SOCRATES action programme for education
The Commission adopted on 4 January 1994 a proposal to establish an educational action programme, SOCRATES, which will address all levels of teaching, for the first time undertaking EU action at the level of school education. The new programme will also assure the continuity of activities in the context of the ERASMUS and LINGUA programmes which end on 31 December 1994. SOCRATES will focus on transnational actions contributing to the development of quality education throughout the EU and the professional and social insertion of young people in European society. As well as encouraging mobility, SOCRATES will promote linguistic abilities and use of the modern techniques of open and distance learning. It will permit a greater number of young people to benefit from the advantages of an open European educational area. Activities will be grouped in three areas: Higher education (ERASMUS), school education ("L'Europe a l'Ecole") and horizontal measures including the promotion of linguistic abilities in the EU, support for open and distance learning, vocational training, and information dissemination. The proposed budget for the SOCRATES action programme is ECU 1,000 million over the five-year period 1995-1999. Together with the proposals "Youth for Europe III" (COM(94) 708) and "Professional Training" (COM(93) 523) the SOCRATES proposal completes the Commission's rationalization and strengthening of EU actions in the field of education, training and youth.