Activities of Alexis GEORGOULIS related to 2021/2009(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation of inclusion measures within Erasmus+ 2014-2020
Amendments (17)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines the need to ensure that inclusion, equal opportunities and diversity are at the core of the implementation of Erasmus+, one of the EU’s most successful programmes; regrethighlights that offering equal opportunities is and must be inherent to EU fundamental values, and thus should not be presented merely as a matter of philanthropy; regrets calls on the EU and MS to take measures in order to address the different definitions and categories of learners with special needs and/or fewer opportunities1 across Member States and the lack of reliable data on the profiles of the beneficiaries; believes that an instrument should be developed to monitor whether ensure that participants from vulnerable, and disadvantaged and all less represented groups are being reached by the programme; _________________ 1 , leaving no one behind;Term used in Article 23(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013 on Erasmus+.
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Reminds that definition of vulnerable, disadvantaged or underrepresented groups (and then the potential beneficiaries whose participation in Erasmus+ should be augmented )vary widely between Member States and even may depend on the political and social situation in MS in a given moment; calls the Commission and MS to agree a basic set of definitions, which may include groups such as women, LGBTQI people, migrants and refugees, people from low income households, ethnic or linguistic minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that Erasmus+ should support stakeholders’ and programme participants’ internationalisation plans that remove physical, psychological, social, socioeconomic, linguistic and other types of barriers to learning mobility and that offer accessible for all, clear and detailed information and qualitative support, including mentoring, for participants from underrepresented groups and/or with specific needs before, during and after a period abroad;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Draws attention to the under- resourcing and understaffing of Erasmus+ national agencies and national authorities and the insufficient efforts to reduce administrative barriers to mobility and ensure that diversity and inclusion are at the core of the programme; believes that national agencies should organise targeted information campaigns, and, in order to do so, they ought to appoint an inclusion and diversity officer to reach out to learners from vulnerable backgrounds, including learners with special needs and/or fewer opportunities and all underrepresented groups, insuring gender equality[KTK1] and provide them with advice regarding possible difficulties they may experience during their Erasmus+ programme, such as delayed reimbursements2 or any obstacles caused by external factors such as the COVID-19 crisis3 ; _________________ 2 As seen from Petition 2466/13. 3 As seen from Petition 0125/21.
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that Erasmus+ should encourage stakeholders to share their expertise at an institutional level, learn from each other, build administrative capacity and foster inclusion and diversity; welcomes, in this sense, specific efforts to support cooperation between different stakeholders and to develop and implement inclusive policies that seek to integrate children and young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds into education; considers, however, that these efforts should be expanded in the field of higher education;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Regrets that the Covid19 pandemic has had several negative effects1 on education as well as on the implementation of Erasmus+ programme, hindering inclusion; highlights the often serious economic difficulties that several households face because of the Covid19 crisis, that do not permit the participation to the Erasmus+ programme. 1 https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repos itory/handle/JRC121071https://erasmus- plus.ec.europa.eu/coronavirus-impact
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Believes that poverty or economic difficulties is an important obstacle for learners’ mobility; calls for the elaboration of a system that, based on the socioeconomic background of the participants, could offer greater financial support and/or other supporting measures to those who need it; additional financial support should be considered also for participants with special needs, including their caregivers when necessary;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that the risk of stigmatisation in the participants’ country of residence may discourage them from self-identifying as disadvantaged, which may hamper their mobility, the collection of reliable data by authorities and the monitoring of their participation in Erasmus+4 ; calls for EU-wide recognition of disability status and encourages host institutions to guarantee the same reasonable accommodations and facilities as home institutions; _________________ 4 Bunescu, L., Davies, H., Gaebel, M., ERASMUS+ International Credit Mobility – a study of the mobility of disadvantaged students from Partner Countries, Support and Promotion for Higher Education Reform Experts (SPHERE), January 2020.
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on the Commission and Members States to take specific measures against stigmatisation of underrepresented groups and ensure that relevant campaigns and other communication tools support this goal and do not put the targeted audience into an uncomfortable or embarrassing position;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Highlights that offering equal opportunities should not be presented as philanthropy but as an obligation of any EU programme, according to EU fundamental values;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reminds Member States of the Bologna Process principles and the principles and guidelines to strengthen the social dimension of higher education in the European Higher Education Area, both of which call on them to draft national strategies and plans to enhance inclusion as soon as possible;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to look closely at the possibility of combining the Erasmus+ and Interrail programmes5 , and thus foster more equality and inclusion; _________________ 5 A and to continue tackling climate change; nevertheless, the funds called for in Petition 0681/2021.ocated to the two programmes should be safeguarded and not decreased in the case of such a combination;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States to launch and support Erasmus+ projects to attract participants with disabilities, and learners from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups to their countries; , ensuring equal participation for female [girls/women] and LGBTQ participants, as well as for people at risk of poverty1 or of lower financial status; 1Peopleat risk of poverty present a not negligible percentage in EU according to theofficial statistics: https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/s how.do?dataset=ilc_li07⟨=en
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that all information regarding Erasmus+ is accessible to persons with vision, hearing or any other accessibility problems;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the visibility of all potential participants on the visual materials, in the context of promoting diversity and tackling stigmatisation; videos and photos on Erasmus+ websites, posters, leaflets, etc. should also include persons of all genders and cultural backgrounds, as well as persons with disabilities in order to promote inclusion and diversity;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address the lack of familiarity with the Erasmus+ programme, information barriers, bureaucracy and other obstacles to the application process, support services abroad and the challenges relating to the portability of grants faced by persons with disabilities and their caregivers as well as other participants from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including ethnic groups;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls on the Commission to take specific measures to ensure that Erasmus+ promotes the european priorities and especially the green and the digital transition; however the monitoring of the individual carbon footprint of the participants should take into account the distance needed to be covered, especially in the case of remote areas and MS on the geographical borders of EU ;