SOCRATES programme definitively approved
After a co-decision procedure which was rather more protracted than anticipated due to disagreement between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, the SOCRATES programme was finally given the definitive go-ahead by the Parliament in Brussels on 2 March 1995. Mrs. Edith Cresson, Commissioner responsible for research, education and training, said that the first measures under the programme would be launched by the end of this year, involving 150,000 students, 22,000 higher education institutions and 18,000 teachers and lecturers. The agreement finally reached between the Parliament and the Council of Ministers means a substantial increase in the funds allocated by the EU to school pupils, students and other young people. With ECU 850 million over five years (1995-1999), SOCRATES has a budget 50% higher than the 1990-1994 programmes it replaces (ERASMUS and LINGUA). The Commission will also be able to submit new budget proposals to the Council and Parliament two years after the start of the programme if funds prove to be inadequate. SOCRATES is a new European programme which combines the activities undertaken in previous programmes in the field of education in order to achieve greater coherence. It broadly operates on three levels: - In universities: SOCRATES takes over the activities so far run under ERASMUS. The emphasis, as in the past, is on encouraging student mobility through the award of ERASMUS grants enabling them to complete a study period in another European country which will be fully recognized by their own university; - The specific COMENIUS programme within SOCRATES will also enable the European concept to be brought into schools. Its aims are to: . Encourage partnership links between schools in different Member States enabling them to develop joint initiatives in areas such as language learning, pupil exchanges and exchanges of experience and teaching materials; . Promote the use of information technology; . Help education staff keep their skills up to date through training placements/courses and acquisition of new teaching methods; . Cater better for the education needs of migrant workers and children of itinerant families (gypsies, fairground entertainers, seafarers); - SOCRATES will also implement more general measures outside schools and universities, such as promoting language learning, supporting open and distance education, promoting exchange of information and experience through conferences, exchanges of experts, etc.