Brussels, 16/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - In the framework of the university co-operation programme Tempus III (2000-2006), and in agreement with a proposal by Viviane Reding (Education) along with Chris Patten (External Relations), the European Commission has just approved new European projects and requests for scholarships for the countries of the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the total of which amounts to 30 million euro.
For the Western Balkans, 46 projects and 48 mobility scholarships for teachers and students have been selected. The credits necessary for their financing amount to 14.1 million euro, and the European Training Foundation of Turin is supplying the technical assistance for the running of this programme. For the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, credits to finance 43 projects and 73 mobility scholarships amount to 15.3 million euro. (The details of the projects selected are available from Christophe Forax, Ms. Reding's spokesman, in Brussels. Tel.: 02 295 69 64).
Tempus consists in joint actions between the universities of Member States and third countries which thus develop lasting co-operation, as well as granting mobility scholarships for teachers and students (see EUROPE 2/08/2000, p. 7, 19/07/2001, p. 17 and 6/02/2002, p. 11).