Tempus III: 3rd phase of the trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education, Mediterranean countries (2000-2006)

PURPOSE : to enlarge the geographical scope of the Tempus III programme to the Mediterranean non-member countries and territories. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Council Decision 2002/601/EC amending Decision 1999/311/EC adopting the third phase of the trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education (Tempus III) (2000 to 2006). CONTENT : the Council adopted a Decision adopting the third phase of the Trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education. The Decision is designed to foster regional cooperation in the wider Euro-Mediterranean region. At a time when co-operation in education, particularly higher education, between the EC and other regions in the world is being reinforced and when the surge of different forms of radicalism and intolerance reveals a deficit of dialogue and understanding between cultures, the need for co-operation around the Mediterranean basin is today greater than ever. In order to give a rapid response to this need this Decision extends the Tempus programme to the following Mediterranean partners: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Lebanon. At present there is no scheme for co-operation on higher education within the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. This Decision aims at filling this gap via the extension of the Tempus programme to these countries and territories with a view to contributing towards the achievement of one of the key objectives of the Barcelona declaration, namely to develop human resources, promote understanding between cultures and rapprochement of the peoples in the Euro-Mediterranean region as well as to develop free and flourishing civil societies (social, cultural and human partnership). The extension of Tempus is seen in the context of a wider strategy to strengthen dialogue between peoples and cultures in the European Union and the Mediterranean. Two amendments of a technical nature have been adopted: i) the addition of the following new objective in Article 5 (Aims): "a) promote understanding between and rapprochement of cultures and develop free and flourishing civil societies"; this addition spells out an objective already implicit in the Tempus III Decision, thus bringing into the body of the text an important political message derived from the Barcelona declaration; ii) in the Annex, under "Individual grants", the word "researchers" and "research" have been added to the first paragraph and to the third indent respectively. These additions reflect the reality of postgraduate study and academic work and allow for bridges to be established with EC research programmes. The Commission shall, when pursuing the objectives of Tempus III, observe the Community's general policy on equal opportunities for men and women. The Commission shall also ensure that no group of citizens is excluded or disadvantaged. The Commission shall submit by 30 June 2004 an interim report on the findings of the evaluation, together with any proposals for extending or adjusting Tempus III for the period commencing on 1 January 2007. ENTRY INTO FORCE : 27/06/2002.�