on the proposal for a Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and the United States of America renewing the co-operation programme in the field of higher education and vocational education and training

(COM(2006)0180 – C6‑0174/2006 – 2006/0061(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the proposal for a Council decision (COM(2006)0180)(1),

–   having regard to Article 300(2), first subparagraph, and Articles 149 and 150 of the EC Treaty,

–   having regard to Article 300(3), first subparagraph, of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C6‑0174/2006),

–   having regard to Rules 51 and 83(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture and Education (A6‑0339/2006),

1.  Approves conclusion of the agreement;

2.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the government of the United States of America.

(1) Not yet published in OJ.

There has been a joint EU-US cooperation programme in higher education and vocational since 1995.

This Agreement serves to renew, for the period 2006-2013, the cooperation programme in higher education and vocational education and training concluded in 2000 and originally established under the 1995 Agreement.

This new Agreement between the European Community and the United States signed on 21 June 2006 on the occasion of the bilateral summit in Vienna is in keeping with the Lisbon strategy which provided for education in the European Union to be made a world quality reference by 2010.

Having been specifically conceived to achieve the objectives of EU/US bilateral cooperation, this new programme perfectly complements the programmes provided for under other Community instruments (such as Socrates", "Leonardo da Vinci" or "Erasmus Mundus") and the bilateral programmes between the Member States and the USA.

Taking into account the evaluations made and the lessons drawn from past experience, it aims to promote mutual understanding between the peoples of the European Union and the USA, including a broader knowledge of their languages, cultures and institutions. The programme similarly seeks to improve the openness and competitiveness of our higher education systems and improve the quality of human resource development on both sides of the Atlantic.

The agreement would dispose of a budget of € 46 million over an eight year period and would establish innovative programmes leading to the creation of Transatlantic Degrees (double or joint degrees), step up exchanges and mobility of students, teaching staff and other professionals, strengthen the Schuman-Fulbright programme aimed at professionals, and encourage closer institutional cooperation in higher education.

In order to attain these objectives and to boost education cooperation, a number of actions are envisaged under the overall heading of ATLANTIS, notably projects involving joint consortia focusing on fields deemed to be essential to cooperation, 'excellence mobility projects' and policy-oriented measures.

Under the programme, it should be possible to provide support for some 274 projects benefiting 6000 European and American citizens.

PROCEDURE