The Commission presented a report on the mid-term evaluation of the Erasmus + programme (2014-2020), which draws on the national reports submitted by the programme countries, an evaluation report drawn up by an external independent contractor and over a million responses from all interested parties.

Erasmus+ is well on track to achieve its performance indicators , as set in the legal basis, with notably over less than three years, 1.8 million individuals taking part in mobility activities, and more than 240 000 organisations involved in cooperation projects.

Considering the baseline of the evaluation, between 2007 and 2016, the programmes under review funded learning mobility for more than 4.3 million young people and more than 880 000 practitioners . In addition, many more people benefited from cooperation projects involving 940 000 participating organisations .

Effectiveness : the evaluation found that Erasmus+ is highly valued by its stakeholders as well as the general public, which identifies the programme as the third most positive results of the EU:

for learners (students, apprentices, volunteers, young people, etc.), the evaluated programmes had, and continue to have, a positive effect on the acquisition of skills and competences, thereby increasing employability and entrepreneurship and shortening the transition from education to employment (13% higher, compared to individuals who did not take part in Erasmus+ or its predecessor programmes); for practitioners (teachers, trainers, youth workers, staff, etc.), participation translates into professional development — notably in terms of wider networking options (+22 percentage points) and greater use of digital resources (+5 points) — coupled with stronger attachment to Europe (+6 points).

The evaluation also confirmed that the programmes reviewed had an impact on the formulation and implementation of education, training, youth and sport policies , especially in the case of higher education where the relevant budget was large enough, or had an indirect effect by funding policy cooperation between authorities.

In the long run, the programmes have instilled in Europe the perception that learning mobility brings benefits to individuals and that its learning outcomes are to be commonly validated and recognised .

The Commission intends to:

step up its efforts to make Erasmus+ more accessible to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special needs. It will take steps to facilitate the participation of schools and other small-scale actors in the programme; consider additional ways of fostering system-level effects and to mainstream successful project results at national level more effectively; explore options for developing and financing at larger scale (notably with the support of the European Structural and Investment Funds) those successful Erasmus+ projects; set out a vision for boosting the future Erasmus+ in all categories of learners (including pupils, students, trainees and apprentices) and teachers, with the aim of doubling the number of participants and reaching out to learners from disadvantaged backgrounds by 2025.

EU added value and relevance : in light of the outcomes delivered, the evaluation highlights the undisputable European added value of the programmes evaluated. The evaluation showed that Erasmus+ is better aligned with EU policies than its predecessors.

The future programme should continue to help implement the EU’s political priorities , while keeping the flexibility to adjust as needed and being highly relevant to participating countries. Some actions, notably those supporting partnerships, could be focused on fewer priorities.

The Commission is considering, inter alia :

redesign Jean Monnet activities to cater for a wider target group (including schools ) in order to raise awareness on its common European values; consider how to increase the focus of EU support for transnational activities in the adult learning sector; increase the focus of some sport actions, with particular emphasis on social inclusion aspects.

Efficiency and simplification : Erasmus+ mobility actions are clearly cost-effective , especially learners' mobility (with a cost for the EU of 15€ per day/learner).

A key challenge will be to improve the efficiency of decentralised actions with partner countries.

The future programme should further consolidate current efficiency gains, especially reducing the administrative burden by simplifying application and reporting procedures, making IT tools more interoperable and user-friendly, and increasing budget flexibility, while preserving accountability.

PURPOSE: to establish the programme "Erasmus +", the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport for the period 2014-2020, bringing together the Lifelong Learning , Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing 'Erasmus+': the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC.

CONTENT: this Regulation establishes a programme for Union action in the field of education, training, youth and sport called 'Erasmus+' for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020.

Scope of the Programme : the Programme shall cover the following fields, whilst respecting the structures and specific needs of the various sectors in the Member States:

education and training at all levels, in a lifelong learning perspective, including school education (Comenius), higher education (Erasmus), international higher education (Erasmus Mundus), vocational education and training (Leonardo da Vinci) and adult learning (Grundtvig); youth (Youth in Action), particularly in the context of non- formal and informal learning; sport, in particular grassroots sport.

The Programme shall include an international dimension aimed at supporting the Union's external action, including its development objectives, through cooperation between the Union and partner countries.

European added value : the Programme shall support only those actions and activities which present a potential European added value through their: (a) transnational character, particularly with regard to mobility and cooperation aimed at achieving a sustainable systemic impact; (ii) complementarity and synergy with other programmes and policies at national, Union and international level; (iii) contribution to the effective use of Union transparency and recognition tools.

General objectives of the programme : the general objectives of the ERASMUS+ Programme aim to contribute to the achievement of: (i) the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, including the headline education target; (ii) the objectives of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training ('ET 2020'), including the corresponding benchmarks; (iii) the sustainable development of partner countries in the field of higher education; (iv) the overall objectives of the renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018); (v) the objective of developing the European dimension in sport, in particular grassroots sport, in line with the Union work plan for sport; and (vi) the promotion of European values.

Specific objectives : the specific objectives of the Programme are laid down in accordance with the main areas of action:

1) Education and training : for this part of the Programme, the aims are to:

improve the level of key competences and skills, with particular regard to their relevance for the labour market and their contribution to a cohesive society ; foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalisation at the level of education and training institutions; promote the emergence and raise awareness of a European lifelong learning area designed to complement policy reforms at national level; enhance the international dimension of education and training, in particular through cooperation between Union and partner-country institutions in the field of VET and in higher education; improve the teaching and learning of languages and to promote the Union's broad linguistic diversity and intercultural awareness; promote excellence in teaching and research activities in European integration.

Mobility : the following activities shall be supported:

the mobility of students in all cycles of higher education and of students, apprentices and pupils in vocational education and training. This mobility may take the form of studying at a partner institution or traineeships or gaining experience as an apprentice, assistant or trainee abroad. Degree mobility at Master's level may be supported through the Student Loan Guarantee Facility; the mobility of staff, under the form of teaching or assistantships or participation in professional development activities abroad.

Cooperation actions as regards innovation and exchange of best practice and support for policy reforms as regards teaching, notably in the context of the Bologna Process, have been provided.

As regards the Jean Monnet activities , the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA); Maastricht the Academy of European Law, Trier; the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, Odense; the International Centre for European Training (CIFE), Nice have been added to the list of European institutions receiving support.

2) Youth : the specific objectives of this chapter (ERASMUS+) are to:

improve the level of key competences and skills of young people, including those with fewer opportunities, as well as to promote participation in democratic life in Europe and the labour market, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity; foster quality improvements in youth work, in particular through enhanced cooperation between organisations in the youth field and/or other stakeholders; complement policy reforms at local, regional and national level and to support the development of knowledge and evidence-based youth policy; enhance the international dimension of youth activities and the role of youth workers and organisations as support structures for young people.

Actions of the Programme : the Programme shall pursue its objectives through the following types of actions:

learning mobility of individuals; cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices; support for policy reform.

3) Sport : in line with the general objective of the Programme, , and with the Union work plan for sport, the Programme shall focus in particular on grassroots sport and shall pursue the following specific objectives: (i) to tackle cross-border threats to the integrity of sport, such as doping, match-fixing and violence, as well as all kinds of intolerance and discrimination;

(ii) to promote and support good governance in sport and dual careers of athletes; (iii) to promote voluntary activities in sport, together with social inclusion, equal opportunities and awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity through increased participation in, and equal access to, sport for all.

Financial provisions : the financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme as from 1 January 2014 is set at EUR 14 774 524 000 from 2014-2020.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council within the limits of the multiannual financial framework. The amount shall be allocated to the actions of the Programme as follows, with a margin of flexibility not exceeding 5 % of each of the allocated amounts :

77.5% to education and training, from which the following minimum allocations shall be assigned: (i) 43% to higher education, representing 33.3% of the total budget; (ii) 22% to vocational education and training, representing 17% of the total budget; (iii) 15% to school education, representing 11.6% of the total budget; (iv) 5% to adult learning; 10% to youth; 3.5% to the Student Loan Guarantee Facility; 1.9% to Jean Monnet; 1.8% to sport, of which no more than 10 % to the activity mentioned under point (b) of Article 17(1); 3.4% as operating grants to national agencies; and 1.9% to cover administrative expenditure.

Of the allocations, at least 63% shall be allocated to learning mobility of individuals.

In addition to the financial envelope, and in order to promote the international dimension of higher education, additional funding, as provided for in the different EU external instruments, shall be allocated to actions in respect of learning mobility to or from partner countries, and to cooperation and policy dialogue with authorities, institutions and organisations from those countries.

European Student Loan Guarantee Facility : the programme allocation provides for the financing of a European Student Loan Facility to provide partial guarantees for loans on favourable conditions to mobile master students. The guarantee shall cover new eligible student loans up to a maximum of EUR 12 000 for a one-year programme and up to EUR 18 000 for a programme lasting up to two years, or their equivalent in local currency. This additional and innovative tool for learning mobility should neither replace any current, nor impede the development of any future, grant or loan system supporting student mobility at local, national or Union level. The management of the Student Loan Guarantee Facility at Union level shall be entrusted to the European Investment Fund (EIF).

Monitoring and evaluation of performance and results : a series of measures is provided to ensure the regular monitoring and evaluation of the Programme. To this end, the Regulation

establishes performance indicators to be taken into account in the framework of the various evaluations:

mid-term evaluation report by 31 December 2017; report on the implementation and the impact of the Programme in their respective territories by 30 June 2017; final evaluation of the Programme by 30 June 2022.

Coherence and complementarity : all the actions must seek to strengthen the synergies with the Union’s other programmes, in particular with those relating to culture and the media, employment, research and innovation, industry and enterprise, cohesion and development policy, as well as enlargement policy and initiatives, instruments and strategies in the field of regional policy and external relations.

National authorities or agencies : Member States shall establish an appropriate mechanism for the coordinated management of the implementation of the Programme at national level, particularly with a view to ensuring coherent and cost- efficient implementation of the Programme and effective contact with the Commission in this respect, and to facilitating the possible transfer of funds between agencies, thereby allowing for flexibility and better use of funds allocated to Member States. By 22 March 2014, the national authority shall designate a national agency or national agencies. In cases where there is more than one national agency, Member States shall establish an appropriate mechanism for the coordinated management of the implementation of the Programme at national level, particularly with a view to ensuring coherent and cost- efficient implementation of the Programme and effective contact with the Commission in this respect, and to facilitating the possible transfer of funds between agencies, thereby allowing for flexibility and better use of funds allocated to Member States.

The Member States shall take all appropriate measures to remove legal and administrative obstacles to the proper functioning of the Programme, including, where possible, measures aimed at resolving issues that give rise to difficulties in obtaining visas .

Work programmes : in order to implement the Programme, the Commission shall adopt annual work programmes by way of implementing acts in accordance with the examination procedure.

Annexes : for the internal coherence of the text, a new annex incorporates all evaluation indicators in relation to each specific objective as set out in body of the text. Provision is also made for a new annex providing technical information concerning the European Student Loan Guarantee Facility.

Repeal : Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC shall be repealed with effect from 1 January 2014.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 21.12.2013. It shall apply from 01.01.2014.

DELEGATED ACTS: in order to place the management of tasks at the most appropriate level, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts concerning the amendment of Article 28(3), but only in respect of providing for additional actions to be managed by the national agencies. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission for the entire duration of the programme.

The European Parliament or the Council may raise objections with regard to a delegated act within two months of the date of notification (which may be extended by two months). If Parliament or Council raise objections, the delegated act will not enter into force.

The European Parliament adopted by 632 votes to 29, with 30 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing "ERASMUS FOR ALL" - The Union Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport.

Parliament adopted its position at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of a compromise negotiated between the European Parliament and the Council.

Name of the programme : the name of this Programme has been revised. It is proposed that Programme be known under the name of " Erasmus+ ". The other names have been maintained: Comenius, Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig . The Programme shall cover the following fields:

education and training at all levels; youth (Youth in Action), particularly in the context of non-formal and informal learning; sport, in particular grassroots sport .

General objectives of the programme : the general objectives have been clarified. The Programme shall contribute to the achievement of: (i) the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, including the headline education target; (ii) the objective of developing the European dimension in sport; (iii) the promotion of European values.

Chapter II: Education and training : this strand of the programme has also been revised. The Programme aims to:

improve the level of key competences and skills, with particular regard to their relevance for the labour market and their contribution to a cohesive society ; foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalisation at the level of education and training institutions; promote the emergence and raise awareness of a European lifelong learning area designed to complement policy reforms at national level ; enhance the international dimension of education and training, in particular through cooperation between Union and partner-country institutions in the field of VET and in higher education ; improve the teaching and learning of languages and to promote the Union's broad linguistic diversity and intercultural awareness; promote excellence in teaching and research activities in European integration.

Learning mobility of individuals : the following activities shall be supported:

the mobility of students in all cycles of higher education and of students, apprentices and pupils in vocational education and training. This mobility may take the form of studying at a partner institution or traineeships or gaining experience as an apprentice, assistant or trainee abroad . Degree mobility at Master's level may be supported through the Student Loan Guarantee Facility; the mobility of staff, under the form of teaching or assistantships or participation in professional development activities abroad.

- On partnerships , emphasis has been given to partnerships between the world of work and education and training institutions.

- On support for policy reforms , focus was on the alignment of training with the European framework for quality assurance in education and training.

- As regards the Jean Monnet activities , the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA); Maastricht the Academy of European Law, Trier; the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, Odense; the International Centre for European Training (CIFE), Nice have been added to the list of European institutions receiving support.

Chapter III: Youth : a new chapter has been created with a series of specific objectives and well-defined types of actions:

Specific objectives :

improve the level of key competences and skills of young people, including those with fewer opportunities, as well as to promote participation in democratic life in Europe and the labour market, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity; foster quality improvements in youth work, in particular through enhanced cooperation between organisations in the youth field and/or other stakeholders; complement policy reforms at local, regional and national level and to support the development of knowledge and evidence-based youth policy; enhance the international dimension of youth activities and the role of youth workers and organisations as support structures for young people.

Actions of the Programme : the Programme shall pursue its objectives through the following types of actions:

learning mobility of individuals; cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices; support for policy reform.

Chapter IV: Sport : Parliament insisted on focussing on grassroot sports as well as the role of projects in fighting intolerance and discrimination.

Financial provisions : the financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme as from 1 January 2014 is set at EUR 14 774 524 000 from 2014-2020.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council within the limits of the multiannual financial framework. The amount shall be allocated to the actions of the Programme as follows, with a margin of flexibility not exceeding 5 % of each of the allocated amounts:

77.5% to education and training, from which the following minimum allocations shall be assigned: (i) 43% to higher education, representing 33.3% of the total budget; (ii) 22% to vocational education and training, representing 17% of the total budget; (iii) 15% to school education, representing 11.6% of the total budget; (iv) 5% to adult learning; 10% to youth; 3.5% to the Student Loan Guarantee Facility; 1.9% to Jean Monnet; 1.8% to sport, of which no more than 10 % to the activity mentioned under point (b) of Article 17(1); 3.4% as operating grants to national agencies; and 1.9% to cover administrative expenditure.

Of the allocations, at least 63% shall be allocated to learning mobility of individuals.

European Student Loan Guarantee Facility : the programme allocation provides for the financing of a European Student Loan Facility to provide partial guarantees for loans on favourable conditions to mobile master students. The guarantee shall cover new eligible student loans up to a maximum of EUR 12 000 for a one-year programme and up to EUR 18 000 for a programme lasting up to two years , or their equivalent in local currency. This additional and innovative tool for learning mobility should neither replace any current, nor impede the development of any future, grant or loan system supporting student mobility at local, national or Union level. The management of the Student Loan Guarantee Facility at Union level shall be entrusted to the European Investment Fund (EIF).

Opening of the programme : it is also provided for the opening of the programme to countries covered by the Neighbourhood Policy that have concluded agreements with the Union.

Individuals from an overseas country or territory (OCT) and competent public and/or private bodies and institutions from an OCT may participate in the programmes.

Coherence and complementarity : all the actions must seek to strengthen the synergies with the Union’s other programmes, in particular with those relating to culture and the media, employment, research and innovation, industry and enterprise, cohesion and development policy, as well as enlargement policy and initiatives, instruments and strategies in the field of regional policy and external relations.

Reduction in the administrative burden : Parliament stressed the importance of reducing the administrative burden that comes with managing EU projects. It insisted on taking measures aimed at resolving issues that give rise to difficulties in obtaining visas .

National agencies : in cases where there is more than one national agency, Member States shall establish an appropriate mechanism for the coordinated management of the implementation of the Programme at national level, particularly with a view to ensuring coherent and cost-efficient implementation of the Programme and effective contact with the Commission in this respect, and to facilitating the possible transfer of funds between agencies, thereby allowing for flexibility and better use of funds allocated to Member States. Each Member State shall determine how it organises the relationship between its national authority and the national agency, including tasks such as the establishment of the national agency's annual work programme.

Annexes : for the internal coherence of the text, a new annex incorporates all evaluation indicators in relation to each specific objective as set out in body of the text. Provision is also made for a new annex providing technical information concerning the European Student Loan Guarantee Facility.

Delegated acts : in order to place the management of tasks at the most appropriate level, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts but only in respect of providing for additional actions to be managed by the national agencies. The power to adopt delegated acts shall be conferred on the Commission for the duration of the Programme.

The Council took note of oral information from the Presidency on the state of play concerning the proposal for a Regulation establishing "Erasmus for all".

The Commission presented its proposal on 25 November 2011. The Council agreed a partial general approach in May 2012, which excluded any provisions with budgetary implications, pending overall agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), for example, the programme’s total budget and how it would be distributed between different sectors and the loan guarantee facility for Masters-level students. The proposed budget for the Programme is € 19 billion.

Although it maintained the overall architecture of the Commission proposal, with emphasis on simplification and on different types of action rather than a purely sectoral approach, the Council did introduce a number of changes to the text, many of which have since been taken up by Parliament .

In particular,

a separate chapter devoted to youth and a specific budget for youth were created, and access was broadened to include non-organised (grassroots) activities for young people; Member States gave themselves greater flexibility in terms of implementation; a guaranteed minimum level of expenditure for each educational sector; access to the programme was extended to allow the participation of persons with special needs or who are less favoured.

On 27 November 2012, the European Parliament committee responsible (CULT) voted 273 amendments to the proposal . The main points of divergence with the Council’s position are the following:

new name for the programme: the YES Europe Programme retention of the current 'brand names' for the sub-programmes (Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig, etc.); detailed objectives for the education, training and youth chapters; inclusion of the indicators in (an annex to) the basic act; greater use of delegated acts.

A first informal meeting between the Council (represented by the Irish Presidency), the Commission and the European Parliament (trilogue), aimed at preparing an agreement on the proposal, is scheduled for 19 February 2013 . The Presidency hopes to achieve an agreement before the summer, which would enable important preparatory work by the Commission to be completed in time for the programme to begin, as proposed, on 1 January 2014 .

The Committee on Culture and Education adopted the report by Doris PACK (EPP, DE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing "ERASMUS FOR ALL" - The Union Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament’s position adopted in first reading, following the ordinary legislative procedure, should amend the Commission proposal as follows:

Name of the programme : Members consider that the present title should be changed to ‘ YES Europe ’ - The Union Programme for Youth, Education and training and Sport. The widespread recognition among the general public of the brand names Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig as synonymous with Union learning mobility and cooperation is such that the use of these brand names should be continued for the new Programme also.

Structure of the programme : Members have clarified the presentation and structure of the programme to enhance the youth theme: the Programme shall cover the following fields:

education and training at all levels , in a lifelong learning perspective, including school education, higher education, vocational education and training (VET) and adult learning; youth , in particular in the context of non-formal and informal learning, active citizenship, social inclusion and volunteering; sport, in particular grassroots sport .

The report states that the Programme includes an international dimension aimed at supporting the Union's external action, including its development objectives , through cooperation between the Union and third countries. As regards actions for which the funding is derived from the DCI or the EDF, all actions must be in conformity with the objectives and principles of the DCI regulation and the ACP-EU partnership agreement respectively.

Definitions : a certain number of definitions have been clarified such as " non-formal education ", " informal learning ", " volunteering " in terms of the programme (formal, non-formal and informal activities, volunteering meaning an activity undertaken of a person's free will and is of a non-profit nature. " Grassroots sport" shall mean organised sport practised at local level by amateur sportspeople and sport for all.

General objectives of the programme : these have been revised to include the following:

the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, in particular the headline education target of reducing early school leaving under 10% and increasing the number of 30–34 year-olds having completed tertiary or equivalent education to at least 40%; the objectives of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020), including the corresponding benchmarks; to contribute to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and of the Education and Training strategic framework 2020 (ET2020); the objective of sustainable development of third countries, particularly in the fields of education, training, youth and skills development the objectives of the renewed Copenhagen Process (2010-2020); the objectives of the renewed European Agenda for Adult Learning; the overall objectives of the renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010–2018); and the objective of developing the European dimension in sport, in particular grassroots sport.

Specific objectives : the specific objectives have also been revised so as to:

improve the level of key competences and skills, including soft skills and promote social cohesion and inclusion of vulnerable groups at risk of educational disadvantage and to safeguard young people coming from a socially disadvantage background so that they can benefit from the Programme; foster quality improvements, innovation excellence, social inclusiveness and access as well as internationalisation both at the level of education and training institutions; promote the emergence of a European lifelong learning area and alleviate administrative burdens ; enhance the international dimension of education and training, notably through cooperation between Union and third country institutions in the fields of VET and higher education by increasing the attractiveness of the Union higher education and research institutions, as a complement to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme ; support the Union external action, including its development objectives, through the promotion of mobility and cooperation between higher education institutions in the Union and in third countries , and through targeted capacity building in third countries, where relevant in accordance with the objectives specified in the external financing instruments from which the funding for the actions is derived; improve the teaching and learning of languages and to promote intercultural awareness and the vast linguistic diversity in the Union; increase access to grassroots sport by supporting non-profit organisations providing sporting activities and those organising non-commercial sporting events; promote cooperation among different sectors involved in education, training and youth.

It should be noted that the key indicators to evaluate the implementation of these objectives are included in a new annex to the programme.

The Programme shall put special emphasis on providing equal access to inclusive and quality education at all levels for learners with health problems or disabilities, and for those coming from a socially disadvantaged background, such as the Roma .

Chapter II: Education and training : this strand of the programme has also been revised. The Programme shall support both sectoral and horizontal activities in the following sectors associated with specific brand names: Comenius, Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo, and Grundtvig. For each of these sectors, Members improve, clarify or strengthen the objectives to be reached.

For the sake of transparency, Members considered it important to identify specific objectives in each sector of the programme.

Learning mobility of individuals : particular attention shall be devoted to civil society organisation and social partners . Strategic partnerships may include joint learning projects for pupils and their teachers in the form of class and individual exchanges , including long-term mobility, aimed at reinforcing linguistic skills, active citizenship and intercultural awareness or developing and disseminating educational best practices. Strategic partnerships for higher education may include intensive programmes to promote multidisciplinary cooperation and knowledge exchange among students and teachers. Cooperation for innovation and good practices : Members suggest the creation of partnerships between regional and local authorities responsible for any aspect of education with a view to fostering inter-regional cooperation, including cross-border regional cooperation; Support for policy reform : Members stress that policy dialogue with relevant European stakeholders and structured dialogue with young people is important. The financial allocation for the Programme shall also cover specific and sustainable administrative grants (including operating grants) to European organisations active in the field of education, training and youth. As regards the Jean Monnet activities : Members have added the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA); Maastricht the Academy of European Law, Trier; the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, Odense; the International Centre for European Training (CIFE), Nice to the list of European institutions receiving support.

Chapter IIa: Youth : for the sake of transparency, visibility and continuity, Members consider it crucial to insert a separate Chapter on Youth in the text. This Chapter includes a series of specific objectives and well-defined and structured activities including:

learning mobility of individuals: Youth Moves ; cooperation for innovation and good practices: Youth Cooperates ; support for policy reform: Youth Decides .

Chapter III: Sport : this section has also been revised in order to better define its scope. Members insist on the role of projects in fighting intolerance and discrimination, on the promotion of volunteering and equality in sport and on promoting awareness of the importance of physical activity at all levels of education.

Support for the organisation of a European Sports Day or Week that promotes the social and cultural role of amateur and professional sport is also envisaged.

Opening of the programme : Members provide for the opening of the programme to countries covered by the Neighbourhood Policy that have concluded agreements with the Union. They have, however, withdrawn Russia’s access to a part of the programme (youth).

Overseas Countries or Territories (OCTs) : the actions of the Programme shall be implemented in ways that provide for adaptation of the financial rules to address the constraints created by the remoteness of the outermost regions and overseas countries and territories, and to fund area-specific mobility projects linking the Union’s outermost regions and overseas countries and territories with neighbouring third countries.

Coherence and complementarity : Members stipulate that all the actions must seek to strengthen the synergies with the Union’s other programmes, in particular Horizon 2020, Creative Europe and the European Social Fund, in order to attain the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy in a coherent and coordinated way.

Reduction in the administrative burden : Members stress the importance of reducing the administrative burden that comes with managing EU projects. The new Programme should focus on reducing barriers to accessing funding and on streamlining administrative schemes throughout the structure. A sustained focus on reducing administrative expenditure and simplifying the organisation and management of the Programme are vital to its success.

Member States should endeavour to adopt all appropriate measures to remove legal and administrative obstacles to the proper functioning of the Programme and facilitate the obtaining of visas , for example.

National agencies : Members stress the importance of improved management by national agencies responsible for the implementation of the programme. In particular, they call for greater flexibility in the organisation and a clarification of their tasks. The Commission is called upon to publish on its website all the information concerning the national agencies designated by the Member States, the content of the contract concluded by the Commission with each of them, as well as the funding made available to them annually, in the form of grants.

Financial allocation : Members recall that the allocation for the programme is only indicative. However, they propose the distribution of the allocation on the following lines:

- 83.4% for actions in the field of education and training. From this amount, the following indicative minimum allocations shall be earmarked for the main educational sectors:

40% to higher education 22% to vocational education and training; 15% to school education; 6% to adult learning.

- 8% for actions in the field of youth;

- 5% for either funding projects spanning the fields of education, training and youth or to increase the budget of any of these sectors while respecting the overall balance between them;

- 1.8% for the Jean Monnet activities;

- 1.8% but at least EUR 238 827 000 for the sport activities.

These indicative percentages can be modified by the legislative authority for the second half of the programming period following the evaluation report by the Commission.

In addition to the financial envelope and in order to promote the international dimension of higher education , an indicative amount of 2% from the total amount allocated to the participating instruments (Development Cooperation Instrument, European Neighbourhood Instrument, Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, Partnership Instrument and the European Development Fund) shall be provided for.

Members recall that the financial allocation for the Programme also covers specific and sustainable administrative grants to European organisations active in the field of education, training and youth.

European Student Loan Guarantee Facility : the programme allocation provides for the financing of a European Student Loan Facility to provide partial guarantees for loans on favourable conditions to mobile master students. This additional and innovative tool for learning mobility at the level of a Master's degree shall be complementary to the grant systems supporting student mobility at local, national and Union level and shall not replace these systems. The Facility shall be open to any student maintaining residency in a participating country and wishing to study for a full Master's degree in another participating country. The length of the study period shall be between one and two years. The management of the Facility at the European level shall be delegated to an Entrusted Entity.

The guarantee shall cover new eligible student loans of up to a maximum of EUR 12 000 for a one-year Master's programme and up to EUR 18 000 for a two year Master's programme .

Report : the Commission shall include in its annual report on the implementation of the DCI Regulation a list of all "YES Europe" actions for which the funding is derived from the DCI.

Member States shall submit to the Commission, by 30 September 2017, a report on the implementation and the impact of the Programme.

A final evaluation of the Programme shall be submitted by the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council no later than 30 June 2022.

Programme Committee : the committee established by virtue of the proposal should deal with both horizontal and sectoral issues. It is for the Member States to ensure that they send the relevant representatives in the committee in accordance with the topics on the agenda, and it is for the committee chair to ensure that meeting agendas clearly indicate the sector or sectors involved and the topics, according to each sector, to be discussed at each meeting. Where appropriate, the social partners should be invited to participate in the meetings as observers.

Annexes : for the internal coherence of the text, a new annex incorporates all evaluation indicators in relation to each specific objective as set out in body of the text. Provision is also made for a new annex providing technical information concerning the European Student Loan Guarantee Facility.

In public deliberation, the Council took note of an oral report by the Presidency on the state of play concerning the new "ERASMUS FOR ALL" programme for the period 2014-2020.

At their previous meeting in May 2012, EU Education Ministers had adopted a partial general approach on the proposal, i.e. a preliminary agreement on the whole text, with the exception of any provisions with budgetary implications (for further details on the partial general approach, please refer to Council debate of 10/05/2012).

The outstanding provisions concern:

the total budget for the Programme, the breakdown between the various sectors, the proposed new Master's student loan guarantee facility aimed at promoting mobility for students taking their Master's degree in another Member State.

On this last issue, the Presidency reported that, in addition to following the developments in the European Parliament, it had conducted a detailed technical examination of the proposal for a Master's student loan facility and its implications, partly in preparation for the future negotiations with the Parliament, and partly in readiness for an overall agreement on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Convergence of interinstitutional views : further work on the proposal would be carried out after the Council session, in the light of the amendments adopted by the Parliament's Culture and Education Committee. The Presidency indicated that despite some divergences, the respective positions of the Parliament and the Council appeared relatively close in many areas, and that it hoped to ensure that the future Irish Presidency had a good basis on which to finalise an agreement with the European Parliament in the first half of 2013 .

The Commission recalled that the main features of the new "Erasmus for All" were EU added value, flexibility and streamlined procedures. It also underlined the importance of keeping the widely known ERASMUS brand name, and disagreed with the Parliament's suggestion for a new name .

To recall, in its draft report dated 20 July 2012, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on this file, Doris PACK (EPP, DE), proposed changing the name of the programme ‘ERASMUS FOR ALL’ to the ‘Lifelong Learning Programme’.

Regarding the Master's student loan guarantee scheme in particular, the Commission indicated that it would soon be sending an explanatory letter to ministers on this issue.

Lastly, the Council called on Member States to ensure that the new programme received the level of financing it needed , given what it represented for young Europeans and its potential to boost growth and jobs.

Irish Presidency’s work programme : the Council took note of information from the Irish delegation on the incoming Presidency's priorities for the next half-year in the field of education, namely the pursuit of negotiations on ERASMUS FOR ALL, initiatives on skills development and teacher training as well as the social dimension of higher education.

The Council agreed a partial general approach on the proposal for a regulation establishing the "Erasmus for All" programme for the period 2014-2020, for which the Commission proposes a significant increase in funding compared with the current budget. The agreement however excludes any provisions with budgetary implications, pending further developments on the negotiations currently under way on the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.

Main issues discussed : the Council preparatory bodies have worked intensively on the proposal since January and the agreement reached on the basis of a Presidency compromise text constitutes a political mandate for future Presidencies to engage in informal negotiations with the European Parliament during the second half of 2012 with a view to reaching overall agreement on the proposal early in 2013.

The main amendments made to the Commission proposal are as follows:

- Youth-related issues (Chapter IIa, pp. 19-22; Art. 13.1(a), p. 25 and Art. 17.1, p. 33): in response to calls from a large majority of Member States for greater visibility for the youth field within the Programme, as well as with the aim of reaching a compromise between those Member States on the one hand that wished to maintain an entirely separate programme for youth and those on the other hand that supported the Commission proposal for a fully integrated programme covering education, training and youth, the Presidency has incorporated a separate chapter on youth containing articles corresponding to each of the three types of action underpinning the Programme. In addition, provision has been made for a separate budget allocation in Article 13.1(a), while access to the Programme has been broadened in Article 17.1 to include non-organised youth.

- Programme management (Chapter VII, Arts. 21-24, pp. 36-44): a number of changes have been made to this chapter in order to preserve Member States' freedom to organise management of the Programme at national level as they deem fit. In particular, Member States will be entitled to designate more than one National Authority and more than one National Agency if they so wish , although the text also stresses the benefits of lighter administration and improved internal coordination in terms of increasing costefficiency, as well as facilitating internal transfers of funds and communication with the Commission. In addition, some adjustments have been made in order to clarify which Programme actions will be managed centrally and which at national level.

- Funding (Art. 13.3a, p. 26 and Art. 13.6, p. 27): firstly, in parallel with Article 13.3 which establishes the principle of minimum percentage allocations inter alia for each of the three types of action, a new paragraph 13.3a has been included to ensure that the various education and training sectors will also receive minimum percentage allocations. As already indicated, further discussion on the actual figures will await further progress in the negotiations on the overall budget for the Programme in the context of the MFF. Secondly, in order to meet the concerns expressed by several Member States about the method used to calculate funding allocations for the National Agencies, the Presidency has introduced a number of changes to the text of Article 13.6 with a view to avoiding significant reductions in the annual budgets allocated to Member States and minimising excessive imbalances between Member States which might occur due to geographical situation or differences in the cost of living;

- Programme implementation (Arts. 27-30, pp. 47-49): following requests from a large number of Member States, the delegated acts referred to in Articles 27 and 28 may only be used in respect of amendments to Article 22.2, which relates to Programme actions to be managed at national level and, even so, may only be adopted with a view to ensuring that additional actions are decentralised. In addition, further detail has been added in Article 29 in order to clarify how the Programme is to be implemented, while Article 30 has been amended (and a new accompanying recital inserted) with a view to reconciling the views of those Member States calling for separate Programme committees to cover the different fields, and those supporting the Commission proposal for a single committee covering both sectoral and horizontal issues to which the Member States would be expected to send the relevant representatives. The compromise text provides for a single Programme Committee which may meet in specific configurations to deal with sectoral issues, if deemed necessary ;

- Support for institutions under the Jean Monnet activities (Art. 10(c), p. 18): in its proposal, the Commission had retained only two of the six institutions active in the field of European integration studies which currently receive direct funding under the Lifelong Learning Programme and had recommended that funding for other institutions be provided on the basis of a competitive tendering. There are diverging views among the Member States on the issue of Programme support for such institutions, but a large majority of countries ultimately favoured maintaining funding for all six institutions mentioned in the current programme and the Presidency has amended the text accordingly;

Access (Art. 17.2, p. 33): in addition to the change referred to in paragraph (i) relating to youth, the text has also been modified in order to highlight the need to promote social inclusion, notably by ensuring the participation of people with special needs or with fewer opportunities;

- Programme simplification : two amendments have been made with a view to streamlining and simplifying the text in line with the Commission's stated aims. Firstly, the number of definitions in Article 2 has been considerably reduced, so that these are confined to terms which are either specific to this text or which require some explanation. Secondly, the indicators linked to each of the specific objectives in the Commission proposal have been removed and replaced by more general wording in each of the relevant articles which confirms the need for measurable and relevant indicators, but provides for these to be agreed within the Programme Committee whilst taking due account of existing ones.

Commission reaction : the Commission emphasised that the innovative integrated approach of Erasmus for all must be preserved and that the distinction between the youth field and the other parts of the programme was in fact artificial . It welcomed the fact that the fundamental principles underpinning its proposal had been maintained in the Presidency compromise package. However, it regretted some of the changes made, in particular the creation of a separate youth chapter and budget, the removal of specific indicators and the rejection of the Commission's proposal for a single coordinating body as National Agency in each Member State. The Commission also considered that the important budget allocation proposed for the programme will send a clear signal to young people and also to the adult learners that Europe is strongly committed and will have the means to tackle their problems.

It should be noted that the Commission has entered a general reservation on the whole text pending the opinion of the European Parliament and further developments on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), while DK, MT and UK have entered Parliamentary scrutiny reservations.

The Council took note of information presented by Commissioner Vassiliou on the proposal for a regulation establishing "Erasmus for All": the new EU Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport. The proposal sets out an integrated approach encompassing in a single programme the education, youth and sport sectors, as well as the various international cooperation programmes in the education field.

The "Erasmus for all" programme focuses on three types of key actions, namely the learning mobility of individuals; cooperation for innovation and good practices, and support for policy reform. At the same time, within the context of the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), one of the priorities of "Erasmus for all" is to emphasise streamlining, simplification and a performance-based allocation of funds.

Examination of the new proposal will begin in December 2011 and continue throughout 2012 under the Danish and Cypriot Presidencies, with a view to reaching agreement with the European Parliament towards the end of the year.

PURPOSE: to establish the programme "Erasmus for All " for the period 2014-20, bringing together the Lifelong Learning , Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

BACKGROUND: the Commission adopted a proposal for a multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the period 2014-2020 establishing the budget for the Europe 2020 strategy. In its proposal, the Commission points out that there is scope to increase Union support to education and training in order to raise citizens' skills and help tackle the high levels of youth unemployment in many Member States.

The Commission also stresses that in its external actions, it will:

· concentrate on promoting and defending Union values abroad ;

· promote assistance to transitional and democratic processes and

· project the external dimension of internal policies.

Accordingly, it proposes this programme.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: four impact assessments examined the operation of three existing programmes in education, training and youth field (namely Lifelong Learning Programme, Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus) and, in the case of sport, preparatory actions voted by the Budgetary Authority.

Given the similarity of objectives, legal base and Union competencies in these fields, each impact assessment considers similar options:

· Option 1: discontinuing the existing actions or programmes;

· Option 2: continuing them in their current form;

· Option 3: substantially strengthening their policy focus; and

· Option 4: bringing together the Lifelong Learning, Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes into a single, streamlined Programme.

The preferred option identified in each of the four impact assessments is the merger into a single programme (Option 4|). This option is the most coherent and cost-effective.

LEGAL BASIS: Articles 165(4) and 166(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

CONTENT: the Commission proposes to establish a programme for Union action in the field of education, training, youth and sport called "Erasmus for All" for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020.

The programme covers education at all levels , in a lifelong learning perspective, in particular higher education, vocational education and training and adult learning, school education and youth.

It includes an international dimension and will also support activities in the field of sport.

European added value : the Programme shall only support those actions and activities presenting a potential European added value which shall be ensured in particular through:

· their transnational character, in particular transnational mobility and cooperation aiming at long-term systemic impact;

· their complementarity and synergy with other national, international and other Union programmes and policies, allowing for economies of scale and critical mass;

· their contribution to the effective use of Union tools for recognition of qualifications and transparency.

General objective of the Programme : the Programme aims to contribute to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and of the education and training strategic framework 2020 (ET2020), including the corresponding benchmarks established in those instruments, to renewed framework for European Cooperation in the Youth field (2010-2018), to the sustainable development of third countries in the field of higher education and to developing the European dimension in sport.

It particularly aims to contribute to reach the following Europe 2020 headline targets:

(i) education of early school leaving rates; (ii) increase of 30-34 years old students having completed third level of education.

Structure of the programme : the "Erasmus for all" programme focuses on three types of key actions:

1. the transnational and international learning mobility of students, young people, teachers and staff;

2. the cooperation for innovation and good practices between education institutions, as well as through cooperation with bodies active in the youth field and

3. support to the policy agendas, as well as the support to capacity building in third countries, including enlargement countries, with a particular focus on neighbouring countries and the international policy dialogue.

Excellence in teaching and research in European studies is covered through a specific article on "Jean Monnet".

A chapter is dedicated to sport focusing on the fight against doping, violence and racism and fostering transnational activities to promote good governance of sport organisations.

Details of the priorities and the specific actions in these fields are set out in the proposal.

Funding: Erasmus for all will integrate existing international programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Edulink and Alfa) and cooperation programmes with industrialised countries. To this end, the budget of the Programme will be complemented by financial allocations coming from the different external cooperation instruments. Funds will be made available on the basis of two multi-annual allocations covering 4 and 3 years respectively to ensure stability and predictability. These allocations should reflect the EU external action priorities, including development objectives as appropriate. They can be adjusted in case of major unforeseen circumstances or important political changes to reflect major shifts in policy priorities.

A new financial instrument – a loan guarantee facility - is introduced to enable students to take their Masters degree in another European country . Finance for such studies is currently difficult to obtain because national grants and loans are frequently not portable across national boundaries, or are not available for studies at Masters level, and loans from private banks are prohibitively expensive. To overcome these problems, the EU will provide a partial guarantee to financial institutions (banks or student loan agencies), which agree to offer loans for Masters' studies in other participating countries on favourable terms for the students.

Management: the programme will be managed in accordance with the principle of the indirect management . Responsibilities will be shared between Members States and the Commission. National Agencies will be in charge of the main part of the funds, most of those allocated to mobility actions and cooperation. The Commission will delegate to an Executive Agency the management of larger cooperation projects, policy support, the Eurydice network, as well as Jean Monnet activities and sport. The Commission may therefore use, on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis, the existing executive agency for the implementation of "Erasmus for All" programme for the period 2014-2020.

It will also adopt annual work programmes by way of implementing acts in order to implement the programme.

Simplification: one of the priority of this programme is to emphasise streamlining, simplification and a performance-based allocation of funds. This approach is applied by basing it on the rules of the Financial Regulation.

In this regard, the programme will:

· reduce the number of activities supported;

· use more flat rate grants to increase efficiency (particularly for mobility actions).

National Agencies will no longer manage individual mobility and thereby reducing the administrative workload. National Agencies will become the main entry point for learning mobility activities, open to young people whether they participate as student, trainee or volunteer. The user-friendliness will also be enhanced for participating higher education institutions at international level, by the integration of disparate international cooperation programmes.

Effectiveness: the programme contains a clause on monitoring and evaluation so that it may be regularly monitored against its objectives using performance related indicators. In addition to the continuing monitoring, the Commission shall establish an evaluation report no later than end 2017 in order to assess the effectiveness in achieving the objectives, the efficiency of the programme and its European added value, in view of a decision on the renewal, modification or suspension of the programme.

The Commission, in cooperation with Member States, shall ensure overall consistency and complementarity with the relevant Union policies, in particular those in the fields of culture and the media, employment, health, research and innovation, enterprise, justice, consumer, development and cohesion policy and with other relevant Union funding sources in these fields.

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS : the Commission's proposal for a Multi-Annual Financial Framework for the period 2014-2020 provides for EUR 17 299 million (current prices) for a Single programme on Education, Training, Youth and Sport and an additional amount coming from heading 4 instruments, corresponding to EUR 1 812 100 000 (current prices) from the different external instruments (Development Cooperation Instrument, European Neighbourhood Instrument, Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, Partnership Instrument and the European development Fund),,

Division of financial envelope by policy action:

(a) EUR 16 741 738 000 for actions in the field of education, training and youth;

(b) EUR 318 435 000 for the Jean Monnet activities;

(c) EUR 238 827 000 for actions relating to sport.

Minimum allocation of funds per sector : in order to ensure that the funding levels allocated to the main categories of stakeholders and beneficiaries will not be reduced below the levels guaranteed by the Lifelong Learning, Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes for the 2007-2013 period, the implementation of the programme shall not result in an allocation to main education sectors less than:

· higher education: 25% ;

· vocational education and training and adult learning: 17%, of which adult learning: 2%;

· school education: 7%;

· youth: 7%.

DELEGATED ACTS: the proposal also introduces delegating powers based on Article 290 TFEU. The use of this new legal instrument is limited to the amendment of the provisions relating to the performance criteria and on the actions managed by the National Agencies.

When adopting implementing measures, in particular that referring to the allocation of funds, the Regulation provides for the application of the examination procedure according to provisions set out in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 .

Selection decisions will still be sent to European Parliament and Committee for information.

PURPOSE: to present the main objectives of the programme ERASMUS FOR ALL: The EU Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport for 2014-2020.

CONTENT: this Communication complements the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing ‘Erasmus for All’: a single Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport for the 2014-2020 period. The Programme reflects the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy and its flagship initiatives. Education and training are now more important than ever for innovation, productivity and growth, especially in the context of the current economic and financial crisis. The role of education and training for employment, also through traineeships, is particularly important for young people who are the hardest hit by the crisis. In addition, there are still many gender inequalities in education: while women have surpassed men in both participation and attainment in higher education, the fields of study remain segregated, with women notably underrepresented in science and engineering; boys perform less well on reading literacy and tend to leave school early more often than girls.

A concerted effort to reach the EU benchmark of less than 15% of low achievers in basic skills by 2020 would lead to long-term aggregated economic gains for the EU. Raising the ratio of people with higher education to 40 % would contribute to increasing GDP per capita in the EU by 4% . Ensuring education and training systems can deliver the skills needed on the labour market will contribute to reaching the Europe 2020 target for employment (75%).

The Programme’s European added value will be: to help citizens acquire more and better skills, enhance the quality of teaching in educational institutions both in the EU and beyond, support Member States and non-EU partner countries in modernising their education and training systems and making them more innovative, and promote youth participation in society as well as the construction of a European dimension to grassroots sports.

Past achievements and lessons learnt : the evaluations show that the 2007-2013 EU programmes have already achieved significant systemic impact, far beyond the benefits to individual participants. However, there is a complexity of multiple programmes and actions which must give way to a simpler, streamlined architecture, one which strikes a better balance between harmonisation and flexibility.

For example, the Lifelong Learning Programme has six sub-programmes, more than 50 objectives and over 60 actions. The Youth in Action Programme focuses on the mobility and (non-formal) learning of young people, while approximately 80% of the Lifelong Learning Programme funding also benefits youth.

International cooperation in higher education is also characterised by the fragmentation between different EU instruments implementing similar objectives and actions. The Commission is currently funding five higher education cooperation programmes with different parts of the world.

Erasmus for All will :

increase coherence and strengthen the lifelong learning approach, by linking support to formal and non-formal learning throughout the education and training spectrum; broaden the scope for structured partnerships, both between different sectors of education and with business and other relevant actors; provide flexibility and incentives, so that budget allocation between activities, beneficiaries and countries better reflects performance and impact.

Rather than preserve an increasingly complex multiplicity of brand names, the programme will be named ‘ Erasmus for All ’ . Public and private bodies within the main education sectors covered by the Programme may use this brand name.

A streamlined architecture : in order to ensure greater coherence, synergy and simplification, and allow for innovative funding mechanisms, the architecture of the proposed Programme will support three types of key action, which are complementary and mutually reinforcing:

Learning mobility of individuals : Mobility will represent a significant share of the increased overall budget. This increase, together with a focus on the quality of mobility as well as a concentration of priorities and efforts, should increase the critical mass and impact beyond the individuals and institutions involved. Cooperation for innovation and good practices : There will be a stronger focus on strengthening innovative partnerships between educational institutions and business. For higher education, the emphasis will be on capacity building, concentrating on neighbourhood countries as well as strategic partnerships with developed and emerging economies. Support for policy reform : Policy reform will be targeted at: strengthening the tools and impact of the open methods of coordination in education, training and youth; implementing the Europe 2020 strategy and promoting the policy dialogue with third countries and international organisations.

Budget : the Communication presents the proposed share of funding among the main actions. On the basis of experience and in view of the enhanced emphasis on mobility, around two thirds of the budget will be allocated to learning mobility.

The corresponding indicative allocations for Erasmus for all expressed in percentage of the total budget would be:

25% for higher education; 17 % for vocational education and training and adult learning (of which 2% for adult learning); 7 % for schools; 7 % for youth .

The new "Erasmus for All" will promote international mobility by bringing Erasmus to schools, vocational education and training, master level degrees and specific youth areas such as volunteering. The pivotal role of the EU as a catalyst to generate economic dynamism and political stability can only be ensured if private, public, national and international actors clearly state their unequivocal commitment to build the future on the basis of education and training.

PURPOSE: to establish the programme "Erasmus for All " for the period 2014-20, bringing together the Lifelong Learning , Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

BACKGROUND: the Commission adopted a proposal for a multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the period 2014-2020 establishing the budget for the Europe 2020 strategy. In its proposal, the Commission points out that there is scope to increase Union support to education and training in order to raise citizens' skills and help tackle the high levels of youth unemployment in many Member States.

The Commission also stresses that in its external actions, it will:

· concentrate on promoting and defending Union values abroad ;

· promote assistance to transitional and democratic processes and

· project the external dimension of internal policies.

Accordingly, it proposes this programme.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: four impact assessments examined the operation of three existing programmes in education, training and youth field (namely Lifelong Learning Programme, Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus) and, in the case of sport, preparatory actions voted by the Budgetary Authority.

Given the similarity of objectives, legal base and Union competencies in these fields, each impact assessment considers similar options:

· Option 1: discontinuing the existing actions or programmes;

· Option 2: continuing them in their current form;

· Option 3: substantially strengthening their policy focus; and

· Option 4: bringing together the Lifelong Learning, Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes into a single, streamlined Programme.

The preferred option identified in each of the four impact assessments is the merger into a single programme (Option 4|). This option is the most coherent and cost-effective.

LEGAL BASIS: Articles 165(4) and 166(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

CONTENT: the Commission proposes to establish a programme for Union action in the field of education, training, youth and sport called "Erasmus for All" for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020.

The programme covers education at all levels , in a lifelong learning perspective, in particular higher education, vocational education and training and adult learning, school education and youth.

It includes an international dimension and will also support activities in the field of sport.

European added value : the Programme shall only support those actions and activities presenting a potential European added value which shall be ensured in particular through:

· their transnational character, in particular transnational mobility and cooperation aiming at long-term systemic impact;

· their complementarity and synergy with other national, international and other Union programmes and policies, allowing for economies of scale and critical mass;

· their contribution to the effective use of Union tools for recognition of qualifications and transparency.

General objective of the Programme : the Programme aims to contribute to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and of the education and training strategic framework 2020 (ET2020), including the corresponding benchmarks established in those instruments, to renewed framework for European Cooperation in the Youth field (2010-2018), to the sustainable development of third countries in the field of higher education and to developing the European dimension in sport.

It particularly aims to contribute to reach the following Europe 2020 headline targets:

(i) education of early school leaving rates; (ii) increase of 30-34 years old students having completed third level of education.

Structure of the programme : the "Erasmus for all" programme focuses on three types of key actions:

1. the transnational and international learning mobility of students, young people, teachers and staff;

2. the cooperation for innovation and good practices between education institutions, as well as through cooperation with bodies active in the youth field and

3. support to the policy agendas, as well as the support to capacity building in third countries, including enlargement countries, with a particular focus on neighbouring countries and the international policy dialogue.

Excellence in teaching and research in European studies is covered through a specific article on "Jean Monnet".

A chapter is dedicated to sport focusing on the fight against doping, violence and racism and fostering transnational activities to promote good governance of sport organisations.

Details of the priorities and the specific actions in these fields are set out in the proposal.

Funding: Erasmus for all will integrate existing international programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Edulink and Alfa) and cooperation programmes with industrialised countries. To this end, the budget of the Programme will be complemented by financial allocations coming from the different external cooperation instruments. Funds will be made available on the basis of two multi-annual allocations covering 4 and 3 years respectively to ensure stability and predictability. These allocations should reflect the EU external action priorities, including development objectives as appropriate. They can be adjusted in case of major unforeseen circumstances or important political changes to reflect major shifts in policy priorities.

A new financial instrument – a loan guarantee facility - is introduced to enable students to take their Masters degree in another European country . Finance for such studies is currently difficult to obtain because national grants and loans are frequently not portable across national boundaries, or are not available for studies at Masters level, and loans from private banks are prohibitively expensive. To overcome these problems, the EU will provide a partial guarantee to financial institutions (banks or student loan agencies), which agree to offer loans for Masters' studies in other participating countries on favourable terms for the students.

Management: the programme will be managed in accordance with the principle of the indirect management . Responsibilities will be shared between Members States and the Commission. National Agencies will be in charge of the main part of the funds, most of those allocated to mobility actions and cooperation. The Commission will delegate to an Executive Agency the management of larger cooperation projects, policy support, the Eurydice network, as well as Jean Monnet activities and sport. The Commission may therefore use, on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis, the existing executive agency for the implementation of "Erasmus for All" programme for the period 2014-2020.

It will also adopt annual work programmes by way of implementing acts in order to implement the programme.

Simplification: one of the priority of this programme is to emphasise streamlining, simplification and a performance-based allocation of funds. This approach is applied by basing it on the rules of the Financial Regulation.

In this regard, the programme will:

· reduce the number of activities supported;

· use more flat rate grants to increase efficiency (particularly for mobility actions).

National Agencies will no longer manage individual mobility and thereby reducing the administrative workload. National Agencies will become the main entry point for learning mobility activities, open to young people whether they participate as student, trainee or volunteer. The user-friendliness will also be enhanced for participating higher education institutions at international level, by the integration of disparate international cooperation programmes.

Effectiveness: the programme contains a clause on monitoring and evaluation so that it may be regularly monitored against its objectives using performance related indicators. In addition to the continuing monitoring, the Commission shall establish an evaluation report no later than end 2017 in order to assess the effectiveness in achieving the objectives, the efficiency of the programme and its European added value, in view of a decision on the renewal, modification or suspension of the programme.

The Commission, in cooperation with Member States, shall ensure overall consistency and complementarity with the relevant Union policies, in particular those in the fields of culture and the media, employment, health, research and innovation, enterprise, justice, consumer, development and cohesion policy and with other relevant Union funding sources in these fields.

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS : the Commission's proposal for a Multi-Annual Financial Framework for the period 2014-2020 provides for EUR 17 299 million (current prices) for a Single programme on Education, Training, Youth and Sport and an additional amount coming from heading 4 instruments, corresponding to EUR 1 812 100 000 (current prices) from the different external instruments (Development Cooperation Instrument, European Neighbourhood Instrument, Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, Partnership Instrument and the European development Fund),,

Division of financial envelope by policy action:

(a) EUR 16 741 738 000 for actions in the field of education, training and youth;

(b) EUR 318 435 000 for the Jean Monnet activities;

(c) EUR 238 827 000 for actions relating to sport.

Minimum allocation of funds per sector : in order to ensure that the funding levels allocated to the main categories of stakeholders and beneficiaries will not be reduced below the levels guaranteed by the Lifelong Learning, Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes for the 2007-2013 period, the implementation of the programme shall not result in an allocation to main education sectors less than:

· higher education: 25% ;

· vocational education and training and adult learning: 17%, of which adult learning: 2%;

· school education: 7%;

· youth: 7%.

DELEGATED ACTS: the proposal also introduces delegating powers based on Article 290 TFEU. The use of this new legal instrument is limited to the amendment of the provisions relating to the performance criteria and on the actions managed by the National Agencies.

When adopting implementing measures, in particular that referring to the allocation of funds, the Regulation provides for the application of the examination procedure according to provisions set out in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 .

Selection decisions will still be sent to European Parliament and Committee for information.