the selection of projects described
                                                                  in Annex I (Actions 1, 3 and 4) shall be taken by the
 bution of ECU 600 to cover the costs of prior
                                                                  Commission of the European Communities.
 preparatory work carried out by the Commission in
 connection with the implementation of this Agreement.
 5.   The rules governing the financial contributions by          Decisions concerning the award of Erasmus grants for
 Liechtenstein to the development of the Erasmus                  students moving from Liechtenstein universities (Action
programme shall be those set out in Annex II to the               2) shall be taken by the competent authority in Liech-
present Agreement.                                               tenstein in close cooperation with the participating
                                                                 universities. For this purpose, guidelines will be provided
                                                                  to the above competent authority by the Commission of
                          Article 5                              the European Communities.
Subject to the special requirements referred to in Article
4 of the present Agreement regarding participation by
universitites from Liechtenstein, the terms and conditions                                   Article 8
for the submission and evaluation of applications and the
terms and conditions for the granting and conclusion of          The Contracting Parties shall make efforts to facilitate
contracts under the Erasmus programme shall be the               the free movement and residence of students, teachers
same as those applicable to universities in the                  and      university    administrators    moving    between
Community.                                                       Liechenstein and the Community for the purpose of
                                                                 participating in activities covered by the present
                                                                 Agreement.
                          Article 6
 1.   A Joint Committee is hereby established.
                                                                                             Article 9
2.    The committee shall be responsible            for  the     Liechtenstein shall submit to the Commission, to assist
implementation of the present Agreement.                         the latter in drafting its annual report on Erasmus as well
                                                                 as a report on the experience acquired in the application
                                                                 of the programme, a contribution describing the national
3.    The Community delegation shall take the appro-             measures taken by Liechtenstein in this regard. A copy of
priate steps to ensure coordination between the                  these reports shall be transmitted to Liechtenstein.
implementation of this Agreement and the decisions
taken by the Community in respect of the implemen-
tation of Erasmus.
                                                                                            Article 10
4.    For the purpose of the proper implementation of            With regard to the application process, contracts, reports
the Agreement, the Contracting Parties shall exchange            to be submitted and other administrative arrangements
information and, at the request of either Party, shall           for the Erasmus programme, the languages used shall be
hold consultations within the committee.                         the official languages of the Community.
5.    The committee may deliver opinions and elaborate
guidelines concerning the implementation of the Erasmus                                     Article 11
programme as far as the participation of Liechtenstein is
concerned.                                                       The present Agreement shall apply, on the one hand, to
                                                                 the territories in which the Treaty establishing the
                                                                 Community is applied and under the conditions laid
6.    The committee      shall adopt    its own    rules  of     down in that Treaty and, on the other hand, to the
procedure.                                                       territory of Liechtenstein.
7.    The committee shall consist of representatives of
the Community, on the one hand, and, on the other
                                                                                            Article 12
hand, representatives of Liechtenstein.
                                                                 1.    The present Agreement shall be concluded for a
                                                                 period covering the five academic years following entry
8.    The committee shall act by mutual agreement.
                                                                 into force. It may be renewed for a further period of five
                                                                 years by Agreement between the contracting parties. A
9.    The committee shall meet at the request of either          review of the present Agreement shall be completed
Contracting Party, in accordance with the conditions to          before the end of the third academic year after entry into
be laid down in its rules of procedure.                          force.
 ---pagebreak--- 17. 5. 91                                 Official Journal of the European Communities                                  N o C 127/15
2.    Should the Community revise the Erasmus                                                     Article 13
programme, the present Agreement may be renegotiated
or terminated. Liechtenstein shall be notified of the exact            The present Agreement shall be approved by the
content of the revised programme within one week after                 Contracting Parties in accordance with their existing
its adoption by the Community. The Contracting Parties                 procedures. Subject to the Contracting Parties' having
                                                                       notified each other of the completion of the procedures
shall notify each other within three months after the
                                                                       necessary for this purpose, it shall enter into force on the
Community decision has been adopted if a renegotiation
                                                                       first day of the second month following such notifi-
or termination of the Agreement is requested. In the
                                                                       cation. However, if such notification has not taken place
event of termination, the practical arrangements for
                                                                       by the end of September of any year, the provisions of
dealing with outstanding commitments shall be the
                                                                       the Agreement shall only become operational with effect
subject of negotiations between the Contracting Parties.
                                                                       from the second academic year following such notifi-
                                                                       cation.
3.    Either Contracting Party may at any time request a
revision of the Agreement. To this end, it shall submit a                                         Article 14
request to the other Contracting Party. The Contracting
Parties may instruct the Joint Committee to examine this               The Present Agreement shall be drawn up in duplicate in
request and, where appropriate, to make recommen-                      the Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek,
dations to them, particularly with a view to opening                   Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and . . . languages, each of
negotiations.                                                          these texts being equally authentic.
                                                              ANNEX I
                                                              ACTION 1
                                     Establishment and operation of a European university network
              1. 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 organize programmes providing for exchanges of
                 students and teachers with universities of other Member States and ensuring full recognition of 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 could include as necessary an inte-
                 grated 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. Wherever possible, the preparation in the foreign
                 language should be commenced in the country of origin before departure.
                 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 ECU 25 000 for a maximum 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.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 127/16                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                    17.5.91
          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 to the process of innovation and improvement of courses on a Community-wide
              basis.
          4. In addition, grants of up to ECU 20 000 will be provided to universities organizing intensive teaching
              programmes of short duration involving students from several different Member States. This action will
              be of a complementary nature.
          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 univer-
              sities of these Member States and to increase their mutual understanding of the training aspects of the
              higher education systems of other Member States. Grants will also be provided to allow teaching staff to
              conduct a series of specialized lectures in several Member States.
                                                                 ACTION 2
                                                      Erasmus student grants scheme
          1. The Community will further develop a scheme for the direct financial support of students at universities
             as defined in Article 1 (2) 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 through the competent authorities of the Member States.
             In view of the development of the European university network, the Member States shall each be paid a
             minimum of ECU 200 000 (the equivalent of approximately 100 grants); the remainder shall be
             allocated to each Member State on the basis of 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, the average
             cost of the journey between the country of the university of the student's country of origin and that of
             the host university as well as on the difference between the cost of living in the country of the home
             university and that of the host university.
             Moreover, the Commission will take the necessary steps to ensure balanced participation across the
             various subjects, to take account of the demand for programmes and of student flow and to deal with
             certain specific problems, in particular the financing of certain grants which, because of the structure of
             the exceptional programmes concerned, cannot be administered by national agencies. The proportion
             available for such measures shall not exceed 5 % of the total annual student grants budget.
          3. The grant-awarding authorities of the Member States will issue grants up to a maximum of ECU 5 000
             per student for a stay of one year, subject to the following conditions:
             (a) the grants are intended to offset the additional costs of mobility, i.e. 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). They do not aim to cover the full
                   cost of study abroad;
             (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) pursuant to 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) 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 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 pursuant to Action 1;
 ---pagebreak--- 17. 5. 91                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                       No C 127/17
             (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 a significant period of academic study in another Member State of three
                 months to a full academic year, or to more than 12 months in the case of highly integrated
                 programmes. Grants will not normally be awarded for the first year of university study;
             (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.
                                                              ACTION 3
              Measures to promote mobility through the academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study
          The Community will undertake, through cooperation with the competent authorities in the Member States,
          the following actions in order to promote mobility through the academic recognition of diplomas and
          periods of study acquired in another Member State:
          1. measures to promote the European Community course credit Transfer System (ECTS) on an
             experimental and voluntary basis in order to provide a means by which students undergoing or having
             completed higher education and training may receive credit for such training carried out at universities
             in other Member States. A limited number of grants of up to ECU 20 000 per year will be awarded to
             the universities participating in the pilot system;
          2. 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; annual grants of up to ECU 20 000 will be awarded to the centres to facilitate exchange of
             information, in particular by means of a computerized system for data exchange.
                                                              ACTION 4
                            Complementary measures to promote student mobility in the Community
          1. The complementary measures are intended to finance:
             — 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 or 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
                 within 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.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 127/18                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                   17.5.91
                                                            ANNEX II
                                                          Financing rules
                                                              Article 1
           The financial Regulation in force applicable to the general budget of the European Communities shall
           apply, notably to the management of the appropriations.
                                                              Article 2
           At the beginning of each year, or whenever the Erasmus programme is revised so as to involve an increase
           in the amount entered in the Community budget for its implementation, the Commission shall send to
           Liechtenstein a call for funds corresponding to its contribution to the costs under the present Agreement.
           This contribution shall be expressed in ecus and paid into an ecu bank account of the Commission.
           Liechtenstein shall pay its contribution to the annual costs under the Agreement according to the call for
           funds and at the latest one month after the call for funds is sent. Any delay in the payment of the contri-
           bution shall give rise to the payment of interest by Liechtenstein on the outstanding amount from the due
           date. The interest rate shall correspond to the rate applied by the European Monetary Cooperation Fund,
           for the month of the due date, for its operations in ecu (*), increased by 1,5 percentage points.
           (') Rate published monthly in the Official Journal of the European Communities, C series.