Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-10-25-Speech-4-088-000"
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"en.20121025.12.4-088-000"2
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"Madam President, recently there has been a lot of speculation and a lot of question marks and uncertainty regarding the fate of the Erasmus programme, including in the media. Therefore the Commission welcomes this opportunity to clarify the matter.
However, it is also my duty to place the problem of Erasmus, as one single programme, in the more panoramic view of what is really a shortage of funds in the European budget not only for Erasmus – this is only a part of the problem, one of the smallest but most visible parts of the problem, we are encountering in 2012. This is due to the systematic under-budgeting in the annual budget. The major deficiencies in 2012 are in the Social Fund and in regional policy and rural development, but also in our external obligations, which reflects on the credibility of the European Union vis-à-vis our partners around the world.
This is why we are coming forward with the amending budget for this year. There is a large amount of money is needed not only for cohesion and for rural development, but also for external obligations and especially for Heading 1a which concerns competitiveness, covering all sorts of research programmes including Lifelong Learning. Erasmus is part of Lifelong Learning which, as you know, is also about vocational training, possibilities for adults and for schools, and the most sensitive part of that concerns student mobility, namely Erasmus.
What we need in order to overcome the deficiencies for this year under this heading of research, training and education amounts to more than six million euros. For Lifelong Learning, which covers all sorts of programmes, our estimate is for EUR 180 million up to the end of the year, including Erasmus, which accounts for half this amount – more or less EUR 90 million.
Your commitment to vocational mobility around Europe is also very important because, alongside this year’s problem, what is at stake here is the future of these programmes, indeed the future of the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. Education is very high on our common agenda due to the very high unemployment among the younger generation. Therefore, knowing how to acquire the right mix of skills is essential in order to place the younger generation in a decent European labour market; the future of what we call Erasmus for All is also at stake.
But to return to the issue of Erasmus 2012-2013. I think Parliament was right to ring the alarm bell for Erasmus for this year, and here is the brutal truth: 99 % of what we have in our pocket – the European budget – has already been delivered to the national agencies around Europe. Of course we are contacting not only the national agencies in the European Union but a total of 33 participating countries, including Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Croatia and Switzerland. 99 % of what was available for 2012 has already been delivered to the 33 national agencies. We have already had claims for this year of around EUR 160 million, and we expect more claims for 2012. I think that it is easier to say who is not applying for additional money: Portugal, Finland, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania. The other countries are applying and sending requests for additional money. Therefore, an amendment to this year’s budget is essential.
I have to repeat that what we have estimated we need for all sorts of educational programmes for this year is EUR 180 million. What we need for Erasmus is half that: EUR 90 million.
Of course, Minister Mavroyiannis is right. It is our duty to ensure the smooth implementation of Erasmus in 2012 and early 2013, as we have already advanced a lot of money to the national agencies. But if there are no more funds coming in, we will really encounter a very serious accumulation of problems in 2013, as the universities are less likely to deliver to the students and are likely to reduce the expectations for student mobility in 2013. This is why I urge you to help us. This is also a kind request to the Presidency: to deliver a substantial increase for 2012 and not to have an accumulation of problems in this very valuable European Union programme in 2013. Together we can manage."@en1
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