25 Amendments of Theodoros ZAGORAKIS related to 2021/2009(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
— having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 25 March 2021 on shaping digital education policy;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
— having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 15 September 2020 on effective measures to "green" Erasmus+, Creative Europe and the European Solidarity Corps;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas providing equal and inclusive opportunities for all is, and must continue to be, inherent to the fundamental values of the European Union, and whereas people from all backgrounds and walks of life shouldmust be able to benefit from Erasmus+; highlights that Erasmus+ benefits not only its participants but entire communities and societies;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. Underlines the importance of mobility and both digital and in person inclusive learning opportunities for all interested persons regardless of their background or health, economic, social and geographic obstacles; notes that this leads to more democratic, stronger and more cohesive and resilient societies;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Erasmus+ 2014-2020 Regulation puts emphasis on promoting social inclusion and on the participation of people with special needs or with fewer opportunities, as defined in the ‘Erasmus+ Inclusion and Diversity Strategy’, encompassing persons with disabilities, health problems, educational difficulties, cultural differences, and facing economical, geographical and social obstacles; underlines that the new Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027) is visibly improved, more inclusive and goes hand in hand with green and digital transition;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the experience of mobility offered by Erasmus+ can beis a transformative experience for participants, and can positively influence their self- confidence, openness, critical thinking, employability and well-being by providing inclusive learning opportunities that enrich their lives and allow them to experience Europe's rich linguistic and cultural heritage while gaining lifelong knowledge; highlights the importance of these learning opportunities for their personal and professional development and building a more sustainable and stronger future;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the mid-term evaluation of the Erasmus+ programme 2014-2020 published by the Commission in 2018 underlined the necessity of reaching more people with fewer opportunities and smaller organisations; including people with economic and geographic obstacles, notably those living in remote or rural areas, islands or peripheral regions that are less connected with urban areas and cities; encourages national agencies in Member States to develop inclusive methods to enhance the participation of these learners in Erasmus+ and to update and optimise the existing infrastructure to reach more future learners;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that Erasmus+ should support stakeholders’ and programme participants’ internationalisation plans that remove the physical, psychological, social, socio-economic, linguistic and other types of barriers to learning mobility and that offer clear and detailed information and qualitative support for participants from under-represented groups and those with specific needs; encourages better partnership and engagement with national and local organisations from Member States, the Western Balkans, Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood countries and all participating countries;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Deplores the dire humanitarian situation for the people in Ukraine and calls for increased assistance to Ukrainian students and young people via Erasmus+ to continue their contributions to European integration. Welcomes the measures announced by the Commission to make the projects under Erasmus+ more flexible for Ukrainian students and education staff; calls for additional support to allow Ukrainian higher education institutions and the academic community to sustain;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Underlines the positive impact of EU flagship programme Erasmus+ in third countries as a factor in the European integration process; stresses the need for increased inclusivity of Erasmus+ projects and cooperation in associated countries and other eligible countries, in particular in the Western Balkans, that would lead to strengthened EU visibility;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the crucial need for adapted funding and grants, such as pre- financing and lump sums, as financial barriers continue to be one of the biggest obstacles faced by people with fewer opportunities in Erasmus+; calls on the Commission to further develop Erasmus+ financing tools and establish synergies with other programmes; encourages Member States and their national agencies to facilitate more educational seminars for Erasmus+ staff to carry out projects and explore new ways to reach future beneficiaries of the programme and better address the needs of every individual participant in order to customise their Erasmus+ experience;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. UNotes how the pandemic accelerated the digital transition and highlighted the importance of being digitally skilled; underlines that Erasmus+ can contribute significantly in that regard; urges the Commission to tackle without delay the serious persistent issues related to Erasmus+ IT tools, which hamper not only the participation of smaller organisations and people with fewer opportunities, but also the participation of all kinds of beneficiaries, also older people from the EU and participating countries, including Western Balkans countries and the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood countries;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. AcknowledgPraises the role of teachers, youth workers and staff as the driving forces behind participating institutions in raising awareness of the programme, in informing and supporting future learners, and identifying people with fewer opportunities deriving from different obstacles they face, and notes that without them, most participants with fewer opportunities would not be able to take part; calls on the Commission, the Member States and national agencies to value and acknowledge their often voluntary work, to support them by facilitating their own mobility and to provide them with adequate funding, while accompanying participants with fewer opportunitiesssessing their needs accordingly and offering them specific training a; notes the importance to updapted to their needs various tools that they use in identifying possible participants of the programme;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the need for the Commission, the Member States and national agencies to provide better support for grassroots organisations in all areas, particularly in the outermost regions and rural areas, and to ensure that resources and projects are distributed fairly in each Member State; underlines that it is crucial to provide equal opportunities to all interested participants regardless of their background; highlights it is important to keep extensive records and statistics that should serve as a consultation base for future programmes;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. StressUnderlines the importance of providing better financial and material support to staff, so that they can engage with participants and their families, in order to give them more confidence, while ensuring that mobility projects run smoothly; notes that national agencies in Member States can provide significant help by identifying the needs of organisations and institutions in this matter and provide the necessary support;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls on the Commission to improve guidelines for national policies that will enable better participation of learners with health problems, cultural differences,economic, geographical and social obstacles; proposes to increase the number of inclusion officers in national agencies in Member States and to enhance their collaboration with organisations to assure that all projects and learning opportunities are distributed fairly;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Supports all EU initiatives aimed at facilitating student mobility, such as the Erasmus+ mobile application, ‘paperless Erasmus’ and the European Student Card; calls on the Commission to look closely at the possibility of more closely linking Erasmus+ and other programmes and to foster cross-sectoral cooperation, including Interrail, in order to foster greater equality andinclusion and equality that will provide participants with better access to greener means of transport; calls on the Commission to also improve the DiscoverEU initiative and allow even more people to participate and learn about Europe while exploring all its parts;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 10 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls on the Commission to facilitate international consultation (both digital and in person) between national agencies in Member States and participating countries to exchange good practices, advices and strategies; notes that this will further strengthen their cooperation and allow them to implement new solutions, ideas and lessons learned on the ground that will result in greater numbers of participants in the Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Regrets the lack of reliable data on the participation of people with fewer opportunities in the Erasmus+ programme; underlines the need to gather and monitor a critical mass of reliable data in order to create a management and steering tool for inclusion measures, using methods which respect privacy and do not add undue administrative burdens for organisations and participants; calls on national agencies to develop evaluation schemes to gain clear statistics and appropriately assess further problematic issues in order to prevent it in future Erasmus+ programmes;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Notes that administrative barriers prevent many potential learners to take part in the programme; calls on the Commission to simplify the application procedure and all related processes and mechanisms that will allow more participants to take part in the programme and enjoy mobility opportunities all over Europe; underlines the importance to develop additional tools in this regard;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Requests the Commission and the Member States to ensure that all relevant information regarding Erasmus+ is accessible to peversyons with disabilitie regardless of their possible obstacles, in particular through adapted and barrier-free online tools in all European languages; welcomes the establishment of ‘Erasmus Days’ and stresses the importance of the role of former Erasmus+ participants and alumni networks in promoting the programme widely and serving as a One stop shop for all future learners;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Asks the Member States to adopt targeted policies for all learners with fewer opportunities and special neeof all age groups and of all backgrounds in order to increase participation in Erasmus+ and to foster exchanges of good practices in this field; notes that national agencies and voluntary Erasmus+ organisations play a key role in this; proposes the Commission to develop better strategic plans for future Erasmus+ programmes that will increase inclusion and diversity and help overcome the challenges and shortcomings;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to raise better awareness among citizens in all areas on the benefits of Erasmus+ through cooperation with media and social media outlets and by creating targeted campaigns in public learning places, libraries, schools and universities, organise online and physical events and assure good outreach; underlines that these dedicated actions will foster greater participation of learners from all disadvantaged categories, including participants with special needs, health problems, special needs, educational difficulties, cultural differences and geographical, social and economic obstacles;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15 b. Regrets the consequences that Brexit imposed on UK students, disabling them from taking part in Erasmus+; calls on the Commission to further engage in negotiations with the UK and find ways to enable people from all parts of the UK to participate in the programme because education is a priceless investment and Erasmus+ is an opportunity that must be available to everyone regardless of their geographical, health, economic, cultural or social obstacles;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to use the European Year of Youth and related events to promote the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ programme; notes that the European Year of Youth should especially focus on the impact that the pandemic has had on mental health of young people; proposes the Commission, Member States and national agencies to find additional ways within Erasmus+ to support learners of all age groups to help them recover from the pandemic and continue their growth on all levels, including personal, social, and professional;