Council to look again at mobility for students, but not researchers
The European Parliament is to submit a recommendation for the second reading on the Council's common position on increased mobility for students, persons undergoing training, teachers, trainers and volunteers. Researchers are however not included in the recommendation. Parliament's rapporteur Robert Evans (UK) accepts the Commission's view that researchers cannot be included for legal reasons. In its amended proposal, the Commission stated that it prefers to issue a separate document on the needs of researchers as part of the follow-up to its communication on the European Research Area (ERA). Amendments at the second reading include a request for clarification of what follow-up action is expected from the Commission and the Member States and the removal from the Council's text of the restriction whereby a temporary stay in the host state would be restricted to 'one year in principle'. The Parliament's Culture committee welcomed a development since the Parliament's first reading, which will see the creation of an 'Action Plan on Mobility'. The plan is conceived as a 'toolbox' of 42 concrete measures designed to identify and deal with obstacles to mobility.