Brussels, 27/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has adopted a draft agreement with Cyprus in view of the latter's participation in the second phase of the Socrates (education), Leonardo da Vinci (vocational training) and the new Youth programmes for 2001-2006. The draft agreement negotiated with Cyprus and now proposed to the Council will allow for cooperation, already introduced between the parties in the first phase, to continue. Cyprus will pay an annual contribution to the programmes' budgets, using in part Community pre-accession funding.
As a reminder, the opening up of Community programmes to countries candidates for accession is one of the main elements of the pre-accession strategy; these programmes allow for increased participation of the countries in question (see, notably, EUROPE of 7 May 1999 for Leonardo da Vinci, 23 december 1999 for Socrates and 20 July 2000 for Youth). The Commission expects that, at the beginning of 2001, the three programmes will include some thirty participating countries. From 1997 to 1999, Cyprus had already participated in the first generation of programmes, in the framework of its preparations for membership, which had enabled the Cypriot institutions and establishments to: integrate the Community networks; encourage the mobility of young people, teachers, educators and students; encouraged exchange of experiences and good practice.