Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-04-07-Speech-1-077"
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"en.20030407.6.1-077"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, in this difficult time in which we are living, I believe that the Commission’s will to make a knowledge-based Europe a strategic priority of the Union, which has been reiterated on many occasions over several years, is more relevant now than ever before.
The Erasmus World programme, which we are discussing this evening, is perfectly compatible with this objective. It is therefore very good news for Europe. The programme has two main goals, which are closely linked: to enhance the attractiveness of European higher education to students and university teachers from other parts of the world and increase links between European universities in order to improve the quality and competitiveness of European higher education. In fact, it is by developing links with one another, on the one hand, and links with the rest of the world, on the other, that our universities will improve the quality of the service they provide. As Mrs Reding has said, Erasmus World is the instrument that Europe needs, both internally and externally, in order to respond coherently to globalisation in the education sector. By opening up our universities to the world, we are also opening them up to Europe.
With regard to the title of the programme, we propose that this programme should henceforth be entitled Erasmus Mundus. This would make it possible to respect and maintain the principle of cultural diversity, which we all consider to be of the utmost importance and which is a driving force of our Union. This programme covers the period 2004 to 2008. It proposes four actions which are all very specific. First of all, the creation of 250 Masters Courses, which we shall call Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. These courses will be selected for a period of five years and will have to involve at least three higher education institutions from three different Member States. They will lead to officially-recognised degrees. These Masters Courses will be open to students and university teachers from third countries and I would like them to be widely available to students and university teachers from the European Union so that they can also take advantage of this ‘European tour’.
The qualification of Masters Courses will, of course, be awarded according to the quality of teaching provided, but it should also take account of the quality of hosting facilities for students. The selection procedure must be carried out by a high-level selection board comprising leading figures from the academic world. By the end of their course, students must have learned or used at least two languages. Language-learning must, in fact, remain a priority for the European Union. As Mr Prodi pointed out, language-learning is one of the main ways of promoting genuine understanding between different cultures. We must continue to encourage the promotion of language-learning by all possible means, and this programme provides us with an ideal opportunity to do so.
Secondly, the establishment of a scholarship system. Substantial scholarships will be offered to 4 200 students from third countries, either directly or as part of a partnership programme between their own university and universities participating in a Masters Course. Scholarships will also be offered to 1 000 third-country university teachers, who will be invited to Europe for teaching and scholarly assignments with an average length of three months.
Thirdly, the creation of partnerships to strengthen and promote intercultural understanding. Higher education institutions will thereby be encouraged to establish cooperation with third-country universities.
Lastly, the final action is the international promotion of European higher education. A specific website will be created for the programme to provide up-to-date information on Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses.
In order to achieve all these objectives, we felt it appropriate to provide ourselves with the necessary means. That is why we have proposed to increase the budget to EUR 300 million, whilst ensuring that existing programmes do not suffer and taking account of the appropriate resources and conditions to be determined by the budgetary authority. On all these points, we have enjoyed extremely productive cooperation with the members of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport, as well as the draftsmen of opinions. I would like to thank them for that.
In conclusion, I would like to express the wish that, in future, young students, university scholars and researchers from the European Union and the rest of the world will find our continent a source of learning, training and mutual understanding."@en1
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