Erasmus for All Update: European Council conclusions
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: Erasmus for All, Uncategorized | Tags: Erasmus for All, Europe 2020, european commission, Lifelong Learning Programme, youth in action 2 Comments »Friday 11 May 2012 was a significant day for the Erasmus for All proposal as it was discussed by national Education Ministers at the Council of the European Union. Ministers decided to adopt a revised version of the Commission’s original proposal but did not take any decisions about the programme’s budget. The official line is that Ministers have “reached a partial general approach” but as that’s not the most enlightening description we’ve set out the key changes here!
Main changes to the Erasmus for All proposal
- There will be a separate chapter for youth with its own budget.
- The emphasis on inclusion has been strengthened to ensure access to the programme for people with special needs or fewer opportunities.
- Minimum funding allocations for the different sectors of education and training have been written into the legal basis for the programme.
- The behind-the-scenes management arrangements have been refined for greater consistency and effectiveness.
- The budget for the programme has not yet been decided and will depend on the general negotiations currently underway on the next financial period for the EU.
The full list of changes is set out in the official Press Release from the Council which you can find here http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/educ/130177.pdf.
Revised version of the proposal
You can read the revised version of the Erasmus for All proposal by following this link http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/12/st09/st09098.en12.pdf.
If you’d like to find out more, other useful resources include:
- A short introductory statement on the results of the meeting http://www.consilium.europa.eu/homepage/highlights/erasmus-for-all-investing-in-europes-youth?lang=en
- A webcast of the meeting http://video.consilium.europa.eu/webcast.aspx?ticket=775-979-11232
- A recording of the associated press conference http://video.consilium.europa.eu/webcast.aspx?ticket=775-979-11229
What happens next?
Negotiations at European level will continue. The Council and the European Parliament need to reach agreement on the format of the new programme, and the budget needs to be decided in the context of the ongoing negotiations around the next Multiannual Financial Framework (see more at http://ec.europa.eu/budget/reform/). We’ll be updating our programme websites with new factsheets and FAQs documents shortly, and we’ll continue to keep you posted! Why not follow us on twitter to get the latest updates on #erasmusforall?
[...] also heard from the Danish Presidency on the Council of the European Union’s adoption of a partial general approachand from the European Commission. You can watch a recording of the Committee’s proceedings by [...]
[...] On the 11 May the proposal was discussed by national Education Ministers and a revised version of the propoosal was adopted. Officially, Ministers reached a ‘partial general approach’, as the description was not the most enlightening we gave you an update on the key changes. [...]