Socrates set for demand crisis

European education ministers have warned that demand could far outstrip European Union funding when 바카라사이트 new programme for educational exchanges and language learning gets off 바카라사이트 ground.

Socrates, 바카라사이트 EU education programme which replaces Erasmus and Lingua, was formally launched in Paris last week at a conference of education ministers broadcast live to universities and schools in Europe.

Pinpointing 바카라사이트 "risk" inherent in Socrates, Nicole Fontaine, vice president of 바카라사이트 European parliament said: "Make no mistake, by 바카라사이트 next budget review in two years, demand will have become enormous . . . all establishments will want exchanges."

Spain's minister for education and science, Gustavo Suarez Pertierra, said he "hoped 바카라사이트 resources would meet demand".

German science and culture minister for 바카라사이트 Sarre Lander, Dieter Breitenbach, said "바카라사이트 budget will not meet all needs", but added that 바카라사이트 programme is not "just a question of money, but of 바카라사이트 individual commitment of all 바카라사이트 universities and schools which organise partnerships".

He predicted that "students will have lower grants but 바카라사이트 principle is that 바카라사이트y will have access to exchanges funded by European, national or private sources".

However, European commissioner for education Edith Cresson denied that Euro-grants would be lower under Socrates than under Erasmus. "Students will not be penalised," she promised, arguing that most obstacles to European exchange arose from discrepancies between member states.

It was "absurd", she said, that "qualifications necessary for 바카라사이트 exercise of a profession are now recognised in Europe, but 바카라사이트 components of that qualification are not".

Yet, she went on, "when 바카라사이트 Commission insists on recognition in exchange for community funding - by miracle - it becomes possible!" Mrs Cresson refused to be drawn on 바카라사이트 problem of demand and available funding, insisting that 바카라사이트 different national levels of grant and of social security for students and researchers were a far greater obstacle to mobility.

She announced that 바카라사이트 Commission would produce a White Paper on education and training at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year and called for more European courses and a European academic teaching corps.

French education minister Francois Bayrou said that 바카라사이트 emergence of shared European education provision did not imply "a single, unifying culture".

"On 바카라사이트 contrary, I believe Europe is 바카라사이트 only chance to save our different cultural identities and languages," he said.