Activities of Krystyna ŁYBACKA related to 2015/2327(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of Erasmus + (debate) PL
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 establishing ‘Erasmus+’: the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC PDF (537 KB) DOC (110 KB)
Amendments (57)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Erasmus+ KA1 main target is the removal of barriers to mobility e.g. financial obstacles, recognition of international work/study outcomes for all targeted sectors;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that the overall programme is more visible than its predecessor but that the different sectoral programmes lack visibility; recalls in this context that the specific features and characteristics of the different sectors have to be taken into account during the implementation of the programme and that sector-specific formats, such as the youth initiative, must give more importance back to structured dialogue and the Grundtvig workshops; Notes that the European Voluntary Service is an intensive learning and experience format for young people and requires a high- quality framework; emphasises that access to the Erasmus+ programme should remain reserved for civil society players;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognises that, according to reports from stakeholders at all levels, the first two and half years of programme implementation were difficult and challenging but improvements have been made in the meantime; Although the simplifications introduced through the one size fits all approach for applications have in many cases had an adverse effect and the programme guide is confusing rather than informative;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that the goal of simpler, more user-friendly and more flexible implementation has not yet been reached; underlines in this context the continuing lack of clarity and uneven level of detail in the programme guideand general user-friendliness in the programme guide, and the overly complicated application forms which are published in different versions for each application deadline (particularly the youth sector);
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that despite the programme’s significant overall budget increase, the budgetary profile in the MFF indicatesonly a limited increase for the first half of the programme period has been provided for in the MFF, which has led to the rejection of many high quality projects and hence a low success rate and high dissatisfaction among applicants;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the 12.7% increase in the total budget in 2017 compared to 2016 and further annual increases in the remaining programme years will result in higher success rates and greater satisfaction among applicants; welcomes the Commission’s intention to allocate an additional EUR 200 million for the remaining programme period; encourages the European Commission to analyse the programme key actions and sectors that are underfunded, such as KA1 Youth Workers Mobility, KA2, school education, adult education, youth, and those that could benefit the most from the budgetary increase;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the 12.7 % increase in the total budget in 2017 compared to 2016 and further annual increases in the remaining programme years will result in higher success rates and greater satisfaction among applicants; welcomes the Commission’s intention to allocate an additional EUR 200 million for the remaining programme period; - points out that the budget is to be used exclusively as part of the programme provisions;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Emphasises the added value of Erasmus+ VET actions in supporting the integration or re-integration of disadvantaged groups into educational/vocational training opportunities in order to enhance their transition to the labour market;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Points out the continued social selectivity in enrolment to mobility in some Member States; indicates the high percentage of students in mobility programmes supported by third parties (family, parents, partners); notes that many working students resign from their participation in the mobility programme due to the potential loss in income; encourages the European Commission to further increase financial aid for those who are unable to participate due to financial constraints, and looks for further possibilities to facilitate their mobility in order to make the Erasmus+ truly accessible to all;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10a (new)
Paragraph 10a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to guarantee Europe-wide mobility even in times of crisis and to provide options which make it possible for countries participating in the European Higher Education Area to access the Erasmus+ programme.
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers the long-standing brand names (Comenius, Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig and Youth in Action) and the corresponding logos as important tools in promoting the variety of the programme; calls on all stakeholders to continue to use them in order to maintain and strengthen the identity of the sectoral programmes, to ensure better recognition and to overcome any confusion among beneficiaries;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers the long-standing brand names (Comenius, Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig and Youth in Action) as important tools in promoting the variety of the programme; calls on all stakeholders to continue to use them, especially in publications and brochures, in order to maintain and strengthen the identity of the sectoral programmes, to ensure better recognition and to overcome any confusion among beneficiaries;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11a (new)
Paragraph 11a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to structure the Erasmus+ guide with the aid of the long-standing brand names and use those labels rigorously in the guide.
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Encourages the Commission to continue its efforts towards an open, consultative and transparent way of working and to further improve its cooperation with partners at all levels of implementation; stresses, to this end, the need to involve stakeholders and beneficiaries in the Programme Committee meetings; highlights that, in line with Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013, this could be facilitated by the establishment of standing sub-committees involving representatives of stakeholders and beneficiaries, sectorial National Agencies, Members of the European Parliament and representatives from the Member States;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to ensure the regular exchange of information and good cooperation between the implementation bodies and civil society organisations at European level and national agencies on both decentralised and centralised programme actions; calls on the NA to provide all the necessary information on their homepages in the same format and with the same content;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13a (new)
Paragraph 13a (new)
13a. Calls on the Commission to review the payment modalities to national agencies, the deadlines for applications and the appropriation periods and to adjust them accordingly; points out that greater flexibility in mobility grants and administrative costs in favour of longer stays abroad should be made possible for the national agencies;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the European Commission to develop, in collaboration with National Agencies, European implementation guidelines for the National Agencies of the Erasmus+ programme. The aim of this is to increase the transparency of the application and evaluation procedures and ensure that extensive quality feedback is given to all applicants;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Encourages further fostering of cooperation between the NAs and EACEA in order to promote centralised actions of the Erasmus+ programme, provide additional information about them to potential applicants and exchange feedback on improving their implementation process;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Encourages the facilitating of contacts among European Commission, NAs, programme beneficiaries, representatives of civil society organisations and EACEA by developing a communication platform for exchanging information and good practices where all related stakeholders can receive quality information, as well as share their experiences and suggestions for further programme improvements;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13b (new)
Paragraph 13b (new)
13b. Is concerned over the decreasing number of pool projects under Leonardo and calls for the national agencies to have more decision-making scope on the amount of administrative expenditure subsidies, so that they can take national particularities such as the dual system into account more effectively;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the European Commission to ensure the consistent application of programme rules and regulations across the National Agencies, observing common quality standards, project evaluation, and administrative procedures, thus guaranteeing the uniform and coherent implementation of Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Underlines the necessity of pursuing improvements in the programme, making it more user-friendly, taking into consideration the importance of differentiating among various sectors and groups of beneficiaries; encourages the European Commission to transform the programme guide and make it more user-orientated and sector-specific;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Encourages the European Commission to work on improving programme attractiveness by simplifying administrative procedures and requirements, especially for schools and smaller-scale organisations, VET school, adult education, the youth sector and newcomers who often find the programme challenging to participate in;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Welcomes the actions of the European Commission to simplify application procedures, project management, accounting and reporting; encourages further reduction of administrative burdens by streamlining forms, making them promptly available in all official languages, and providing clear indication regarding documents needed at each stage;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls for further improvement of the relevant IT tools and for the focus to be put on streamlining, user-friendliness and improving connections between the different tools rather than developing new ones;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16a (new)
Paragraph 16a (new)
16a. Calls on the Commission to publish the Erasmus+ guide at the same time as the application forms to make it more accessible and make the deadline easier to meet;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the introduction of the unit costconsolidation system into the programme in order to minimise the administrative burden; welcomes also the adjustments made in 2016 and planned for 2017 by the Commission; considers the further increase in unit costconsolidation rates to be necessary to provide sufficient financial support for project participants and calls for guarantees that participants and organisations from remote regions and border areas will not be disadvantaged by the consolidation being introduced;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Commission to allocate more funds to sport with a focus on grassroots sport and education to enhance its visibility, to promote physical activity and to make sport more accessible to all citizen in EU;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Welcomes the European Commission´s proposition to set up a European Solidarity Corps; encourages the Commission to involve volunteer organizations in developing this new initiative in order to ensure its added and complementary value in strengthening volunteering in the European Union;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Notes the importance of strengthening the local dimension of the EVS; suggests providing the EVS volunteers with stronger support not only before departure, but also upon their return to their local communities in the forms of post-orientated and post- integrated trainings in order to help them to share their European expertise by promoting volunteering at the local level;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes grant discrepancies between countries and method of its allocations; encourages the European Commission to investigate the outcomes of such differences in an effort to minimise socio- economic disparities in the European Union;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Underlines that grants to support the mobility of individuals within the Erasmus+ programme should be exempted from taxation and social levies;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Encourages the further increase of grant rates as well as their adjustment to the cost of living in the country of mobility in order to encourage the participation of socio-economically disadvantaged students, students and staff with special needs, and students and staff from distant regions;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
Paragraph 20 d (new)
20d. Suggests more flexibility in moving funds between KAs, and entrusts NAs in this process due to their familiarity with the potential funding gaps in their countries, thus allowing them to narrow these gaps;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21a (new)
Paragraph 21a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission to significantly simplify the application process from the application to the submission of supporting documents; while application forms are simplified, they will be published at the same time as the programme guide (at least 8 weeks before the application deadline in all the official languages), and offers of support and the programme guide will be made more user friendly as all the relevant information for each programme area will be summarised in one chapter; takes the view that the evaluation of applications should be subject to a coordinated and stringent review by a central authority with the support of independent experts;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Notes more demanding implementation work for NAs under the current programme; calls on the European Commission to provide NAs with sufficient resources and necessary assistance, thus enabling more efficient programme implementation and allowing NAs to tackle new challenges resulting from the budget increase;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls on the European Commission to monitor the quality criteria used by the National Agencies in project evaluations and exchange best practises in this regard; encourages trainings for evaluators in order to continue their development, especially in cross-sector projects, and to allow them to provide quality feedback to all applicants in order to encourage the accomplishment of goals in future projects and to improve the performance of future applicants;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Calls on the National Agencies to provide full transparency while evaluating projects by publishing the list of selected projects together with their ongoing progress and designated financial support;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)
Paragraph 21 d (new)
21d. Stresses that although progress has been made in recognising study periods, credits, competences and skills through non-formal and informal learning gained abroad, these challenges remain; underlines that recognition of international qualifications is essential to mobility and forms the foundation for further cooperation in the European Higher Education Area; highlights the importance of making full use of all EU tools for the validation of knowledge, skills and competences essential to the recognition of qualifications;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 e (new)
Paragraph 21 e (new)
21e. Encourages in Key Action 1 to continue the best function practises from Comenius such as fostering school class exchanges, and the possibility for school staff members to apply individually for mobility grants under Key Action 1;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 f (new)
Paragraph 21 f (new)
21f. Notes that despite the high quality of projects in KA2, many of them have been refused due to limited funding; encourages the European Commission to mark these projects in order to help them attract investments from other sources; encourages Member States to acknowledge “the marked projects” by giving them priority in accessing public funds for their realisation, if such funds are accessible;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 g (new)
Paragraph 21 g (new)
21g. Calls on the European Commission to continue efforts to resolve the funding challenge for European organisations based in Brussels in order to further their contribution to the development of European policies in the fields of education, training, youth and sport;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 h (new)
Paragraph 21 h (new)
21h. Notes the NAs' challenges in implementing the International Credit Mobility (ICM); calls for greater flexibility for NAs to allocate resources from some countries and regions for the purpose of meeting the cooperation priorities of the HEIs;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 i (new)
Paragraph 21 i (new)
21i. Encourages Member States to incorporate educational mobility as a part of higher or vocational education programmes in order to foster knowledge about learning, training, and youth work, improve the quality of higher education and the VET system, help individuals with upgrading their professional skills, competences and career development;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 j (new)
Paragraph 21 j (new)
21j. Encourages Member States, in order to foster the mobility of teachers, lecturers and non-academic staff, to acknowledge their participation in mobility programmes as an important part of their career progression, and if possible introduce a reward system linked to participation in mobility programmes; for example, in the form of financial benefits or reduction of workload;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 k (new)
Paragraph 21 k (new)
21k. Notes the decreasing number of individual mobility participants due to preferential treatment by European HEIs of an institutionalised mobility system; encourages the European Commission and national authorities to renew opportunities for individual candidates to participate in mobility;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 l (new)
Paragraph 21 l (new)
21l. Encourages the European Commission to bolster the VET system by promoting VET mobility programmes among its new organisations and smaller institutions, in addition to providing them with assistance in applying for appropriate funding by offering further guidance, on-line trainings, and personalised support in preparing high quality applications for funding through contact with national agencies for the Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 m (new)
Paragraph 21 m (new)
21m. Urges the Commission to identify current unequal participation of VET institutions in the EU mobility programmes in countries and regions in order to diminish these differences through improved collaboration and exchange of information among national agencies for Erasmus+, supporting teamwork among VET institutions by connecting experienced VET institutions with other institutions, offering policy support measures and specific suggestions to VET institutions, and improving VET institution support systems already in place;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 n (new)
Paragraph 21 n (new)
21n. Encourages the promotion of the European educational system around the world, as well as the advancement of individual knowledge worldwide by enhancing all relevant stakeholders (Member States, the HEIs, associations of higher education) to make the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees more attractive for HEIs and potential applicants;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 o (new)
Paragraph 21 o (new)
21o. Welcomes the particular involvement of the Erasmus+ programme in cooperation and activities in grassroots sport; encourages the European Commission to improve the accessibility and participation in the programme of grassroots actors such as sports clubs; invites the Commission to enhance a cross-sectoral approach on grassroots sport across all relevant actions of Erasmus+ and to coordinate actions in this field in order to ensure their effectiveness and desired impact;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 p (new)
Paragraph 21 p (new)
21p. Suggests greater involvement of NAs in education, training, youth and sport policy development by strengthening the links among the European Commission, Member States and National Agencies;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the European Commission to involve all relevant stakeholders in the work on next funding programming period, and in the introduction of possible improvements in order to ensure the programme's further success and added value;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls not only for the current budget level to be secured for the next programme generation under the new MFF, but considers a further budget increase to be an important step for the continued success of the programme with specific commitment to secure sufficient funding for both student and youth mobility in the form of increased grants, paying specific attention to increasing the mobility of underrepresented groups;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls not only for the current budget level to be secured for the next programme generation under the new MFF, but considers a further budget increase with regard to the total budget to be an important step for the continued success of the programme and only by doing so can the demand in the university sector, which is actually much higher, and particularly also in the adult education and youth sectors be covered;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to keep the separate chapters and separate budgets for education and training, for youth and for sport, bearing in mind their specific characters; points out, however, that a different weighting of the programme areas should be carried out and the necessary minimum budget per programme area relative to the actual demand and stated priorities in the EU 2020 Strategy must be adapted and increased;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Indicates that disadvantaged groups are only specifically targeted in the youth sector; suggests the extension of the Inclusion and Diversity Strategy to all programme sectors in order to promote social inclusion and the participation of people with special needs or with fewer opportunities in the Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Advocates allowing mobile students to combine studies abroad with a study-related placement within the programme, thereby providing additional financial assistance abroad, decreasing social selectivity, increasing the number of mobile students, upgrading students´ skills and enhancing the connections between higher education and the work environment;