Strasbourg, 8 February 1996

1.    The Council for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC) held its 64th session (32nd meeting as a Steering Committee) from 23-25 January 1996 in Strasbourg. The list of participants and the agenda appear in Appendices I and II to this document.

2.    At the opening of the meeting, the CDCC took note that "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" became a Contracting Party to the European Cultural Convention on 24 November, and that Andorra ratified this Convention on 22 January 1996. This brings to 44 the number of Contracting Parties to the European Cultural Convention.

3.    The CDCC was informed of recent political developments within the Organisation, of decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers on subjects which are of interest to it, of developments concerning co-operation with other international organisations, of the activities of the Project Group "Human Rights and Genuine Democracy", and of two Partial Agreements directly concerning the CDCC, namely the European Centre for Modern Languages (Graz) and EURIMAGES.

-    of the progress report on its multidisciplinary project "Democracy, Human Rights and Minorities: the Educational and Cultural Aspects". It asked the Project Group to prepare proposals on ways and means of achieving effective dissemination of the results of the project;

-     of the final report on its project "Centenary of the Cinema". It expressed its gratitude towards the European Union and to the governments of member States which contributed, financially or otherwise, to some of the activities implemented in the context of these celebrations.

5.    The CDCC held an exchange of views on the development of partnerships and took note of the Secretariat's progress report on this subject. The CDCC emphasised that partnerships should not be regarded as a separate activity but as an integral part of each of its activities. It entrusted the Secretariat with the task of submitting final proposals to the next meeting of the Bureau of the CDCC (June 1996), in particular as regards types and objectives of partnerships, and their implications in terms of financial arrangements and decision-making procedures.

6.    The CDCC took note of the written reports by the Chairs of its four specialised committees and of a statement by the Chair of the Committee on Higher Education and Research, concerning the crucial importance of maintaining double membership in this committee (one representative from government and one representative from university). The CDCC decided to urge the Secretary General and the Committee of Ministers to renew with the practice of reimbursing, from the Council of Europe general budget, the expenses of two representatives from each country to the plenary sessions of this committee as from 1997.

7.    The CDCC held an exchange of view concerning the draft recommendation "on the protection of cultural heritage against unlawful acts" which had been submitted to it by the Committee on Cultural Heritage, and decided:

-    to request national delegations to send to the Secretariat, before the end of February, any comments they might have on the text;

-    to authorise the Committee on Cultural Heritage to reexamine - and amend if need be -the text at its next meeting, in the light of possible comments made by delegations, and to transmit it directly to the Committee of Ministers for adoption.

8.    The CDCC held a discussion, with participation of representatives of the Commission of the European Community, concerning the framework, substance and outlook for the development of co-operation with the European Union in the educational and cultural fields. It noted with satisfaction that co-operation had considerably improved in recent years on the

    In this context, the CDCC decided:

-    to ask the Secretary General and the President of the Committee of Ministers to propose that this co-operation be included as a specific item on the agenda of the Quadripartite meeting scheduled to take place on 30 May 1996 at the invitation of the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union;

-    to instruct the Secretariat, in consultation with the Specialised Committees and following the example of the work carried out by the Education Committee, to select a number of concrete proposals concerning activities to be undertaken or developed jointly with the European Union for the above-mentioned Quadripartite meeting.

9.    The CDCC held an exchange of views on the future orientations of co-operation in the framework of the European Cultural Convention, with the participation of the Chairman of the Rapporteur Group on Education, Culture and Sport, Ambassador Ismet Birsel. He introduced Resolution (95) 38 of the Committee of Ministers on the cultural strategy of the Council of Europe, adopted on 7 December 1995. During the exchange of views, several delegations expressed their uneasiness as regards the risk of "instrumentalisation" of cultural co-operation that might arise from this Resolution of the Committee of Ministers. The CDCC thanked Ambassador Birsel for the impetus he gave to the work of the Rapporteur Group and the Committee of Ministers with a view to strengthening the cultural co-operation within the Council of Europe. The CDCC requested its Bureau to intensify the dialogue with the Rapporteur Group in order to continue consideration, inter alia, of the implications of Resolution (95) 38 for the activities of the CDCC.

10.    At the close of its debate, the CDCC:

-    adopted the principles and guidelines for the preparation of the programme of activities of the CDCC included in Appendix III of the present document;

-    decided to transmit these principles and guidelines to the specialised committees asking them to submit to the next CDCC Bureau meeting (June 1996) medium-term plans of activities (1997-1999), indicating priorities and providing details about objectives, duration, working methods and structures, expected results and resources (human and budgetary) necessary to implement the various activities and projects.

-    invited Heads of Delegation to forward to the Secretariat, before the end of February 1996, proposals for priority fields of action for activities and projects which might be included in the CDCC programme of activities as from 1997;

-    instructed its Bureau to prepare a medium-term programme of activities to be financed by the Cultural Fund, on the basis of proposals made by the Heads of Delegation and the Specialised Committees, taking into account the criteria and procedures indicated above, and to submit it to the next CDCC session.

    Finally, the CDCC asked the specialised committees to take into account, while preparing their medium-term plans of activities, the indicative list of priority fields of action for the CDCC which appears in Appendix I to document CDCC (96) 9.

11.    The CDCC was informed of the implementation of its 1995 programme and budget. Given that the accounts for 1995 need to be examined by the Council of Europe Board of Auditors before being formally approved, the CDCC authorised its Bureau:

-    to approve, at its meeting in June 1996, the accounts of the Cultural Fund and the special accounts for 1995, subject to auditing by the Council of Europe Board of Auditors ;

-    to transmit the accounts to the Committee of Ministers, with any comments it might wish to make.

12.    The CDCC held a detailed discussion on its programme-budget for 1996. It took note of changes made in the presentation of this document, aimed at making it more transparent. It noted that, as from 1997, "technical reductions" will be integrated into the preparation of the budget and would no longer appear as a separate budgetary line. Furthermore, a different balance should be established between chapters A (operational activities) and B (support expenditure), in particular through the incorporation in the budget of the activities of the expenditure on temporary staff working on their implementation.

    Finally, the CDCC:

-    approved the programme and budget of the Cultural Fund for 1996, by adopting Resolution CDCC n° 1 (1996) as it appears in Appendix IV;

-    decided to transmit the aforementioned Resolution to the Committee of Ministers for information;

-    approved the budgets of the special accounts "Art Exhibitions" and "Legislative Reform Programme for Higher Education";

-    took note of the statement made by the Norwegian delegation, on behalf of the Nordic countries, that the voluntary contribution of FF 700,000 made by these countries in 1996, will be halved in 1997 and stopped as from 1998.

-    expressed its appreciation to the governments which had announced their intention to make voluntary contributions to the Cultural Fund in 1996.

13.    Concerning the terms of reference of the specialised committees and their subordinate bodies, the CDCC:

-    asked each specialised committee to reexamine its terms of reference (including those of its subordinate bodies) at its first plenary meeting in 1996 and to submit new versions of the relevant terms of reference to the next meeting of the CDCC Bureau (June 1996) for approval and subsequent transmission to the Committee of Ministers for adoption;

-    approved the draft revised terms of reference of the European Network of National Information Centres on academic mobility and recognition (ENIC network), as they appear in Appendix V, and forwarded them to the Committee of Ministers for adoption.

14.    The CDCC held an exchange of views on the prospects of co-operation with the European Youth Centre (EYC) in Budapest in the context of its reflection on the projects of its programme which are particularly suited for co-operation with activities in the Youth sector. In conclusion, the CDCC:

-    took note of the agreements made, in liaison with the specialised committees, between DECS and the Youth Directorate concerning the holding in Budapest, in the premises of the EYC, of a restricted number of meetings, already included in its work programme for 1996.

-    instructed its Bureau, in liaison with the specialised committees, to establish appropriate contacts with the Youth structures in the Council of Europe (in particular the CDEJ), aimed at developing, on a trial basis and in relation to a restricted number of projects, a partnership between the CDCC and the Youth structures within the Council of Europe, especially within the framework of the EYC of Budapest.

15.    The CDCC was informed about the activities of the Ad-hoc Committee for the Protection of National Minorities and of the decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers in relation to this matter. It instructed its Bureau, in the light of the on-going discussions in the Committee of Ministers, to examine in which way the CDCC may continue to participate in the work on this matter.

16.     The CDCC decided to ask the Committee of Ministers to grant Council of Europe patronage -without financial support- to the Exhibition "Rudolf II and Prague" to be held in Prague from 30th May to 7 September 1997 (see Appendix VI).

President:        Mrs Tanja OREL-STURM (Slovenia)
Vice-President:    Mrs Margaretha OSTERN (Norway)
Other members:    Mrs Naima BALIC (Croatia)
            Mr Constantin MOZEL (Russia)

    Mrs Antra TORGANE (Latvia) and Tereza CUNHA REGO (Portugal), as well as Mr. Louis MANIQUET (Belgium) and Emmanuel de CALAN (Franc) remain members of the Bureau.

18.    The CDCC decided to hold its next Bureau meetings on 4-5 June 1996 and 12-13 November 1996, and to hold its 65th session on January 21-23 1997.

ALBANIA / ALBANIE: Mr Ylljet ALICKA, Ministère de la Culture, de la Jeunesse et des Sports, TIRANA

AUSTRIA / AUTRICHE: Dr Frieda LUGGAUER-GOLLNER, Bundesministerium für auswärtige Angelegenheiten, WIEN, Mrs Monika GOODENOUGH-HOFMAN, Bundesministerium für Unterricht und Kulturelle Angelegenheiten, WIEN, M. Stefan NEUHÄUSER, Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, WIEN

BELGIUM / BELGIQUE: M. Louis MANIQUET, Ministère de l'Education, de la Recherche, et de la Formation, BRUXELLES, Mr Antoine VAN HAVER, Ministère de la Communauté Flamande, BRUSSELS, M. Jean-Pierre NOSSENT, Ministère de la Culture et des Affaires Sociales (Communauté française), BRUXELLES, M. Walter LEROUGE, Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, BRUXELLES

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA/BOSNIE-HERZEGOVINE: M. Almir SAHOVIC, Mission de la République de Bosnie-Herzégovine auprès de l'Union Européenne et du Conseil de l'Europe, BRUXELLES

BULGARIA / BULGARIE: Mrs Anna SENDOVA, Ministry of Culture, SOFIA, Mme Rosa ANDRONOVA, Ministère des Affaires etrangères, SOFIA

CROATIA / CROATIE: Ms Naima BALIC, Ministry of Culture, ZAGREB

CYPRUS / CHYPRE: Dr Andreas PHYLACTOU, Ministry of Education and Culture, NICOSIA

CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE: Mrs Jana KUCEROVA, Ministry of Culture, PRAHA, Mrs Alena SPEJCHALOVA, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, PRAHA

DENMARK / DANEMARK: Mrs Regitze PRAHL, Ministry of Energy and Environment, COPENHAGEN, Mr Niels BOEL, Ministry of Culture, COPENHAGEN

ESTONIA / ESTONIE: Mrs Helle PUUSEPP, Ministère de la Culture, TALLINN

FINLAND / FINLANDE: Mrs Margaretha MICKWITZ, Ministry of Education, HELSINKI, Mr Risto KIVELA, Department for Culture, Ministry of Education, HELSINKI, Mr Jouko KONNOLA, Ministry of Education, HELSINKI

FRANCE: M. Emmanuel de CALAN, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, PARIS, Mme Marie-Josée de FORNEL, Ministère de l'Education Nationale, de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, PARIS, Mme Claudine BACHY, Ministère de l'Education Nationale, de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, PARIS, M. Bruno FAVEL, Ministère de la Culture, PARIS

HOLY SEE / SAINT-SIEGE: R.P. Bernard ARDURA, Conseil Pontifical de la Culture, CITE DU VATICAN

HUNGARY / HONGRIE: Mr Zsolt JÉKELY, Ministry of Culture and Public Education, BUDAPEST

ICELAND / ISLANDE: Mrs. Solrun JENSDOTTIR, Ministry of Culture and Education, REYKJAVÍK

IRELAND / IRLANDE: Mr Noel DELANY, Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, DUBLIN

ITALY / ITALIE: Mme Itala OCCHI, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, ROMA, Mme Clelia LAVIOSA, Ministère des Biens Culturels, ROMA, Mme Maria Vittoria BALDIERI, Ministère de l'Instruction publique, ROMA, M. l'Inspecteur Vincenzo MICOCCI, Ministère de l'Instruction Publique, ROMA

LATVIA / LETTONIE: Ms Antra PRANE, Ministry of Culture, RIGA

LIECHTENSTEIN: M. Guido WOLFINGER, Schulamt, VADUZ

LITHUANIA / LITUANIE: Mr Viktoras LIUTKUS, Ministry of Culture, VILNIUS

LUXEMBOURG: M. Guy DOCKENDORF, Ministère de la Culture, LUXEMBOURG, Mme Christiane DALEIDEN, LUXEMBOURG

MALTA / MALTE: Dr Giovanni MANGION, Ministry of Education and Human Resources, FLORIANA

MOLDOVA: M. Ion CIOBANU, Ministère de la Culture, CHISINAU,

MONACO: M. Robert FILLON, Ministère d'Etat, MONACO

NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS: Mr Henk M. HEIKAMP, Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs and Science, RIJSWIJK, Mr Hans KRUISHOOP, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, THE HAGUE

POLAND / POLOGNE: Mr Andrezj JANKOWSKI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, WARSZAWA

PORTUGAL: Mme Tereza CUNHA REGO, Ministère des affaires étrangères, LISBOA, Mme Isabel TAMEN, Ministère de la Culture, LISBOA

ROMANIA / ROUMANIE: M. Gabriel GAFITA, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, BUCAREST, M. Ion MACOVEI, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, BUCAREST, M. Liviu ION, Représentation Permanente de la Roumanie auprès du Conseil de l'Europe, STRASBOURG, Mme Gabriela TARABEGA, Ministère de la Culture, BUCAREST

RUSSIA / RUSSIE: M. Constantin MOZEL, Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, MOSCOU

SLOVAK REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE SLOVAQUE: Mr Robert EISNER, Ministry of Education and Science, BRATISLAVA, Mr Dusan VOLCKO, Ministry of Education and Science, BRATISLAVA, M. Igor KSINAN, Department of European Integration, Ministry of Culture, BRATISLAVA, Mrs Miroslava TELUCHOVA, Ministry of Culture, BRATISLAVA

SLOVENIA/SLOVENIE: Mme Tanja OREL-STURM, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, LJUBLJANA, Mrs Viljana LUKAS, Ministry of Education and Sport, LJUBLJANA, Mrs Marjutka HAFNER, Ministry of Culture, LJUBLJANA

SPAIN/ESPAGNE: M. Tomas RODRIGUEZ-PANTOJA MARQUEZ, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, MADRID, M. Jose PEREZ-LAZARO, Ministère de la Culture, MADRID, Mme M. Luisa ROBLES SANTAMARTA, Ministère de l'Education et de la Science, MADRID

SWEDEN/SUEDE: Mr Hans SAND, Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union, BRUSSELS, Mr Hans ENFLO, Ministry of Culture, STOCKHOLM, Ms Karin HENRIKSSON, Ministry of Education and Science, STOCKHOLM

SWITZERLAND/SUISSE: M. l'Ambassadeur A. GREBER, Département Fédéral des affaires étrangères, BERNE, M. Claude A. BARBEY, Département fédéral des Affaires étrangères, BERNE, M. Pierre LUISONI, Conférence des Directeurs Cantonaux de l'Instruction Publique (CDIP), BERNE, M. Bernard WICHT, Département fédéral de l'Intérieur, BERNE

"THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA" /
"L'ANCIENNE REPUBLIQUE YOUGOSLAVE DE MACEDOINE": Mme Ana EFREMOVA, Ministère de la Culture, SKOPJE

UKRAINE: Mr Oleg DIACHENKO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KYIV

UNITED KINGDOM/ROYAUME-UNI: Mr Tony SPRAKE, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, LONDON, Mr J. ASLEN, Department for Education, LONDON, Miss Margaret SAVILL, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, LONDON

PRESIDENTS OF CDCC SPECIALISED COMMITTEES/PRESIDENTS DES COMITES SPECIALISES DU CDCC

EDUCATION COMMITTEE/COMITE DE L'EDUCATION: Mr Jerzy WISNIEWSKI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, WARSZAWA

HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH COMMITTEE/COMITE DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIER ET DE LA RECHERCHE: Dr Wolfgang MÖNIKES, Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, BONN

CULTURE COMMITTEE/COMITE DE LA CULTURE: Dr Norbert RIEDL, Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, WIEN

CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE/COMITE DU PATRIMOINE CULTUREL: Mr Dag MYKLEBUST, Directorate for Cultural Heritage, OSLO

COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS/COMITE DES MINISTRES: Ambassador Ismet BIRSEL, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the Council of Europe, STRASBOURG

PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE/ASSEMBLEE PARLEMENTAIRE DU CONSEIL DE L'EUROPE, Committee on Culture and Education/Commission de la culture et de l'éducation: Sir Russell JOHNSTON, The House of Commons, LONDON

OBSERVERS/OBSERVATEURS

CANADA: M. Réjean FRENETTE, Chancellerie, BERNE, Mme Louise TERRILLON-MACKAY, Ministère du Patrimoine canadien, QUEBEC

EUROPEAN COMMISSION/COMMISSION EUROPEENNE: M. Domenico LENARDUZZI, Direction Générale "Education, Formation et Jeunesse", BRUXELLES, M. Aristotelis BOURATSIS, Direction Générale "Information, Communication, Culture, Audiovisuel", BRUXELLES, Mme Marie-Odile DEN HARTOG, Direction Générale "Relations extérieures : Europe et Nouveaux Etats indépendants, Politique étrangère et Sécurité commune", BRUXELLES

OTHER PARTICIPANTS/AUTRES PARTICIPANTS

M. Etienne GROSJEAN, Ministère de la Culture et des Affaires sociales, BRUXELLES

Mme Thérèse MANGOT, Ministère de la Culture et des Affaires sociales, BRUXELLES

COUNCIL OF EUROPE SECRETARIAT/SECRETARIAT DU CONSEIL DE L'EUROPE - DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORT/DIRECTION DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT, DE LA CULTURE ET DU SPORT

M. Raymond WEBER, Director/Directeur

M. Maitland STOBART, Deputy Director/Directeur Adjoint

M. Christian ZEENDER, Special Advisor, Centenary of Cinema/Chargé de mission, Centenaire du cinéma

M. David MARDELL, Special Advisor, Arts Exhibitions/Chargé de mission, Expositions d'art

M. Claude KIEFFER, Director, European Centre for Modern Languages, Graz/Directeur, Centre européen pour les langues vivantes, Graz

M. J.-C. LAZARO, Administrator, EURIMAGES/Administrateur, EURIMAGES

SECRETARIAT OF THE CDCC/SECRETARIAT DU CDCC

M. Mario MARTINS, Secretary to the CDCC, Central Section/Secrétaire du CDCC, Section centrale

M. Denis HUBER, Administrative Officer, Central Section/Administrateur, Section centrale

Mme Christiane STURM, Principal Administrative Assistant/Assistante administrative principale

Mme Birgit BERTSCH-SANSOTTA    }
Mlle Bénédicte KERN            }    Assistants/
Ms Sara MAHONEY            }    Assistantes
Mme Martine RODRIGUES        }

1    Adoption of the agenda

2    Election of the Chairperson

3    Statement by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport

4    Reports on the activities carried out under the direct responsibility of the CDCC

    4.1    Democracy, human rights, minorities: educational and cultural aspects

    4.2    Centenary of the Cinema

    4.3    Partnerships

5    Follow-up to meetings of Specialised Committees

    5.1    Written reports by the Chairpersons of the Specialised Committees

    5.2    Item submitted for decision

6    Co-operation with the European Union in the educational and cultural fields

7    Future orientations of cultural co-operation under the CDCC: programmes, working methods and structures

8    Implementation of the 1995 CDCC Programme

9    Programme and budget of the CDCC for 1996 (including special accounts)

10    Co-operation and assistance with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe - Vote IX

11    Statutory organs

    11.1     Committee of Ministers: the Council of Europe's cultural strategy
        
    11.2    Parliamentary Assembly: texts adopted of relevance to the CDCC

    12.1    European Centre for Modern Languages (Graz)

    12.2    EURIMAGES
        
    12.3    Second European Youth Centre (Budapest)

    12.4    Ad-hoc Committee for the Protection of National Minorities (CAHMIN)

    12.5    Project Group on Human Rights and Genuine Democracy (CAHDD)

13    Relations with non-European countries     (in particular, Canada and Israel)

14    Relations with other international organisations

15    Terms of reference of the CDCC Specialised and subordinate Committees

16    Election of CDCC Bureau members for 1996

17    Other business

18    Dates of forthcoming meetings

19    Adoption of the abridged meeting report

    In the planning and updating of the programme of activities the specialised committees and the Bureau of the CDCC should respect:

-    the "selection criteria for priority activities under vote ii", adopted by the ministers' deputies in december 1994;

-    the guidelines and priority objectives defined in resolution (95) 38 of the committee of ministers on the council of europe's cultural strategy

and:

-    the following principles and guidelines as regards the choice of activities and of the working methods to be adopted for their implementation.

    Choice of activities

1.    The probability of achieving politically visible results, having an impact on a specific problem, should be used as a selection criteria when deciding on priorities for new activities.

2.    While a particular effort should be made to select activities in which a large number of member States declare an interest in active participation, the possibility of selecting activities involving, in their preparatory and result-building phases, a limited number of member States, should not be ruled out.

3.    The bulk of the activities, should address matters which correspond to - or are likely to become - priority areas for the educational and cultural policies of the governments of member States, in relation to which the Council of Europe is able to provide a distinctive contribution which another organisation would be less equipped to do, and which are likely to benefit from the adoption of a co-ordinated European approach.

4.    The choice of topics for new activities should reflect the likelihood of attracting new ideas and fresh thinking on educational and cultural matters and/or promoting the interchange of ideas and experiences which have not been effectively exchanged before.

    Working methods

6.    As a general rule the duration of activities (excluding in-service permanent activities) should be limited to three years.

7.    Increased emphasis should be put on the development of formal networks (involving public authorities' representatives) and politically visible products of co-operation (e.g. policy recommendations, guidelines, publications on good practice).

8.    In order to benefit from a wider and diversified range of ideas and experience member States should be invited to suggest specialists upon whom the Secretariat can call during the preparation and implementation of each project.

9.    Ad-hoc conferences should be organised on topical and well-defined themes linked to the CDCC programmes of activities. The theme should be decided by the CDCC on the basis of proposals submitted by national delegations and the specialised committees.

10.    Multisectoral projects should be encouraged whenever this approach can bring "added value" to the implementation of the activity through the cross-fertilisation of different ideas and experiences, but responsibility for their management should be clearly identified.

11.    Efforts aimed at developing partnerships should be concentrated on a very small number of well-defined activities and projects. Joint action with other partners should focus on projects which strictly correspond to the priorities and programmes of the Cultural Fund and which bring "added value" to the CDCC activities.

12.    Efforts should be stepped up to develop co-operation with other Council of Europe committees and bodies for the implementation of certain activities. Activities on matters which in a significant number of countries fall within the jurisdiction of regional and local authorities should be carried out in close co-operation with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.

13.    A preliminary or pilot phase should be introduced for each major project. Increased emphasis should be put on the evaluation and follow-up of activities and projects and the results obtained should be summarised in short annual activity reports. Appropriate resources should be earmarked in each project for follow-up action, including dissemination of results and analysis of the impact of their implementation.

    The Council for Cultural Co-operation,

    HAVING regard to the major lines of intergovernmental action set out in the Declaration on the future role of the Council of Europe and in Resolution (89)40 adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 5 May 1989, and taking into account the political objectives assigned to it by the Committee of Ministers ;

    Having regard to § l and 3 of Article V of the Statute of the Cultural Fund ;

    HAVING regard to § 3 of Article VI of the said Statute ;

    CONSIDERING that the operational budget method should be adopted ;

    HAVING regard to the total estimated resources available for financing the l996 programme,

RESOLVES    to adopt the programme of activities for 1996 to be financed by the Cultural Fund, entailing expenditure totalling FF 29,625,000 apportioned by chapters and points on the lines indicated in document CDCC (96) 1 def. and in accordance with the operational budget tables appended hereto ;

REQUESTS    the Secretary General to ensure the execution of this programme.

1.    Name of committee:        Joint Council of Europe/UNESCO European Network of National Information Centres on Academic Mobility and Recognition (ENICs)

2.    Type of committee:            Network of experts

3.    Source of terms of reference:     Council of Europe: Committee of Ministers
                        UNESCO: Regional Committee in charge of the application of the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education in the States belonging to the Europe Region (hereafter referred to as the Regional Committee)

4.    Terms of reference:

I.    OBJECTIVES

I.1    The joint Council of Europe/UNESCO European Network of National Information Centres on Academic Mobility and Recognition (the ENIC Network) is set up under the authority of the Committee of Ministers (Council of Europe) and the Regional Committee (UNESCO) with a view to facilitating cooperation between national information centres on academic mobility and recognition in Europe.

I.2    The objectives of the network shall be to:

    (i)    promote the exchange of information among its member Centres;

    (ii)    provide a forum for the exchange of views on salient issues in European academic mobility and recognition;     

    (iii)    further practical cooperation among its member Centres;

    (iv)    support the development of the services offered by its members to the higher education community, such as publications and other information services.

I.3    The ENIC Network shall seek to cooperate closely with the NARIC Network of the Commission of the European Communities.

I.4    The ENIC Network shall draw up proposals for its activities and submit them to the CDCC and CEPES as the Secretariat of the Regional Committee (UNESCO) for inclusion in their respective work programmes.

II.1    Each State party to the European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe or having ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education in the States belonging to the Europe Region shall be entitled to appoint one National Information Centre as a member of the Network. Where national policies and structures make this desirable, a State shall be entitled to appoint a second ENIC as a member of the Network.

II.2    The Commission of the European Communities, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the European Free Trade Association shall be invited to participate in the Network without the right to vote. Representatives of other UNESCO Regional Committees having expressed an interest for this may also be invited to participate in the meetings of the ENIC Network.

II.3    Organisations with a European mission active in academic recognition and mobility, may be invited as observers to a particular meeting by the Secretariats with the consent of the President. Observers shall be invited to participate without the right to vote. States party to the European Cultural Convention or belonging to the UNESCO Europe Region that have not appointed a national information centre as a member of the Network, shall be invited to attend Network meetings.

II.4    The Chair of the CC-HER (Council of Europe) or his/her representative and the President of the Regional Committee (UNESCO) or his/her representative shall have the right to participate in Network meetings without the right to vote.

III.    MEETINGS

III.1    The ENIC Network shall hold an annual session. Joint sessions may, as agreed, be held with the NARIC Network of the European Communities or with observer organizations. Such a joint session may replace the annual session of the ENIC Network.

III.2    As far as possible, the business session shall be held in the home country of a member Centre at the invitation of that Centre. If there is no invitation from a member Centre, the annual business session shall be held at the Headquarters of one of the Secretariats. A joint session with the European Communities or an observer organization may be held at the Headquarters of the institution or organization in question.

III.3    With the exception of the election of its officers or the setting up of working parties, subject to budgetary authorization, the Network shall not be empowered to make binding decisions. It shall be empowered to make recommendations to the CDCC (Council of Europe) and the Regional Committee (UNESCO) on issues referred to it by either organization with the tacit consent of the other, or on academic mobility and recognition issues it chooses to raise on its own initiative. The Network shall submit an annual report to the CDCC and the Regional Committee.

III.4    Decisions may be made by consensus, declared by the President, or by votes. Each Member Centre shall have two votes. Where a State is represented by two Centres, each of these shall, however, have one vote.

IV.2    The President shall conduct the meetings of the Network and sum up the conclusions whenever he/she thinks necessary. He/she may call to order a speaker who departs from the subject under discussion or from the Network's terms of reference. He/she shall retain the right to speak and to vote in his capacity as a member of the Network. With the Secretariats, the President may represent the Network between the annual business sessions.

IV.3    The Bureau shall:

    -    assist the President in conducting the business of the network;
    -    supervise the preparation of meetings at the network's request, and;
    -    ensure continuity between meetings as necessary.

IV.4    The term of office of the President and the two Vice Presidents shall be one year, and shall be renewable once. This rule shall not prejudice the election of a Vice President as President of the Network. The terms of office shall run from the end of the annual session at which the officers are elected until the end of the following session.

IV.5    If there is more than one candidate for each office, the President and Vice Presidents shall be elected by secret, separate ballot. The election shall require a two thirds majority of the votes cast on the first ballot and a simple majority on the second ballot. If no candidate obtains a simple majority in the second ballot, a third ballot shall be held between the two candidates having obtained the largest number of votes in the second ballot. Ties shall be decided by drawing lots.

V.    WORKING PARTIES

V.1    The Network may set up ad hoc working parties to consider specific aspects of academic mobility or recognition. Budgetary authorization for setting up ad hoc working parties shall be sought from the organization providing the Secretariat for the working party in question. Funds for ad hoc working parties under the ENIC Network may be included in the work programmes of the CC-HER (Council of Europe) and CEPES (UNESCO). The Network shall appoint the President and members of a working party set up under its authority.

V.2    Ad hoc working parties shall have a clearly defined mandate and duration. They shall report to the annual sessions of the Network. The conclusions and recommendations of ad hoc working parties shall be submitted to the CDCC (Council of Europe) and the Regional Committee (UNESCO) with the opinion of the ENIC Network.

V.3    The task of providing the secretariat for ad hoc working parties shall be shared equitably between the Secretariats. Both Secretariats shall, however, participate in the meetings of all working parties. The Commission of the European Communities shall be invited to participate in and contribute to the working parties.

VI.1    Administrative service of the Network shall be provided jointly by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, represented by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, and the Director General of UNESCO, represented by the Director of CEPES. The Secretary General and the Director General shall each appoint a Co-Secretary of the Network. The Co-Secretaries shall consult as required to ensure the efficient serving of the Network.

VI.2    The Co-Secretaries shall be responsible for drawing up the agenda of Network meetings and meetings of working parties, for preparing and circulating all documents to be examined by the Networks, and for drawing up meeting reports. As far as possible, documents shall be cleared by both Co-Secretaries. The Co-Secretaries may at any time make an oral or written statement on any question under consideration by the Network.

VII.    FINANCE

VII.1    The activities of the Network shall be financed jointly by the Council of Europe and UNESCO (Europe Region). Where appropriate, Member Centres may be required to cover the cost of their participation in the annual sessions.

VII.2    Each organization shall seek to finance the ad hoc working parties for which it provides the Secretariat (cf. V.3) with the exception of the costs of participation of the representative(s) of the other organization and of observers.

5.     Duration:    2 years (1996-1997) renewable