Western Balkans

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

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News archive - Reminder: Erasmus Mundus programme

Erasmus Mundus will offer new possibilities for the Western Balkan countries to promote exchange of students (undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral candidates as well as academic staff).

The December 2006 European Council underlined the desirability of promoting people-to-people contacts by also making available more scholarships for the students of the Western Balkans region. This statement was reiterated by the June 2007 Council.

In addition to the general possibilities offered to the students from all the third countries under the Erasmus Mundus Programme, the Commission has been offering through the pre-accession instrument an increasing number of scholarships specifically for students from the Western Balkans:

Funds have been allocated to grant up to 100 scholarships for postgraduate students from the Western Balkans each year to follow Erasmus Mundus master courses, starting in the academic year 2007-08 (Western Balkans window):

academic year 2007-08: the Decision adopted on 14.12.2006 (CARDS 2006, EUR 4 million) covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
academic year 2008-09: the Decision adopted on 5.11.2007 (IPA 2007, EUR 4 million) extended eligibility to Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Exchanges of up to 500 undergraduate and graduate students, doctoral and post-doctoral candidates and academic staff between the EU and the Western Balkans countries were decided (as part of a wider scholarship initiative, the Erasmus Mundus - External cooperation window).

academic year 2008-09: the Decision was adopted on 5.11.2007 (EUR 6 million under IPA 2007 national programmes); Croatia opted out.

Following the Council Conclusions (GAERC) of 28.1.2008, the Commission intends to double the annual allocation for scholarships (EUR 10 million x 2) under IPA 2008 which would enable several hundred additional students to receive a scholarship as of the academic year 2009/2010.

On 12.7.2007, the Commission adopted a proposal for the second phase of Erasmus Mundus (2009-2013), including a wide scholarship scheme, also covering the Western Balkans. The new programme (Erasmus Mundus II) will be adopted in 2008.

Source: Commission document SEC(2008) 288. Meeting doc 47/08