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European Commission

Europe on the move

The mobility of young people, students,teachers, trainers and research workersis an EU priority. Individual mobility isbecoming increasingly important in theera of the Internet and economic globalisation. At present, only about ahundred thousand young people a yearparticipate in European educational,training and language-learningexchanges. The continuing existence of

socioeconomic, linguistic and practical obstacles prevents many proposedacademic and professional visits. This brochure provides a general surveyof the situation and describes the approaches currently being explored bythe European Union and the Member States with a view to maximisingopportunities for mobility.

OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONSOF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIESL-2985 Luxembourg

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Passport to mobilityLearning differentlyLearning abroad

ISBN 92-894-0101-X

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This booklet is published in all the official EU languages of the European Union: Danish,Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish

European CommissionDirectorate-General for Education and Culture, Communication UnitDirectorate-General Press and Communication, ‘Publications’Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi 200B-1049 Brussels

Manuscript completed in May 2001

Cover: Fotostock

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2001

ISBN 92-894-0101-X

© European Communities, 2001Reproduction is authorised.

Printed in Belgium

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Table of contents

Mobility in education and training:a priority for a Europe of knowledge and a citizens’ Europe 3

Learning differently, learning abroad 5

A valuable personal experience 7

Moving with the times 8

The view from the summit 10

The European mobility programmes 13

Obstacles to mobility 17

What if you decide to stay? 20

Action to promote mobility 21

Information on the Internet 26

The quality of education and training and the dynamism and creativity of youth are among the EU’s most valuable assets, constituting the driving force of its prosperity and cohesion.

A knowledge-based Europe is on course and gradually shapingup. The opportunities abroad to which many young people, students, teachers, trainers and, even, researchers aspire are apowerful stimulus. Support for mobility schemes under the EU’sYouth, Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes and MarieCurie fellowships has facilitated thousands of study visits, vocational training courses, exchanges and meetings.

These programmes have explored new avenues in the fields ofeducation, training and research, marking out the requirementson the way to mobility. Foreign language learning and the recognition of qualifications are two specific examples.

Yet there are still too many obstacles to make mobility a realistic prospect for all aspirants. Any combination of thesediverse obstacles — linguistic, economic, academic, fiscal oradministrative — can easily thwart a mobility project. They callfor practical and coordinated responses from all with responsibility in this field, from local to Community level.

A step was taken towards a significant development of mobilityin Europe at Nice in December 2000, when the European Councilmade this a political priority in line with the conclusions of theLisbon Council in March 2000. A recommendation of theEuropean Parliament and the Council of Ministers together with a mobility action plan are designed to maximise access to

Mobility in education and training:a priority for a Europe of knowledge and a citizens’ Europe

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4

Passport to mobility

mobility. The challenge is considerable. It calls for all involved ineducation, training and youth affairs to join with the politicaldecision-makers in accepting it, so as to make our vision of theEurope of knowledge a daily reality for all our citizens.

Viviane RedingMember of the European Commissionresponsible for education and culture

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In reality, however, many obstacles tomobility still exist. Whilst the freemovement of individuals is a long-established principle in the EU, stu-dents, young volunteers, teachers,trainees and researchers continue toface socioeconomic, linguistic, psy-chological and practical administra-tive problems in going to live abroad.

The Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci andYouth programmes have been pio-neers in bringing together educa-tional communities, by initiatingcooperation between thousands ofschools, universities, vocational train-ing centres and associations. For allthe significance of their results, how-ever, these programmes merely repre-sent one stage on the journey tocomplete European mobility, sincethey essentially depend on coopera-tion among institutions and, in thefinal analysis, involve only a verysmall percentage of the Europeanpopulation.

The next stage is to make mobility aswidely accessible as possible. This is apriority in strengthening the sense ofbelonging to a European communitywith all its cultural and economicinfluence.

Learning differently, learning abroad

Personal mobility in Europe is becoming increasingly necessary in the eraof the Internet and the globalisation of trade. Every year, thousands ofyoung people participate in educational, training and linguisticexchanges. Between 1987 and 1999, more than a million young people,students, teachers and trainers experienced life in another Europeancountry through the mobility schemes supported by the EU’s Socrates,Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes. In the same period, thousandsof research workers were able to continue their work abroad with the aidof Marie Curie fellowships.

Languages, the first discoveryIgnorance of foreign languages is undoubtedly the mainobstacle to mobility. That is why, in the words of WolfgangMackiewicz of the European Languages Council: ‘Young children should learn European languages and culture fromthe earliest possible moment since, for them, such anapproach is entirely natural. All pupils should be able tostudy some of their subjects, such as history or geography,in a foreign language, and games involving language-useshould be offered outside normal lessons.’

Wolfgang Mackiewicz, European Languages Council

In deciding to give a new impetus toindividual mobility, the EuropeanHeads of State and Governmentunderlined this priority at theirEuropean Council meetings in Lisbon,in March 2000, in Nice, in December2000, and in Stockholm, in March2001.


To this end, all available energy needsto be mobilised and coordination im-proved between the many decision-making levels. A mobility action plan will underpin the efforts ofeveryone involved in the comingyears. Its main aims are to improvethe language preparation of appli-cants, to expand the training of sup-port staff, to explore new financingarrangements and to launch a majorpublic-awareness campaign high-lighting opportunities.

All the Community’s resources will becalled upon with a view to achievingthese objectives: the Socrates,Leonardo da Vinci and Youth pro-grammes will be implemented tooptimum effect, the Member Stateswill be urged to cooperate in remov-ing barriers to mobility, proceduresfor recognising qualifications andtraining courses will be improved anda European ‘curriculum vitae’ will bedeveloped.

The chairman of the group of nation-al experts who were responsible forpreparing this mobility action plan,Jean Germain, stresses that: ‘The cre-ation of a Europe of knowledge willalso require all those involved in edu-cation to give up one of their mostdeeply held beliefs, namely that theirown teaching methods are the best.This will require imagination, dia-logue and mutual understanding … Itis time for open-mindedness and forcomparing ideas.’

Moving with the timesmeans embracing

cross-frontier mobility.

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Learning from each otherMobility is not only beneficial to students,teachers, trainers, trainees or workers who goabroad, but also to those who come into contactwith them. Discussions, the exchange of little

‘tricks of the trade’ (how to pass exams, ways of motivating pupils, the best data processing

systems), the comparison of cultures (Goethe orDescartes, Ibsen or Cervantes, Manchester orAnderlecht) create an environment of mutual

emulation for both the visitor and the host.

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Increasing employment opportunities

Learning, studying, training or con-ducting research abroad are all waysof improving employment opportu-nities. Studies conducted atEuropean level confirm that youngpeople who have studied abroad areoften the quickest to find employ-ment and an international careerinvolving greater responsibility.

• Andrea is a 27-year-old German.She is currently employed as a stone-cutter in the Italian firm where sheoriginally completed a two-monthtraining course under the Leonardoda Vinci programme. The programmemade it possible for her to learnItalian and, finally, find work in a tra-ditionally masculine sector.

• Nial is a 25-year-old Irish researchworker who is completing a thesis inScotland with the help of a MarieCurie scholarship. This involves theapplication of mathematical theoriesto images. At present, image studiesare purely empirical and Nial’s pro-ject is designed to provide them witha theoretical foundation. His researchresults have been presented to thepress at international conferences.

Bringing people together

‘The arrival of a young European vol-untary service worker to help in theyouth centre of my small Greek vil-lage created a serious problem,since … he was Turkish!’ explainsSpiros Tsotos, Director of the CorinthDistrict Youth Council. ‘He was, infact, a German of Turkish extraction,but the young people of the villagewere outraged by his presence. Onlygreat efforts on the part of his youthcentre hosts managed to get himaccepted. Things finally settled downand, by the end of his six-month stay,he had made many friends. Thewhole village was in tears when heleft! A few months later, he evenreceived a visit from a group ofyoung Greeks in Berlin.’

A valuable personal experience


‘My own professional experienceabroad taught me that people didnot address the British, the French orthe Germans in the same way’,explains Séverine Ribeaudeau, direc-tor of the Belgian office of marketingcompany Adelphi InternationalResearch. ‘In my present post I amcurrently looking for a new assistant.Obviously, this must be someone whois internationally minded and speakstwo or three European languages. Wehope to appoint someone who haseither worked abroad or beenemployed in a company with aninternational outlook.’

The break entailed by a period abroadsometimes also allows people to dis-cover their true professional goals.‘The year I spent in an IT servicescompany in the Netherlands and myextensive travels on its behalf inBelgium not only allowed me to dis-cover two new cultures and meet myfuture wife, Anne, but also persuadedme to change my career direction’,reports Olivier Guibault, a youngFrenchman now based in Brussels.‘The travelling, together with a sub-sequent stay in Canada, made merealise how much I liked meetingpeople. This prompted me to createAlbum, a small museum devoted toEuropean cultural diversity.’

What difference does it reallymake?

For teachers, students and mobilitymanagers, the effects of periodsabroad often continue to be feltlong after the event.

• Thérèse Claire, of the Socratesnational agency in France, explains:‘The pupils of a Bordeaux technicalschool decided to build a solar panelwith the help of some youngGermans as part of the Socrates pro-gramme. Once they realised that thiswas no ordinary scheme, they devot-ed themselves to it entirely. Working

Moving with the times

8

A career asset‘In the educational field, a European approach is essential to give students a clear understanding of howto integrate with, and gain the maximum benefit from, amulticultural environment. We must therefore promotegreater mobility on the part of students and teachersand knowledge of more European languages.’

‘Education for Europeans: towards a knowledge-based society’,report of the European Round Table of Industrialists, 1995.

In the era of the Internet and the ‘new economy’ in which theglobalisation of trade is communications-driven, knowledge of Europeanlanguages and cultures is more indispensable than ever for a good career.Companies see people with experience abroad as bringing qualificationsand knowledge which benefit competitiveness.

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on such a specific and highly moti-vating project is a completely dif-ferent experience from a simple language-study exchange. During it,language problems virtually disap-peared.’ Thérèse Claire adds that:‘Mobility programmes help to breakdown class barriers and bring togeth-er teachers from different disciplines.They also provide pupils with a con-siderable degree of independence.Finally, parents, who are normally cutoff from school life, play an activepart in mobility projects.’

• As a future English teacher, Sofia,a 26-year-old Swede, was anxious toimprove her knowledge of theEnglish language and British culture.The eight months she spent inEngland under the Lingua pro-gramme provided extremely valuableprofessional and personal experience.They also allowed her English stu-dents and pupils to learn a little moreabout Sweden and its customs.

• Veronika Drexel, director of the‘Aha’ youth information centre inAustria, says participation in theEuropean voluntary service schemeenabled the information centre toestablish numerous contacts in otherMember States, to increase the num-ber of exchange visits by young peo-ple and, by improving contacts withlocal undertakings, to develop itsintegration into the socioeconomicfabric of the region.

• Michael (23) is participating in thesecond chance school project inLeeds, where he is improving hisEnglish and maths and learning pho-tographic and multimedia tech-niques. After a number of education-al setbacks, he hopes this project willprovide him with new skills whichwill enhance his job prospects.

• Marlene is German. Following asix-month course in England underthe Leonardo da Vinci programme,she has just been awarded a certifi-cate by the London Chamber of Tradein recognition of excellent examresults. She is currently working inthe marketing and export depart-ment of a German company. Herexperience has taught her to findinspiration and motivation in theacceptance of different lifestyles andcustoms.

Mobility also offers less-qualified individuals anopportunity to gain more control of their work-

ing lives‘The challenge is to provide mobility opportunities for thosewho would not normally think of seeking it. Someone withgood qualifications will always find a job in the end’, explainsBabette Nieder of the Franco–German Youth office. ‘Mobility

offers a genuine opportunity to the less-qualified and caneven change their lives. Everyone, regardless of social and

cultural background, must be made aware of the pos-sibility of changing direction.’


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The Lisbon strategy:Creating a Europe of knowledge

Meeting in Lisbon in March 2000, EUHeads of State and Governmentundertook to give the Community

the most dynamic economy in theworld. The way to achieve it was toaccelerate economic growth byexploiting one of the old continent’smain assets, its grey matter: itsknowledge, intelligence and creativ-ity.

The view from the summit

The Bologna conference on the creation of a European higher educationarea, the extraordinary European Council meeting in Lisbon, the meetingof the G8 education ministers in Okinawa and the European Council inNice were four recent major events which identified personal mobility asan international political priority.

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Greater mobility on the part of stu-dents, teachers, trainers andresearchers will be vital to the suc-cess of this ambition.

The first aim must be to ensure thatthe Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci andYouth programmes are implementedwith optimum efficiency. This is thecase with the new generation of pro-grammes, launched for the period2000–06, which are based on adecentralised, faster and more effec-tive management system that is clos-er to Europe’s citizens. The EU gov-ernment leaders announced thatthey would try to promote a moretransparent recognition of diplomas,qualifications and study and trainingcourses undertaken anywhere in theEU.

Obviously, the creation of a knowl-edge-based dynamic economic areais not simply a question of mobility.The Lisbon strategy will also necessi-tate completion of the single market,development of an enterprise cultureand the creation of a genuine‘European research area’. Mobilityamong research workers will beencouraged and a high-speed com-munications network will link all theEU’s teaching and research establish-ments, as well as its libraries andtraining centres.

G8 seeks to double international mobility in 10 years

Meeting in Okinawa in spring 2000,the education ministers of the G8countries (USA, France, Germany,Japan, Italy, Canada, UnitedKingdom, Russia) also stressed theimportance of international experi-ence for all. Citing the success of theErasmus programme, the G8 minis-ters agreed to double the number ofteachers, students, research workersand educational administrators gain-ing experience abroad in the next 10years.

Progress in Nice: an ambitious planto increase mobility projects. EUHeads of State and Government,meeting in Nice in December 2000,agreed to do all they could to step upmobility for students and teachers inEurope. A mobility action plan, a'toolbox' containing 42 practicalmeasures, was adopted and will beimplemented in all the MemberStates according to the specific char-acteristics of each country (see p. 24).The first concrete measures wereapproved at the Stockholm EuropeanCouncil in March 2001.

Lifelong mobility.

EKA


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The Bologna declaration:Towards the creation of a‘European higher educationarea’

At a meeting in Bologna (Italy) on 19June 1999, the education ministers ofsome 30 European countries agreedon the creation of a ‘European highereducation area’ by 2010.

The Bologna declaration provides forthe establishment of an easily com-parable system of university qualifi-cations and the pan-European intro-duction of two main educationalcycles, with admission to the secondbeing possible after a minimum of

three years. The development of acredit-transfer system as a means ofmaximising student mobility wasanother Bologna objective, as wasthe introduction of a ‘diploma sup-plement’ designed to increase theinternational comparability of quali-fications.

‘These credits could also be obtainedoutside the higher education context,inter alia through continuing educa-tion, subject to their recognition bythe host university concerned.’ Lastly,the signatories called for the removalof the obstacles which still impedethe effective application of the rightto free movement and equal treat-ment.

Confirmed in Prague

Meeting in Prague in May 2001, theeducation ministers confirmed theirdetermination to remove all obstaclesto mobility in Europe for students,teachers, researchers and educationaladministrators. The European highereducation area is now a work inprogress.

Grey matter in actionNicolas (25) is currently completing his doctoral thesis.

Last year, with the aid of a Marie Curie research fellowship, he spent five months in the United Kingdomcomparing different approaches to the regulation andmodelling of drinking-water treatment processes. TheUniversity of Compiègne in Nicolas’ native northernFrance, the University of Sunderland (UK) and the

Suez, Lyonnaise des Eaux and Northumbrian Watercompanies all participated in the project.

Between 1987 and 1999, more than amillion individuals benefited fromEuropean mobility programmesthrough the award of scholarshipsand the promotion of cooperationbetween thousands of schools, uni-versities, training centres, businessesand NGOs.

With effect from 1995, the Socratesprogramme has allowed 500 000young people to undertake a periodof study abroad in another Europeancountry. Leonardo da Vinci hasenabled some 130 000 trainees toimprove their employability abroad.The Youth for Europe programme hasmade it possible for 400 000 youngpeople to undertake short-termexchange visits. Another 5 200 par-ticipated in European voluntary ser-

vice. More than 3 200 workersreceived Marie Curie fellowshipsunder the fourth research frameworkprogramme. The fifth frameworkprogramme, which will be completedin 2002, will award the equivalent of8 600 one-year scholarships toresearch workers, several thousand ofwhom will work in one of the JointResearch Centre establishmentsdirectly administered by theEuropean Commission.

The European mobility programmes

The Socrates (education), Leonardo da Vinci (vocational training) andYouth (mainly young volunteers) programmes represent an EU response toa growing demand for mobility among young people, students, trainees,teachers and trainers. For their part, young research workers are eligiblefor Marie Curie fellowships. In most cases, grants are made through theintermediary of scientific foundations and companies.

That’s for real!

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A new impetus, a new objective

The beginning of the year 2000 sawthe start of a new phase in theSocrates and Leonardo da Vinci pro-grammes, whilst the Youth for Europeand European voluntary service pro-jects were combined to form the newYouth programme. The availability ofincreased funding will make it possi-ble to double the number of benefi-ciaries and extend their activities rel-ative to the preceding period.

These programmes will also have aqualitative impact. The developmentof interinstitutional cooperationmodels, the exchange of good prac-tice, the training of ‘mobility man-agers’, the attention paid to thereception of individuals participatingin mobility programmes and informa-

tion dissemination measures willmake these programmes a majorforce in the creation of a more mobil-ity-friendly environment.

Socrates: mobility in the education sector

• Comenius is the Socrates actionwhich focuses on the first phase ofeducation, from nursery school toprimary and secondary levels. Pupilshave two mobility options: a limitednumber can attend project meetingsabroad with their teachers and cer-tain classes (minimum age of 14) can participate in language-studyexchanges. Trainee teachers canreceive part of their initial trainingabroad. Established teachers andother educational workers can par-ticipate in exchange programmes,

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Mobility in 31 countries

A total of 31 countries are participating in the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth programmes.They are the 15 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), three countries from the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the 13 countries seeking accession to the EU, pursuant to specific procedures (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Sloveniaand Turkey as from 2001/2002).

Is this for me?

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study visits, practical training incompanies and further educationcourses.

• Erasmus enables higher educationstudents to study abroad for betweenthree and 12 months. Its success todate makes it a pioneering and flag-ship programme for European mobil-ity. Its guiding principle is the fullrecognition by the establishment oforigin of study experience gainedabroad, thanks mainly to a system ofacademic credit transfers. Erasmusgrants vary from one country toanother, being regarded as a contri-bution to the additional costsincurred in studying abroad. Erasmusalso supports teachers working inother European countries.

• Grundtvig promotes the mobilityof all categories of adult educationworkers.

• Lingua indirectly promotes mobil-ity by encouraging lifelong languagelearning.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/socrates.html

Leonardo da Vinci: mobility in vocational training

• Leonardo da Vinci is the actionprogramme for the implementationof a Community vocational trainingpolicy. One of its main aims is to sup-port transnational mobility projectsfor individuals — especially youngpeople — undertaking vocationaltraining and for trainers. Trainees areplaced in vocational training estab-lishments or undertakings abroad.They remain for periods of from threeweeks to nine months in the case ofinitial training, three to 12 months inthe case of students and two to 12

months in the case of youngworkers and recent graduates.Exchanges cover trainers,vocational guid-ance counsel-lors, educa-tional advisors,etc. These can lastfrom one to six weeks.Study visits are arrangedfor the benefit of vocation-al training experts.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/leonardo.html

The Youth programme

The Youth programme is intended toenable young people to acquireknowledge, skills and qualificationsas the basis of their future lives, topromote their spirit of initiative andenterprise and to stimulate their cre-ativity. It involves two main schemes.Youth for Europe supports transna-tional exchanges of young people,between the ages of 15 and 25, last-ing at least one week. The exchangeprojects must relate to a specifictopic, such as the fight againstracism, art, music, anti-addictionprogrammes or information tech-nologies. European voluntary service(EVS) is a project for young peoplebetween the ages of 18 and 25 whoare prepared to spend several monthsworking on a voluntary basis in a‘host organisation’ abroad. It coversthe fields of the environment, art,culture, work with children, young orold people, heritage, sport andleisure. EVS normally lasts from six to12 months.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/youth_fr.html

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Discover new personal-development andemploymentopportunities.


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Tempus: mobility in the East

• The Tempus programme isdesigned to promote cooperation inhigher education with the newlyindependent States, Mongolia andthe countries of central and easternEurope not involved in the Socratesprogramme. Individual mobilitygrants support visits by nationals ofthe participant countries to the EUMember States and vice versa,between participant countries and tothe central and eastern Europe coun-tries applying for EU membership.

http://www.etf.eu.int

Rest of the world

• The EU has also concluded a vari-ety of agreements with Canada,China, the USA, India and Japanaimed at increasing cooperation inthe fields of education and culture,particularly through exchangesinvolving young people and teachers.

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/progr.html

Mobility for research workers

• Individual Marie Curie fellowshipsare awarded for one to two years toassist the research training of youngpost-doctoral students in foreignresearch institutes. Some are express-ly reserved for recipients wishing toreturn to their original, less-favouredCommunity region. Others areawarded to experienced researchworkers with a view to improving thetransfer of know-how and technolo-gies between firms and universities.Grants for ‘in-company placements’help to fund the training of youngresearch workers in an industrial orcommercial environment. ‘Short-stay’ schemes also enable young doc-toral researchers to complete some oftheir studies abroad and to work withan internationally recognised groupin their specialist field.

http://www.cordis.lu

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• Obstacles to transnational train-ing for the unemployed: job-seekerslose their entitlement to unemploy-ment benefit and social security pay-ments if they undertake training inanother Member State for a period ofmore than three months. Moreover,on returning to certain countries,they face a new mandatory waitingperiod before the restoration of ben-efits. In certain Member States, anabsence of more than three monthsresults in the loss of these rights.

• Problems with regard to the sta-tus of trainees and young people: astudent may have difficulty in beingtaken on under a company trainingscheme in another Member State if he or she is classified as an em-ployee by that country’s legislation.

Obstacles to mobility

In 1996, the European Commission published aGreen Paper identifying the obstacles to mobilityfacing students, persons in training, teachers,research workers and young volunteers. Despiteundoubted progress, these obstacles remain.

Starting at six?Roberto Ruffino of the Italian ‘Intercultura’ associationbelieves that, whilst there are certainly financial andadministrative problems associated with mobility, the

main obstacle is psychological. ‘Research has shown thatmost Italian students still regard a year spent abroad as

little more than a holiday! Some do see it as an opportuni-ty to improve their knowledge of a foreign language or

particular subject, but only 11 % regard it as a means ofwidening their horizons. To change these attitudes, I wouldlike opportunities for mobility to start at six years of age!’

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Mobility? O.K.,but it’s still toocomplicated.


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• Young graduates gaining unpaidexperience in another Member Stateare not covered by the coordinationof EU social security schemes, insofaras they are neither workers nor mem-bers of a worker’s family. This lack ofprecise legal status denies them anysocial security rights. Right of resi-dence can also be affected in caseswhere transnational training lasts formore than three months.

• Volunteers face a similar situa-tion: some countries even tax theiraccommodation and subsistenceallowances.

• The territorial nature of studentgrants: in most Member States, stu-dents lose their grants or state aid ifthey continue their studies in anoth-er EU country.

• Taxation of research grants: sincehost countries usually treat recipi-ents of Community grants as work-ers, they are obliged to pay incometax and social security contributions.

• Recognition of academic andprofessional qualifications: some-one wanting to study or undertaketraining in another Member Stateoutside the framework ofCommunity programmes faces theproblem of the lack of reciprocalrecognition of qualifications, train-ing schemes and study periods.

Better informationClaude Vitre, a Director of the ‘Inter-Échange’ vocational training association, believes that:

‘It is extremely important to ensure that information permeates to the level of small towns,

technical schools and local authorities.‘It is not too difficult for a country like France, with ahighly developed network of training associations, toopen its doors to foreigners in the context of mobility

schemes. On the other hand, exchanges are restricted by a lack of adequate information

concerning basic opportunities.’

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Other practical obstacles

The difficulty of opening a bankaccount whilst officially non-resident in a foreign country, or thefrequent denial to persons onmobility schemes of the samepublic-transport reductions or thesame access to sporting andcultural facilities enjoyed bynationals, are all disadvantageswhich, taken together, creategenuine obstacles to mobility.

Another set of problems arises fromthe fact that mobility largely dependson the availability of competentadministrators, i.e. university teach-ers, training directors, instructors andthe like. The training and supportreceived by these ‘mobility managers’vary enormously from one region toanother, and even between institu-tions. The attention paid to theirtraining and the pooling of theirexperiences will be of fundamentalimportance for the development ofmobility in the coming years.

My profession: mobility managerAccording to Christina Pedicchio, of the University of Trieste:‘Those responsible for exchange schemes in universities,training centres or local authorities and agencies need tospeak several languages, have a knowledge of Europeaneducational systems and be fully conversant with the legislation covering the different categories of persons eligible for mobility schemes and the details of the relevantCommunity programmes. This is a difficult task, deservinggenuine recognition. A good mobility manager can make areal difference and solve many of the problems encounteredin implementing the programmes.’

Teachers first!‘If young people are not moremobile, it may be becausethose responsible for theireducation are themselves stillnot totally convinced of theadvantages of mobility’,suggests Bengt Nilsson, of theEuropean Association forInternational Education.‘Teaching abroad for severalmonths undoubtedly entailsadditional work and very littlerecognition. A teacher’s careermay even be blocked when itshould really be advanced bysuch a commitment.’


What if you decide to stay?

Whilst newspaper vacancy noticeswill help you to find employment inmost cases, in some regions it isadvisable to look for work via the

Internet or through a net-work of acquain-

tances. In oth-

ers, the only option is to contact anemployment agency.

You should then make sure that yourcurriculum vitae satisfies currentrequirements in the host country,since each has its own definition of a‘good CV’.

If you are lucky enough to be offereda job, do not rely exclusively on yourformer experience. Ask your employ-er to point out those features of thecontract which are most likely to dif-fer from what you are familiar with:remuneration and your preciseresponsibilities, leave entitlementand working hours.

The design of a model for aEuropean CV is, moreover, oneof the practical initiativesbeing explored with theMember States by theEuropean Commission.

Supposing, having experienced the joys of a foreign adventure, you decideto settle in the host country for several years? In theory, this is possible,since the EU guarantees the right to seek employment anywhere withinthe Community. In practice, this means entering an employment marketand these vary significantly from one country to another.

It’s not easy when you’re posted abroad‘Some 15 to 25 % of staff posted abroad return to theirhome country early’, according to Alain Verstandig, thefounder of the NetExpat company. ‘In nearly 60 % ofcases, these failures are due to problems encountered by theexpatriate’s family, who fail to find their bearings in the hostcountry.’

This specialist in human resources believes that: ‘Any proposedemployment-related move must take account of the needs of allthe family. Nobody — children, partner — must be “sacrificed”.Whilst preparation by all is indispensable, especially in the newlanguage, things would be easier if the administrativeprocedures affecting the whole family could be simplified.Reliable information on conditions in the host country, thespecial features of its educational system or its employmentmarket would also be very useful.’

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The first aim must be to eliminatethe main obstacles still facingstudents, persons in training,young volunteers, teachers andtrainers, despite what the EU hasalready achieved in this field.

Political commitment: the recommendation

The recommendation of the EuropeanParliament and the Council ofMinisters contains a number of mea-sures designed to eliminate obstaclesto mobility. Since it is intended toencourage every Member State tomake greater efforts in its ownsphere, a recommendation representsthe most appropriate means of elimi-nating the obstacles to mobility asso-ciated with such different factors asthe recognition of diplomas andqualifications, right of residence,social security or taxation.

It applies to all individuals wishing toundertake study, training or volun-tary work or to teach or train othersin another Member State.

Action to promote mobility

Mobility is everyone’s

business.

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In practice, it is for the MemberStates to ensure that mobility isnever impeded or penalised. Thismeans that they must take the nec-essary steps to ensure the trans-parency of qualifications so as tomaximise the benefits of experiencegained abroad, particularly in acade-mic and professional circles in thecountry of origin.

The Member States should thereforeallow the beneficiaries of mobilityschemes to enjoy the same advan-tages as host-country nationalsengaged in the same activities, suchas student travel reductions, accom-modation and subsistenceallowances and access to librariesand museums.

More specifically, the Member Statesare called upon to ensure that peri-ods of study abroad receive academ-ic recognition. To this end, use of theEuropean credit transfer system(ECTS) will be encouraged and grad-ually extended to all areas of educa-tion. Member States should also doeverything possible to facilitate theintegration (guidance, educationalpsychology services, etc.) of visitingstudents into the educational systemof the host country and their reinte-gration into the national educationalsystem.

Each country is also encouraged totake measures to ensure that peopleundertaking training abroad are notdiscriminated against as regardshealth and welfare systems.

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Further proposals more particularlyconcern young people going abroadon the European Voluntary Servicescheme, for example, to ensure thatthey continue to receive familyallowances.

The recommendation also proposesthat Member States should take intoaccount the particular problems thatteachers and trainers may have withtax and social security.

And trainees?Many young people would like to study

abroad immediately after completing theirsecondary education as a means of gainingvaluable experience with regard to careeroptions. However, since the type of coursestargeted do not generally come under theheading of vocational training, participantscannot be granted trainee status. Their legalstatus remains ill-defined in several

European countries, and this also acts asan obstacle to mobility.

ECTS, what’s that?

The European credit transfer system is an accreditationsystem for periods of university study completed in another European country. Launched within the frameworkof Erasmus (the higher education part of the Socrates pro-gramme), ECTS guarantees the reciprocal recognition ofqualifications awarded by its signatory institutions. It hasbeen adopted by more than 1 200 establishment in 30countries. One ECTS credit corresponds to a unit of valueassigned to a course on the basis of the work involved.Accumulating 60 ECTS credits is equivalent to one year’sacademic study.

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Another sugges-tion relates to‘European trainingperiods’ which wouldmake it easier for teachersand trainers to experience mobility.

Broadly speaking, these are designedto compensate those opting forEuropean mobility, essentiallythrough recognition of what shouldbe regarded as a valuable careerexperience.

The ‘toolbox’: the mobility action plan

By way of an operational back-up tothe recommendation on mobility, theMember States have called for theimplementation of an ambitious'mobility action plan'.

At the Nice European Council inDecember 2000, EU leaders con-firmed that developing mobility forall learners and instructors in Europe

constitutes a major policy objective.Welcoming the action plan, theyemphasised the following measures:

• improving language skills;• setting up an Internet portal pro-viding access to the various Europeansources of information on mobility;• the recognition of periods spentlearning abroad in diploma courses;• training the teaching and adminis-trative staff involved to deal profes-sionally with mobility, guidance,counselling and drawing up mobilityprojects;• drawing up and adopting a qualitycharter for the reception of foreignstudents and trainees;• establishing an inventory ofmobility schemes and examples ofgood practice for exchanges of stu-dents, trainees and instructors;• setting out the various forms offinancial support available for mobil-ity from the EU institutions, nationalgovernments, local authorities, otherpublic sector sources and the privatesector.


‘Spontaneous’ mobilityWhether they have participated in the Socrates, Youth or Leonardo da Vinci programmes or havebeen totally unaware of the available EU opportunities, every year sees thousands of people whowould like to study, teach, undertake training or work in another European country. TobiasFlessenkemper of the Youth Forum believes that this ‘spontaneous’ mobility should also be supported. ‘Many Europeans already live in cities like London, Paris or Munich. They are eitherunaware of the relevant Community programmes or fail to satisfy the eligibility criteria. On theother hand, these young people want to be informed of their rights and know the cost of suchservices as dental treatment. This means that they, too, have a definite need for information.’

Europass trainingSince 1 January 2000 the Europass training document hasbeen issued to individuals who complete a European work-linked training scheme (‘pathway’) in both their home country and abroad. This Community document provides arecord of training periods completed in another MemberState. It contains basic information on the holder, his orher current vocational training and training periodsspent abroad.

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The 42 measures mentioned in theaction plan have three main objec-tives:• to define and broaden opportuni-ties for mobility in Europe;• to promote adequate forms offinancial backing;• to increase mobility and improvethe conditions for it.

The proposed measures are notmandatory. Under any circumstances,it would be difficult to agree on a setof relevant proposals for the entireEuropean Union. The situation, andconsequently appropriate responses,vary from one country to another.The plan should rather be regarded asa toolbox offering a wide range ofopportunities.

The great variation in university andeducational timetables sometimesgets in the way of synchronisingmobility periods. The development ofa European academic timetablewould be a valuable means of identi-fying periods of convergence in bothacademic and vocational trainingmodules.

The absence of harmonised regula-tions is one of the greatest obstaclesto mobility. The introduction of a‘European youth mobility ticket’would allow young people to gainvaluable experience anywhere inEurope whilst retaining the advan-tages provided by their country oforigin.

Teachers would also be able to under-take all, or part, of their training inanother Member State. In addition,the Member States are called upon tocreate associate European teacherposts or posts with a European orien-tation.

A working group of Member Staterepresentatives, chaired by theEuropean Commission, will supervisethe implementation of these variousmeasures and draw up a progressreport every two years.

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Equality for all!According to ManjaKlemencic of theEuropean StudentsAssociation, ‘One ofthe main concernsexpressed by students is that,regardless ofparticipation in EUprogrammes, youngpeople living inanother MemberState should enjoythe same access tohealth care, culture,transport servicesand the like asyoung nationals.’

Virtual mobility — a complement tophysical mobility

‘Current means of communication, such as the Internet, allowcontact with people who live in other countries, speak foreignlanguages and are the product of different cultures’ says Piet

Henderikx, Director of the International Relations Office in theCatholic University of Louvain. ‘If skilfully used, these

resources provide excellent learning tools. Adults undergoingtraining should be offered the opportunity of shorter visits

abroad as well as being allowed to work from home or fromeasily accessible resource centres.’

http://www..........Dialogue with citizensThis site provides a variety of information forworkers or students wishing to visit anotherMember State.http://citizens.eu.inthttp://europa.eu.int/scadplus/citizens/en/inter.htm

Education and Culture DGThe site of the Commission’s Directorate-Generalfor Education and Culture contains information onthe Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth pro-grammes as well as on the recognition of academ-ic and professional qualifications.http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/index_en.htm

EurodeskThis offers information on education, training,youth policy and the participation of young peo-ple in European-wide activities.http://www.eurodesk.org

EURESThe EURES (European employment services) net-work provides considerable information on findingwork abroad, living and working conditions in17 European Economic Area countries, and situa-tions vacant.More than 500 ‘Eurocounsellors’, representingpublic employment agencies, trade unions andemployers’ organisations provide information,advice and guidance for those seeking work orstaff in other parts of Europe. TheseEurocounsellors also attempt to identify and elim-inate obstacles to mobility.This network is coordinated by the EuropeanCommission’s Directorate-General for Employmentand Social Affairs.http://europa.eu.int/jobs/eures

Euroguidance and Estia provide informationdesigned to promote trainee mobility; this coverssuch aspects as training schemes, legal formalities,living conditions, and the recognition of qualifica-tions.www.euroguidance.org.ukwww.estia.educ.goteborg.se

Europe DirectThis service is designed to help answer questionson the European Union. It is possible to consult the‘customised’ website for practical information onsuch matters as travel, employment and studyopportunities. A free-call number is also available.In addition, Europe Direct legal experts can adviseindividuals facing problems with regard to theexercise of their rights.http://www.europa.eu.int/europedirect/

Moving in EuropeThis site was set up on behalf of young volunteersfrom all the EU Member States and the countriesof central and eastern Europe. It provides informa-tion on legal and administrative aspects of mobil-ity, with particular reference to the right of resi-dence, taxation and social security systems.http://www.sosforevs.org

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Information on the Internet

European Commission


Europe on the move series

Luxembourg: Office for Offical Publications of the European Communities

2001 — 26 pp. — 16.2 x 22.9 cm

ISBN 92-894-0101-X

The mobility of young people, students, teachers, trainers and researchworkers is an EU priority. Individual mobility is becoming increasinglyimportant in the era of the Internet and economic globalisation. At present,only about a hundred thousand young people a year participate in Europeaneducational, training and language-learning exchanges. The continuingexistence of socioeconomic, linguistic and practical obstacles prevents manyproposed academic and professional visits. This brochure provides a generalsurvey of the situation and describes the approaches currently beingexplored by the European Union and the Member States with a view tomaximising opportunities for mobility.

This booklet is published in all the official EU languages of the European Union: Danish,Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish

European CommissionDirectorate-General for Education and Culture, Communication UnitDirectorate-General Press and Communication, ‘Publications’Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi 200B-1049 Brussels

Manuscript completed in May 2001

Cover: Fotostock

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2001

ISBN 92-894-0101-X

© European Communities, 2001Reproduction is authorised.

Printed in Belgium

PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER

EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPRESENTATIONS

Representation in Ireland18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2Tel. (353-1) 662 51 13Fax (353-1) 634 11 12Internet: www.euireland.ieE-mail: [email protected]

Representation in the United KingdomJean Monnet House, 8 Storey’s GateLondon SW1P 3ATTel. (44-20) 79 73 19 92Fax (44-20) 79 73 19 00/10Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Representation in Wales4 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF1 9SGTel. (44-29) 20 37 16 31Fax (44-29) 20 39 54 89Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Representation in Scotland9 Alva Street, Edinburgh EH2 4PHTel. (44-131) 225 20 58Fax (44-131) 226 41 05Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Representation in Northern IrelandWindsor House, 9/15 Bedford StreetBelfast BT2 7EGTel. (44-28) 90 24 07 08Fax (44-28) 90 24 82 41Internet: www.cec.org.uk

Information services in the USA2300 M Street NW, 3rd FloorWashington DC 20037Tel. (1-202) 862 95 00Fax (1-202) 429 17 66

305 East 47th Street3 Dag Hammarskjöld PlazaNew YorkNY 10017Tel. (1-212) 371 38 04Fax (1-212) 688 10 13Internet: www.eurunion.org

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT OFFICES

Office in IrelandEuropean Union House43 Molesworth StreetDublin 2Tel. (353-1) 605 79 00Fax (353-1) 605 79 99Internet: www.europarl.eu.intE-mail: [email protected]

United Kingdom Office2 Queen Anne’s GateLondon SW1H 9AATel. (44-20) 72 27 43 00Fax (44-20) 72 27 43 02Internet: www.europarl.eu.int/ukE-mail: [email protected]

Office in Scotland9 Alva StreetEdinburgh EH2 4PHTel. (44-131) 225 20 58Fax (44-131) 226 41 05Internet: www.europarl.eu.int/ukE-mail: [email protected]

European Commission and Parliament repre-sentations and offices exist in all the countriesof the European Union. The EuropeanCommission also has delegations in other partsof the world.

Other information on the European UnionInformation in all the official languages of the European Union is available on the Internet.It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).

EUROPE DIRECT is a freephone service to help you find answers to your questions about theEuropean Union and to provide information about your rights and opportunities as an EUcitizen: 0800 58 15 91 (United Kingdom) — 1800 55 31 88 (Ireland)

Information and publications in English on the European Union can be obtained from:

European Commission

Europe on the move

The mobility of young people, students,teachers, trainers and research workersis an EU priority. Individual mobility isbecoming increasingly important in theera of the Internet and economic globalisation. At present, only about ahundred thousand young people a yearparticipate in European educational,training and language-learningexchanges. The continuing existence of

socioeconomic, linguistic and practical obstacles prevents many proposedacademic and professional visits. This brochure provides a general surveyof the situation and describes the approaches currently being explored bythe European Union and the Member States with a view to maximisingopportunities for mobility.

OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONSOF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIESL-2985 Luxembourg

EN

NA-31-00-691-EN

-C16 4


ISBN 92-894-0101-X

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