Decision No 791/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 establishing a Community action programme to promote bodies active at European level and support specific activities in the field of education and training

• Published date: 30 April 2004
• Subject Matter: Education, vocational training and youth
• Official Gazette Publication: Official Journal of the European Union, L 138, 30 April 2004

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32004D0791

Decision No 791/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 establishing a Community action programme to promote bodies active at European level and support specific activities in the field of education and training

Official Journal L 138 , 30/04/2004 P. 0031 - 0039

Decision No 791/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

of 21 April 2004

establishing a Community action programme to promote bodies active at European level and support specific activities in the field of education and training

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 149(4) and 150(4) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee [1],

Having consulted the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty [2],

Whereas:

(1) The Treaty provides that the Community is to contribute to the development of quality education by supporting and supplementing the action of Member States, to implement a vocational training policy which supports and supplements the action of the Member States, and to foster cooperation with third countries.

(2) The Laeken Declaration annexed to the conclusions of the European Council of 14 and 15 December 2001 asserts that one of the basic challenges to be resolved by the European Union is how to bring citizens closer to the European design and the European institutions.

(3) The detailed work programme on the follow-up of the objectives of education and training systems in Europe [3], adopted by the Council on 14 June 2002, sets out a programme of activity that requires support at Community level.

(4) The Declaration of the European Union on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, Vienna, 10 December 1998, states that the Union should further develop cooperation in the field of human rights, such as education and training activities, in coordination with other relevant organisations, and ensure the continuation of the European Masters Programme in human rights and democratisation, organised by 15 European universities.

(5) The Conclusions of the Cologne European Council of 4 June 1999 stated that, in order to enhance the sustainability and continuity of the European Masters programme in human rights and democratisation, "further attention should be given to the issue of budget security".

(6) Headings A-3010, A-3011, A-3012, A-3013, A-3014, A-3017, A-3022, A-3027, A-3044, B3-1000 and B3-304 of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2003 and previous financial years have proved their worth in the field of education and training.

(7) The College of Europe, providing postgraduate courses in law, economics, politics, social sciences and humanities with a European dimension, the European University Institute, contributing to the development of European cultural and scientific heritage by means of higher education and research, the European Institute of Public Administration, training national and European civil servants in the field of European integration, the Academy of European Law in Trier, providing university-level training of European law professionals and users, the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation, providing a European Masters degree and Advanced Internships and other education, training and research services in promotion of human rights and democratisation, the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, working to improve the quality of education for pupils with special needs and to foster sustainable European cooperation in this field, and the International Centre for European Training, providing teaching, training and research on issues of Europeanisation, globalisation, federalism, regionalism and the transformation of contemporary social structures, constitute bodies pursuing aims of general European interest.

(8) There is an increased need to train national judges in the application of Community law and for such training to be supported by the Community, notably following adoption of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of 16 December 2002 on the implementation of the rules on competition laid down in Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty [4], which increases the power of national courts to apply these Treaty provisions.

(9) Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities [5], hereinafter "the Financial Regulation", requires a basic act to be provided to cover these existing support actions.

(10) The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission undertook, at the time of the adoption of the Financial Regulation, to achieve the objective of ensuring that this basic act enters into force as from the financial year 2004; the Commission undertook to take into account the remarks entered in the budget in the context of implementation.

(11) It is necessary to ensure that the institutions to which the Community has allocated funding support over previous years enjoy an adequate measure of stability and continuity of funding subject to the Financial Regulation and its rules for implementation.

(12) Provision should be made for the geographic coverage of the programme to extend to the acceding Member States, and possibly, in the case of some actions, to the EFTA/EEA countries and the candidate countries.

(13) Any non-Community financing from State resources should comply with Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty.

(14) This Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the programme, a financial framework constituting the prime reference, within the meaning of point 33 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May...