Programme to promote bodies active at European level and support specific activities (2004 - 2006)

The requirement for greater budgetary transparency in the European Communities has led the European Parliament and the Council to adopt a new programme to support specific activities in the field of education and training.

ACT

Decision No 791/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 establishing a Community action programme to promote bodies active at European level and support specific activities in the field of education and training [Official Journal L 138 of 30.04.2004].

SUMMARY

1. The European Parliament and the Council have adopted this Decision in the context of the need for budgetary transparency imposed by the 2002 Financial Regulation of the European Communities (Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002), which requires a legal basis to be established to cover existing actions in the field of education and training. This provides an opportunity for the European Parliament and the Council to do more to promote initiatives benefiting education and training in Europe.

2. The programme is concerned with supporting the activities of bodies operating at European or world level which pursue an aim of general European interest in the field of education and training or a specific action promoting the European Union's action in this area, providing information on European integration and the objectives pursued by the Union in its international relations, or supporting Community action and relaying it at national level.

Beneficiaries

3. The programme is open to independent and non-profit-making legal entities primarily active in the field of education and training, with an objective aimed at the public good. Entities must have been legally established for more than two years.

4. The programme embraces three main action areas. The first action area (Action 1) is support for specified institutions active in the field of education, namely:

• the College of Europe (Bruges and Natolin campuses) in post-graduate studies in the European dimension of law, economics, political and social sciences and the humanities;
• the European University Institute, Florence, in its contribution to the development of Europe's cultural and scientific heritage by higher education and research;
• the European Institute of Public Administration, Maastricht, in the training of national and European officials;
• the European Law Academy, Trier, in university-level continuing education for European law practitioners and users;
• the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation for the continuation of the European Masters Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation, the Advanced Internship Programme and other education, training and research activities in promotion of human rights and democratisation;
• the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education in the improvement of the quality of special needs education and the institution of extensive and long-term European cooperation in this field;
• the International Centre for European Training in study, education, training and research on issues of European and world unification, federalism, regionalism and the changing structures of contemporary society, from a world federalist viewpoint.

5. The second action area (Action 2) is support for European associations active in the field of education or training, with members in at least 12 EU Member States. Associations may be national, regional or local and must undertake the majority of their activities in the Member States of the European Union. Action 2 is open to bodies pursuing an aim of general European interest.

6. The third action area (Action 3) concerns support for activities:

• in the field of higher education concerning European integration, including Jean Monnet chairs (Action 3a). This includes the implementation of European integration studies in universities; creation of and support for national associations of teachers specialising in European integration; promotion of reflection and discussion on the process of European integration; promotion of academic research on EU priority subjects;
• contributing to the achievement of the future objectives of education and training systems in Europe (Action 3b). This includes support for studies, enquiries and research linked to the achievement of the concrete future objectives; meetings of experts, seminars, conferences and study visits supporting the implementation of the detailed work programme on the objectives; preparation and execution of information activities and publications, etc.;
• contributing to the training of national judges in the field of European law and to the activities of organisations for judicial cooperation (Action 3c).

7. The programme is open to the Member States of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom), three countries of the European Economic Area (EEA - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), two candidate countries (Bulgaria and Romania) and Turkey.

Financial framework

8. The financial framework is EUR 77 million for the period 2004-2006, distributed according to the following percentages:

• between 65 % and 58 % of the total programme budget for Action 1;
• between 24 % and 20 % of the total programme budget for activities in the field of higher education (Action 3a) ;
• between 14 % and 9 % of the total programme budget for activities contributing to the achievement of the future objectives of education and training systems (Action 3b).

9. The resources committed to Action 2 and the training of national judges (Action 3c) will in each case be less than 4 % of the total programme budget.

10. The programme finances up to 75 % of the eligible costs (except for Action 1). In the case of Actions 2 and 3, grants are awarded on the basis of calls for proposals. The European Commission is responsible for implementing the programme.

11. No later than 31 December 2007, the Commission must submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the achievement of the programme's objectives. In accordance with the Treaty, the European Parliament and the Council must then decide on the continuation of the programme as from 1 January 2007.

RELATED ACTS

Decision No 1720/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing an action programme in the field of lifelong learning [Official Journal L 327 of 24.11.2006].

Last updated: 20.02.2007