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EUROPEAN REVIEW

ISSUE 16 - Page 11

We have another stab at explaining things European in

Plain English

• 1. social partnership
• 2. Objectives
• 3. Ombudsman
• 4. Single Currency
• 5. Commission
• 6. Agenda 2000
• 7. Council of Ministers
• 8. EUROSTAT
• 9. European Parliament
• 10. Euro-words
• 11. OSCE
• 12. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• 13. Court of Auditors
• 14. S.M.E.s

15. Leonardo and Socrates

What do a Renaissance Italian artist and an ancient Greek philosopher have to do with the EU ?

For its education and training programmes the European Commission decided to have catchier names than the usual alphabet soup.

So, if you can't work it out from the names, tell me what the programmes do.

There are actually 3 budgets (the third one is called Youth) that the EU allocates to promoting lifelong learning, based on formal and informal education and training, as well as youth policy.

What is the difference between the schemes ?

Socrates is mainly concerned with full time education while Leonardo deals with people in work who need extra training or foreign experience.

So it helps students and workers to go abroad ?

Yes, they can benefit from both exchanges and placements, Leonardo will send about 250,000 Europeans abroad, but Socrates also promotes learning of foreign languages and international co-operation between schools and universities.

And the bottom line, how much cash do the programmes have ?

The current phase of Leonardo will last until 2006 and has a budget of €69.5 million while Socrates will spend €1,850 million by the same year.

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