Almost 100 million euros for Leonardo da Vinci programme in 1999
The European Commission has approved funding of 94.8 million euros for projects under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, which aims to improve vocational training in Europe. The money will support 753 transnational projects involving 14,500 partners. The projects were chosen from a total of 2170 proposals submitted. They reflect the programme's five priorities of acquiring new skills, bringing together educational and vocational training establishments, the fight against exclusion, the promotion of investment in human resources and broadening access to knowledge using the tools of the information society. More than 20% of projects chosen have multiplier effects and pre-accession countries are well represented (131 projects). Pilot projects received 67.8 million euros, with the remaining 27 million euros funding placement and exchange programmes. During 1999 Bulgaria and Slovenia joined the nine pre-accession states already participating in the programme (Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and Slovakia).