Brussels, 02/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou will meet ministers and official representatives of the Southern Mediterranean countries as part of a new dialogue on higher education policies following the 2011 Arab Spring. The new policy dialogue is with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The partners will discuss the challenges the region faces in higher education and the cooperation that can be built up between the two shores of the Mediterranean. “The European Union is ready to lend its support to political, economic and social development. We have therefore moved to anchor our new partnerships in joint commitments to the values we all cherish: democracy, human rights, good governance, rule of law and social justice. Education is central to our efforts”, said Vassiliou.
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, will receive an additional €12.5 million in 2012 and 2013, taking total spending to €29 million per 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 provided for. (IL/transl.rt)