European Training Foundation: extension to the Mediterranean countries (2nd amend. Regul. 1360/90/EEC)

OBJECTIVE: to amend for the second time Regulation 1360/90/EEC with a view to extending the remit of the European Training Foundation to the Mediterranean partners designated in the MEDA Regulation (Regulation 1488/96/EC) and to make a certain number of technical modifications in order to accompany the extension of the geographical scope of the Foundation. SUBSTANCE: The Commission proposes extending the remit of the Foundation to cover training in the Mediterranean non-member countries and territories laid down in the MEDA Regulation. Its activities will concern initial and continuing vocational training as well as retraining for young people and adults, including management training. In view of the extended geographical spread of the Foundation it is proposed that the governing board of the Foundation should be enlarged, with the addition of one Commission representative. There is however no provision to modify the number of votes at the disposal of the Commission representatives. Modifications are also provided with a view to increasing the policy guidance for the Foundation and to enhancing its efficiency. The amendments concern the following points: - authorization for the Commission to set general policy guidelines for the Foundation's work (in order to be able in particular to adapt the Foundation's activities to the orientations adopted for the Community's overall assistance programmes for the partner countries), - ability for the Commission to ensure cooperation between the Foundation and other Community bodies (for example, CEDEFOP) so as to ensure coherence between the work of the Foundation and other Community actions, - strengthening the decision making powers of the Foundation's Governing Board by aligning the Foundation's work programme more efficiently with its budget (the work programme will be adopted at the same time as the budget and will contain allocations of budgetary resources to operating activities. It may be adapted to new developments during the year), -strengthening the role of the Foundation's Advisory Forum by providing for the participation of experts nominated by the Commission, - defining specifically the mandate of the Foundation's Director: the Governing Board may adapt his term of office to specific circumstances. The link between the Director's responsibilities and the decisions of the Governing Board, the Foundation's work programme and other guidelines is clarified. �