European Commission launches new dialogue on higher education with Southern Mediterranean neighbours

On 2-3 July, in Brussels, Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, has hosted an event with senior officials and experts from Southern Mediterranean countries to assess the challenges they face in higher education and to see how the EU can strengthen its cooperation and support for them in the future.

In response to the events of the Arab Spring, the European Commission has significantly increased funding for the Southern Mediterranean through its international higher education programmes, Tempus and Erasmus Mundus. Tempus, which supports the modernisation of higher education, has received an additional €12.5 million in 2012 and 2013, taking total spending to €29 million a year. Erasmus Mundus, which promotes European higher education and intercultural cooperation through cooperation with non-EU countries, will allocate €80 million in Southern and Eastern neighbouring countries in 2012-2013, more than double the amount initially foreseen.

The objectives of the dialogue with Southern Mediterranean countries on higher education policies and programmes are to:

• support partners in their modernisation and reform of higher education systems and promote their voluntary convergence towards Bologna Process and the European Research and Higher Education Area;
• significantly improve the knowledge and use of EU-supported programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Jean Monnet, Marie Curie) to support the reform of higher education systems;
• inform partner countries about increased future opportunities under 'Erasmus for All', the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport (2014-2020);
• support intra-regional cooperation and mobility.

The new policy dialogue covers Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and the occupied Palestinian territories. Syria may be invited to join it at a future date.

More information

• Press release and background information
• Commissioner Vassiliou speech