Community action programme Socrates: financial framework 1995-1999

The Socrates programme has to be able to accommodate 11 new countries (the Central and Eastern European countries and Cyprus) in 1998 and yr increase in the number of projects. Consequently the report by Doris PACK (EPP, D) adopted by the Committee recommends that funding be increased from ECU 850m. to ECU 950m. The increase of ECU 50m. proposed by the Commission in fact represents a decrease in funding in real terms to meet requirements, yr increase of ECU 165m. is needed (15m. to take account of inflation, 70m. to provide funds exactly matching the amounts the Central and Eastern European countries and Cyprus will contribute, and 80m. to meet increased demand and not decrease the minimum critical mass of funding per project). Consequently an increase of ECU 100m. is the bare minimum if the programme is not be exclusively reserved for students who have substantial private means to cover their stay in the host country. �