Erasmus for All: more money, less paperwork
On 23 November 2011 the European Commission released its long-awaited proposal for Erasmus for All, the successor of the Lifelong Learning Programme. We already knew that the Commission wants to increase the budget for education purposes to approximately 19 billion euro. Now we also know how this money is to be spent.
There is good news for higher education, because the number of beneficiaries in this sector (students, staff members, institutions) will increase substantially.
In its proposal, the Commission makes clear that Erasmus for All, set to be launched in 2014, will comprise 11 programmes, a reduction of 64 programmes. As an example of bad practice it mentions five current EU-funded programmes with overlapping and similar goals: Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the cooperation with industrialised countries.
Also, there are many overlaps between the Lifelong Learning Programme and the European Youth in Action programme. Increasing coherence is one of the main objectives of the European Commission. For visibility purposes Erasmus, the most famous brand name of the current Programme, has been used for the new Programme.
Key actions
Within Erasmus for All there are three types of key action:
- learning mobility
- cooperation between education and business
- support for policy reform
Considering the international dimension of the Programme - cooperation with third countries - the Commission proposes to streamline existing activities into these three key actions, with a strong emphasis on mobility, through high quality joint degrees and more scholarships for students and staff.
The types of mobility the Commission will support are:
- Erasmus Mundus-style joint degree mobility
- staff mobility
- traineeships
- "old-style" exchange mobility for higher education and vocational education and training
Student loan guarantee scheme
An interesting novelty is the student loan guarantee scheme for master level students doing a full programme in another EU or EEA country. Mobility within the non-formal learning sector will be also be stimulated, through youth exchanges and volunteering. Two-thirds of the total budget has been allocated for mobility actions.
Smaller percentages of respectively 26% and 5% have been allocated for cooperation (partnerships, capacity building in third countries) and support for policy reform (EU tools, policy dialogue). The remaining 3% consists of operating grants for national agencies.
Less red tape
The administrative burdens of the implementation process will be reduced by simplifying the application process, introducing common tools and introducing a single audit principle with a strict separation of the responsibilities of the national authorities (often ministries of education), the National Agencies and the European Commission.
Too good to be true?
It's a promising proposal, with more money, more beneficiaries and less paperwork. Is it too good to be true? It's now up to the member states and the European Parliament in what will be, without a doubt, an intensive and long negotiation process.
More information
Read more about Erasmus for All on the website of the EC.