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(a) The Programme
Socrates is the main instrument of the European Union devoted to education. The Programme’s first phase started in 1995 and ran for five years. The second phase started in January 2000 and will run for seven years. The objectives of Socrates are to strengthen the European dimension of education at all levels and to improve the knowledge of European languages. It also aims to promote and encourage co-operation, mobility, innovation and equal opportunities in all sectors of education. The Socrates programme is open to the 15 Member States of the
European Union, the three EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the thirteen associated countries: Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Slovenia, Turkey, Malta and Cyprus.
Socrates consists of eight actions. The first three, Comenius, Erasmus, Grundtvig, correspond to the three phases which comprise the lifelong learning process: school, university and adult education. The other five are horizontal actions:, Lingua, Minerva, Observation and innovation of education systems and policies, Joint actions with other European programmes and Accompanying measures
(b) Who may apply?
The Socrates programme is available to a wide number of people and institutions at all levels of education. To find out in which actions you can take part, please consult the following website: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/particip_en.html
Guidelines for applicants, calls for proposals and application forms are to be found at: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/download_en.html
Any further questions may be put to the Technical Assistance Office in Brussels:
Technical Assistance Office
59-61, Rue de Trèves,
B- 1000 Bruxelles
Tel.: +32 2 233 01 11
Fax: +32 2 233 01 50
Email: info@socleoyouth.be
Website: http://www3.socleoyouth.be/servlet/page?_pageid=55,61&_dad=slyportal&_schema=SLYPORTAL
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a) The Action
Action 1 of the Socrates programme is called Comenius and focuses on school education (nursery, primary and secondary). There are three key sections under Comenius:
Comenius I deals with school partnerships. These can be in the form of school projects, language projects and school development projects. Grants for preparatory visits help prepare these projects. Within school partnerships, a variety of transnational mobility grants are available for activities including project meetings, teacher exchanges, teacher placements and head teacher study visits. These projects enable schools in different European countries to work together on a theme of common interest. Schools can apply for financial support and may be funded for a maximum of three consecutive school years. Project mobility grants may also

 be available for a limited number of pupils. Comenius language projects focus on learning foreign European languages. They are carried out by groups of at least 10 young people aged 14 or older from partner schools in two participating countries.
Comenius 2 deals with the training of school educational staff. The EU is able to fund a variety of activities including projects designed to create training courses and teaching materials for educational staff and student teachers, as well as transnational projects that develop teaching strategies, methods and materials for specific learner groups. Individual mobility grants are also available for future teachers, teachers in service, educational staff involved in formal and non-formal education (e.g. head teachers, inspectors and advisors).
These grants are intended to subsidise mobility for the participation in practical courses or placements in schools/companies in another country or to take part in European courses with colleagues from other countries.
They include the grants made for Comenius Language Assistantships.
Comenius 3 is also known as Comenius Networks . Comenius 3 aims to create links between projects carried out by school partnerships and projects involving the training of school education staff in the framework of a given theme. Comenius Networks is mainly available to institutions already collaborating within the
Comenius programme (i.e. activities that are already set up under either Comenius 1 or 2) that wish to strengthen and maintain their European co-operation beyond the period of EU support for their specific projects. Links between institutions must be structured around subjects of common interest in order to allow those involved to jointly reflect and cooperate in identifying and promoting innovation and best practice and implementing a good dissemination of products in the thematic area concerned.
(b) Who may apply?
The Comenius programme is open to educational institutions and individuals of the Member States of the
European Union, the EU acceding countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Romania, Bulgaria and from 2004 onwards, Turkey.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
The Comenius 2 project “HACOSDI-Hacia una convivencia solidaria a través de las diferencias interculturales” is an example of a project promoting lesser-used languages. Within this project, Spanish, French and Italian secondary school pupils studied the similarities and differences of their respective cultures and languages.
(d) Language Criteria
In Comenius 1, language projects are limited to official languages and they should involve two schools from two
European countries and should focus on the learning of foreign languages. Priority will be given to less widely taught official languages, which are Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Irish, Luxembourguish, Portuguese and
Swedish.
(e) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture
Unit A3 - School Education
Rue de la Loi 200
B-1049 Brussels
E-mail: comenius@cec.eu.int
Web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/comenius/index_en.html
(a) The Action
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Erasmus or the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students was established in
1987. It was the first major European programme in the area of higher education, offering financial support to universities and other types of higher education institutions so that they can provide optimal conditions for the mobility and exchange of teaching staff, administrators and, in particular, students. Under the Erasmus action, grants are provided to students at any institution of higher education and at any level up to and including the doctorate (except for students enrolled in their first year of Higher Education) so that they can study for a period of 3-12 months at a higher education establishment in another participating country. The time spent in the other country should be fully recognised in the originating university. Teachers giving short courses as part of the official curriculum of a partner university in another European country are also entitled to grants under Erasmus.
This financial support is intended as a contribution to the additional costs arising from teaching in another country.
(b) Who may apply?
The Erasmus programme is open to universities and academic institutions in the EU Member States, as well as to the EFTA countries and candidate countries. It is important to bear in mind that Erasmus is a decentralised action: grants are distributed directly from the universities in the Member States.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
In the framework of the above-mentioned mobility measure Erasmus 2 , the language training grants can be used for courses in a RML. For example, in the past a student going to the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland was taught in Swedish.
(d) Language Criteria
The Erasmus programme consists of three interrelated sub-actions:
Erasmus 1 : European inter-university cooperation
Erasmus 2 : Mobility of students and university teachers
Erasmus 3 : Thematic networks
Of these 3 actions, only Erasmus 2 is relevant in respect to RMLs. The language training support under
Erasmus 2 consists of Intensive Language Preparation Courses (ILPC). The languages taught in the ILPCs are only the official languages. It is possible that a university has a supplementary budget for language training grants for students . These grants could be used for language training in the minority language of the respective country. Also universities can use part of the grants they receive for organisation of mobility (OM) for the language support to incoming and outgoing students and teachers. (This varies from country to country and from university to university.)
(e) Contact details
Socrates Technical Assistance Office
Rue de Trèves 59-61
B - 1040 Brussels
Tel.:+32 2 233 01 11
Fax:+32 2 233 01 50
E-mail: socrates@socleoyouth.be
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/erasmus/erasmus_en.html
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(a) The Action
The purpose of Grundtvig is to enhance the provision of adult education in the formal and non-formal sectors and through autonomous learning. Activities supported by Grundtvig include projects that will promote innovation and improve the availability, accessibility and quality of educational provision for adults through
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European co-operation. There are no language restrictions, so this action will be of interest to certain users of
RMLs. Grundtvig is divided into 4 parts:
Grundtvig-1: Transnational cooperation projects : Institutions and organisations from different
European countries work together, pooling their knowledge and experience, in order to achieve concrete results/products.
Grundtvig-2: Learning partnerships : This is targeted at smaller organisations that want to include cooperation in their education activities. It focuses more on processes rather than on producing results.
Grundtvig-3: Mobility for training of educational staff: Educational staff working with adults can be provided with grants from the Commission to enable them to undertake training activities in a different country to the one in which the participant normally works. The intention is to broaden the participants’ understanding of lifelong learning in Europe and to improve their practical teaching / management / counselling or other adult learning-related skills.
Grundtvig-4 Networks : Grundtvig Networks aims at strengthening the links between the various participants involved in adult learning, so that they are able to co-operate on a more stable basis. Grundtvig
Thematic networks aim to provide a forum for discussion on key issues, policy shaping and/or research in the area of adult learning. Grundtvig Project networks aim to enable institutions, which have participated in projects, to continue contacts so that they can contribute to the further dissemination of project results. Other relevant actors can also take part in the network.
(b) Who may apply?
The Grundtvig action is open to every organisation working in the field of adult learning within the formal or the non-formal system or providing informal education. (See website for more detailed information). Mixed partnerships involving institutions from both the formal and the non-formal sector will be particularly encouraged.
The participating countries in Grundtvig are the 15 Member States of the European Union as well as Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway and Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia. Transnational cooperation projects (Grundtvig 1) and learning partnerships (Grundtvig 2) must involve eligible institutions/organisations from at least three participating countries. For networks (Grundtvig 4) the minimum number of partners is six. At least one of the partners must be from an EU Member State.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
There is no example of a Grundtvig project promoting lesser-used languages.
(d) Language Criteria
The Grundtvig programme is open to all the languages of the Member States, also to RMLs. At this moment,
20% of the Grundtvig projects is about intercultural education. Within this theme, special attention is paid to the integration of migrants in their community. For this reason it is likely that the theme of intercultural education will be given priority to in the 2004 call for proposal.
(e) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture
Unit A1/Lifelong learning policy development
B-1049 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 299 11 11
E-mail: eac-info@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/grundtvig/home_en.html
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(a) The Programme
The Lingua Action supports the promotion of language teaching and learning through measures designed to:
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Encourage and support linguistic diversity throughout the EU.
Contribute to an improvement in the quality of language teaching and learning.
Promote access to lifelong language learning opportunities appropriate to each individual’s needs.
Lingua is divided into 2 parts. The purpose of Lingua 1 is to raise citizens’ awareness of the wealth of multilingualism in the EU, encourage the life-long learning of languages, and improve access to foreignlanguage learning resources across Europe. It also aims to develop and disseminate innovative techniques and good practices in language teaching. The objective of Lingua 2 is to ensure that a sufficiently wide range of language-learning tools is available to language learners. Under both Lingua 1 and Lingua 2, the Commission will fund projects developed by transnational partnerships composed of eligible institutions and organisations.
The application procedure is the same for both sub-actions.
(b) Who may apply?
The Lingua programme is open to language organisations and educational institutions in the 15 Member States of the European Union as well as Island, Liechtenstein and Norway and Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
There are no examples of Lingua projects promoting lesser-used languages.
( d) Language Criteria
In the context of Lingua, language teaching covers the teaching and learning, as foreign languages, of all of the official Community languages as well as Irish and Luxembourgish. The national languages of the EFTA/EEA countries and of the accession candidate countries participating in SOCRATES are also eligible. Particular attention is paid to the development of skills in the less widely used and less taught official Community languages (the ‘LWULT’ languages). The definition of LWULT varies from one area of the EU to another. In general, the LWULT are: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Irish, Luxembourgish, Portugese and Swedish, but it is worth mentioning that the definition depends on the situation in the country. Since Lingua mainly supports the teaching and learning of foreign languages via transnational language-learning projects it would at best be of limited relevance for the teaching of regional and minority languages.
(e) Contact Details
Socrates Technical Assistance Office
Rue de Trèves 59-61
B - 1040 Brussels
Tél.:+32 2 233 01 11
Fax:+32 2 233 01 50
E-mail: socrates@socleoyouth.be
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/lingua/index_en.html
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(a) The Programme
The Minerva Action of the Socrates programme seeks to promote European co-operation in the field of
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in education.
Minerva aims to help teachers, learners, decision-makers and the general public to understand the implications of the use of ICT in education, as well as the critical and responsible use of ICT for educational purposes. It also intends to ensure that pedagogical considerations are given proper weight in the development of ICT and
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multimedia-based educational products and services. A further objective of Minerva is to promote access to improved methods and educational resources as well as results and best practices in this field.
(b) Who may apply?
The following organisations may apply for funding: resource centres or other organisations with expertise in the field of "ICT in education" or/and Open and Distance Learning, - all types of educational institutions and providers, distance education institutions (including open universities), teacher education institutions, associations of teachers or learners, research teams working in the field of "ICT in education" and/or ODL, academic/educational associations or consortia at national or European level, organisations/institutions involved in educational innovation, - public and private publishers/producers/broadcasters and other actors in the field of
ICT and multimedia.
The participating countries in Minerva are the 15 Member States of the European Union as well as Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. From 2004, the participation of Turkey is also foreseen.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
There are no examples of Minerva projects promoting lesser-used languages.
(d) Language Criteria
The Minerva programme is open to all languages of the Member States, RMLs included. There is no specific attention paid to RMLs, but it may be conceived that a project combining ICT in education and the learning of
RMLs is funded under the Minerva programme.
(e) Contact Details
Socrates Technical Assistance Office
Rue de Trèves 59-61
B - 1040 Brussels
Tél.:+32 2 233 01 11
Fax:+32 2 233 01 50
E-mail: socrates@socleoyouth.be; minerva@cec.eu.int.
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/minerva/action_en.html
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(a) The Actions
The main aims of this action are to improve the quality and transparency of education systems and to continue the process of educational innovation in Europe. This is to be achieved through the exchange of information and experience, the identification of good practice, the comparative analysis of systems and policies in this field, and the discussion and analysis of matters of common educational policy interest to be determined by the Council.
EU financial assistance may be awarded for: the Information Network on Education in Europe, "EURYDICE"; the organisation of and participation in "ARION" multilateral study visit s for decision-makers and senior managers of educational institutions in any sector of education; networking of institutes and other appropriately qualified bodies engaged in analysing educational systems and policies, as well as of the bodies involved in the evaluation of educational quality; studies, analyses, pilot projects, seminars, exchanges of expertise and other appropriate actions relating to matters of common educational policy interest;
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activities to promote recognition of diplomas, qualifications and periods of learning, notably studies, analyses, pilot projects and the exchange of information and experience. The Community network of National
Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC) will make a full contribution in this regard.
(b) Contact Details
Contact points concerning Observation and Innovation can be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/observation/contact_en.html
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/observation/index_en.html
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
(a) The Actions
Joint Actions is an activity that links three programmes: Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth. Although these programmes aim to be complementary, with Joint Actions it is possible to implement initiatives that extend beyond the scope of a single Programme.
Accompanying Measures support various activities which, though not eligible under the main Actions, will clearly contribute to achieving Socrates’ objectives. These projects could: raise awareness of relevant target groups or the general public concerning the SOCRATES programme or the importance of European cooperation in the field of education improve the implementation of SOCRATES maximise the impact of European cooperation in the field of education, by disseminating the products and processes resulting from European cooperation; bring together projects supported under Comenius, Erasmus, Grundtvig, Lingua, Minerva; target general objectives of the SOCRATES programme, including in particular, the promotion of equal opportunities, the integration of disabled persons, intercultural education and the fight against racism;
(b) Who may apply?
There are many kinds of institutions and organisations which might take part in projects carried out under the Joint
Actions and Accompanying Measures: teacher training centres, adult education institutions, non-profit organisations and associations for students, parents, teachers and staff.
In principle, a project must include the participation of at least one eligible institution in every country involved with a minimum of 3 different countries. At least one of these countries must be a Member State of the European Union.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
There are no examples of projects under Joint Actions or Accompanying measures promoting lesser-used languages.
(d) Language Criteria
As Joint Actions forms a link between Socrates, Leonardo and Youth, the language criteria under these actions are the same as those described under the above-mentioned programmes.
(e) Contact Details
Technical Assistance Office
59-61 rue de Trèves
B-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 233 01 11
Fax: +32 2 233 01 50
E-mail: eac-info@cec.eu.int
Websites: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/joint/jointactions_en.html
, http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/action8/action8_en.html
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(a) The Programme
The Leonardo da Vinci programme promotes transnational projects based on co-operation between the various players in vocational training - training bodies, vocational schools, universities, businesses, chambers of commerce - in an effort to increase mobility, to foster innovation and to improve the quality of training. The aim is to help people improve their skills throughout their lives in the work environment.
Leonardo da Vinci II formulates five types of instruments. All the initiatives of the first category, mobility, should be related to trans-national projects for people in training. The second measure is the pilot projects, which aim at stimulating the innovation process along with improving the value of training and vocational guidance. Proposals dealing with the support of languages as well as cultural competencies related to professional trainings are classified within the third type of instrument. Fourthly, the trans-national networks of expertise and dissemination within the European Union. The last instrument is the reference material. The idea here is to create the possibility to register specific characteristics and changes in national professional training systems at EU-level.
The five instruments could have some impact on languages. However, the two main one are the following:
Mobility : trans-national projects for people in training, especially young people undergoing training or endeavouring to enter the labour market, young employed workers or job seekers, recent graduates, students registered in higher education establishments. Inside the preparation of the beneficiaries, some linguistic preparation can be realised.
Language competencies: Proposals may be concerned with designing, testing and validating, assessing and disseminating teaching material, as well as with innovative teaching methods tailored to the specific needs of different occupational and economic sectors. They may also cover the development of language audits and innovatory pedagogical approaches based on language self-tuition and the dissemination of the results.
(b) Who may apply?
The Leonardo da Vinci programme is open to private, public or semi-public organisations and institutions in vocational training. Private individuals are not allowed to submit proposals. The participating countries in Leonardo are the 15 Member States of the European Union as well as Island, Liechtenstein and Norway and Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and
Slovenia. Turkey will be eligible soon.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
An example of a Leonardo da Vinci project promoting lesser-used languages is INTERCOMM - International
Communication Skills for Enhanced Mobility and Trade. This project is producing CD-Rom and DVD in Gaelic,
Portuguese, Icelandic and English some training products. Those products include language training and culture presentation, export trade information for the farming and fishing industries. The website of this project is http://www.intercommproject.com
/
(d) Language Criteria
The Programme is open to all languages. However, applications should be submitted in one of the official languages.
The language competencies instruments strongly encourage projects including the less widely used and taught languages: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Irish, Luxembourgish, Portugese and Swedish.
(e) Contact Details
The main part of the proposed instruments is managed through National Agencies present in each participating country. Details of each Agency can http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/leonardo/new/leonardo2/nalist2_en.html
be
European Commission , Directorate-General Education and Culture, found at
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Vocational Training
Rue de la Loi 200
B- 1049 Brussels
Email: leonardo@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/leonardo/leonardo2_en.html
More information can be found in the guide of promoters on the website
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/leonardo/leonardo2_en.html)
There is a database with all the existing projects at http://leonardo.cec.eu.int/pdb/ .
CEDEFOP – European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
Europe 123
GR - 57001 Thessaloniki (Pylea), Greece
Tel.: +30 31 490 111
Fax: +30-31 490 102
Email: info@cedefop.eu.int
Website: http://www.cedefop.eu.int
Website (interactive): www.trainingvillage.gr
(a) The Programme
The Youth Programme gives young people between the ages of 15 and 25 the opportunity to be mobile and to participate actively in non-formal educational activities. There are five types of actions:
Action 1 – Youth for Europe Under this action, young people from 2 or more countries meet for a short period in one of the partner countries to learn about each other’s cultures and discuss certain themes of common interest. These exchanges must involve at least 1 EU member state.
Action 2 – European Voluntary Service (EVS) Young people aged 18-25 have the opportunity to spend up to 12 months abroad as European volunteers. They assist with local projects in a variety of fields e.g. social, ecological, environmental, arts and culture, new technologies, leisure and sports.
Action 3 – Youth Initiatives Young people aged 15-25 can be offered support to lead a project at local level
Action 4 – Joint Actions The Joint Actions are an explicit feature of the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and
Youth programmes. They are designed to encourage an integrated approach to training, education and youth policy.
“Joint Actions” provides support for projects already or formerly linked to other EU programmes including Socrates
(education), Leonardo da Vinci (vocational training), Youth (non-formal education) and Culture 2000.
Action 5 – Support Measures Under this action, it is possible to develop and improve YOUTH projects, for example through exchanges of good practices or the training of project organisers.
(b) Who may apply?
The Youth programme addresses mainly young people between the age of 15 and 25 who are legally resident in one of the 15 EU member states. Different groups of 16-60 persons can profit from this programme, such as people who wish to launch an idea at local level to youth organisations, youth leaders or local authorities. It is important to note that the Youth programme is a decentralised action. Therefore, National Agencies in the EU (Candidate) Member
States provide the application forms that can also be downloaded. The YOUTH ‘programme countries’ include the
15 member states of the EU, the 3 countries of EFTA and the 12 candidate countries. Turkey is currently involved in the YOUTH programme as a third country and is likely to participate as a full ‘programme country’ in the coming years. There are also other third countries that can participate in Actions 1, 2 and 5.
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(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
An example of a project related to lesser-used languages being funded under the YOUTH programme is the
“Offspring” theatre project. This initiative comprised of workshops to explore the possibilities for a multilingual and multilateral theatre co-production that would celebrate and promote the linguistic diversity of Europe. In June 2002, the co-production was staged at the site-specific theatre festival Oerol on the isle of Terschelling/Skylge, Friesland,
The Netherlands.
(d) Language Criteria
The Youth programme is open to all languages, including RMLs. Young people interested in visiting other RML communities, would be able to use their respective regional or minority language. However, applications should be submitted in one of the official languages.
(e) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture,
YOUTH-Unit
B-1049 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 299 11 11
Fax: +32 2 299 40 38
E-mail: youth@cec.eu.int
Website: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/youth/program/index_en.html
(a) The Programme
This programme seeks to promote creativity and mobility as well as public access to culture, diffusion of culture and arts, knowledge of the history of the people of Europe but also to encourage dialogue between the European citizens.
Moreover, Culture 2000 encourages artistic and cultural projects that have a European dimension. Under Culture
2000, there is a wide range of activities: festivals, tours, co-productions and exhibitions. Consequently, the target group reaches from artists and cultural operators to socially and economically underprivileged groups. In 2004, priority will be given to the theme of cultural heritage, which includes historical archives, libraries, cultural sites and cultural landscapes.
(b) Who may apply?
Any operator dealing with culture established in EU Member States, and the three EEA/EFTA countries (Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway). It is possible for candidate countries to participate in the Programme. This is subject to the conditions set out in the Association Council Decisions signed with these countries relating to the participation in the programme.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
An example of Culture 2000 in the field of regional and minority languages is the Fabula project, targeting primary school teachers. The main goal of this project is to stimulate the production and the use of innovative bilingual multimedia resources for the teaching and learning of languages. It focuses on raising the perceived status of the minority languages and awakening interest in language learning. Fabula has been used in Wales, Catalonia,
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Friesland, the Northern Basque Country and Ireland. The website of this project is http://www.fabula.eu.org/fy/about.htm
Another example of a Culture 2000 project of interest for RML is the theatre project “Communautés européennes de l’immigration et de l’action artistique (COM.E.d’IA)” Its objective was to organise exchange and co-operation between officers responsible for cultural programmes and artists in the field of culture and immigration in Europe.
The idea was to better identify and to promote factors of artistic diversity, social participation and integration as well as to support the know-how of young artists. This project tried to create conditions for mutual experiences involving artists and performers showing that theatre can be made in regional and minority languages.
(d) Language Criteria
Under Culture 2000 there is support for translation projects. In this regard, the Programme stresses the promotion of the less widely used languages, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Irish, Luxembourgish, Portugese and Swedish.
In addition to this, the programme is also open to RMLs.
(e) Contact Details
Te website of Culture: http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/index_en.html
A list of National Contact Points can be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/culture2000/contacts/contacts_en.html
A database of Central and Eastern Europe’s Cultural Institutions can be found at: http://www.ceeculture.info/default.asp
(a) The Programme
The MEDIA programme (1991-1995) was designed to strengthen the competitiveness of the European audiovisual industry with a series of support measures dealing with:
The training of professionals;
The development of production projects and companies;
The distribution of cinematographic works and audiovisual programmes;
The promotion of cinematographic works and audiovisual programmes;
The support for cinematographic festivals.
Equipped with a budget of 400 million euro MEDIA brings support both before and after production. MEDIA cofinances training initiatives for audiovisual industry professionals, the development of production projects (feature films, television drama, documentaries, animation and new media), as well as the distribution and promotion of
European audiovisual works.
(b) Who may apply?
The MEDIA Plus programme is open to all natural and legal persons dealing with media, for example audiovisual enterprises. Apart from the EU Member states, applications from Cyprus, Malta, Central and Eastern Europe countries as well as EFTA countries (Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) are taken into account.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
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An example of a project could be a lesser-used language audiovisual enterprise seeking support for a film, documentary or TV production about regional or minority languages in Europe.
(d) Language Criteria
One of the objectives of the MEDIA Programme is respect for linguistic and cultural diversity in New Generation of
Programmes European audiovisual production. In this respect, particular attention is given to the specific needs of countries with a low production capacity and/or a restricted geographical and linguistic area. This could be interesting regarding RML.
(e) Contact details
Technical Assistance Office / D & S Media Service
Troonstraat 12, Rue du Trône
B- 1000 Brussels,
Tel.: +32 2 743 22 43
Fax: +32 2 743 22 45
Websites: http://europa.eu.int/comm/avpolicy/media/index_en.html

(a) The Action eLearning was launched by the European Commission to foster the transformation of Europe’s educational systems, through the use of information and communication technologies and the Internet. The eLearning Action Plan defines e-learning as: “the use of new multimedia technologies and the Internet to improve the quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and services as well as remote exchanges and collaboration”. The new eLearning initiative will run for three years between 2004 and 2006. It has four components:
Promoting digital literacy
European virtual campuses
School twinning via Internet
Transversal actions
(b) Who may apply?
The Programme is open to Member states of the European Union. Candidate countries and Member states of the
European Economic Area shall be able to participate in accordance with the relevant provisions of the instruments governing the relations between the European Community and those countries.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
It is a new programme and, therefore, there are so far no examples of projects that deal specifically with RMLs.
However, calls for proposals will be launched in 2004 and eLearning could be of interest for RMLs.
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
(d) Language Criteria eLearning has no specific approach towards RMLs but the Programme is open to all languages. It is imaginable that pupils who participate in school twinning via Internet, use their own (regional) language. Proposals for eLearning should be submitted in one of the official languages of the EU.
(e) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture,
The “Multimedia” Unit
Rue de la Loi 200
B-1049 Brussels
Tel.:+32 2 299 11 47
Fax:+32 2 2 296 69
E-mail: elearning@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/elearning/index_en.html
(a) The Action
The idea of town twinning is co-operation between towns from different European countries, in order to exchange experiences in all areas of local life. Three types of projects are eligible: exchanges between citizens from towns that are twinned or are setting up a new twinning scheme; conferences and meetings on European subjects, and activities designed to give a fresh impetus to the twinning concept; training seminars for organisers of town twinning schemes.
(b) Who may apply?
Municipalities and “comités de jumelage” of European cities may apply. The European Commission encourages exchanges between towns in the Member states of the EU, as well as projects involving an EU Member State and one of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (including the Baltic states), Cyprus and Malta. Priority is given to meetings involving municipalities from the applicant countries or from the new EU Member States; meetings between twinned towns and municipalities that are disadvantaged for geographical reasons (large distances between municipalities, municipalities in peripheral, insular or less developed regions); meetings involving small municipalities (fewer than 5000 inhabitants).
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
As the town-twinning programme does not pay any specific attention to languages, there are no examples of towntwinning projects with the topic of RMLs. However, we can imagine a twinning project between two towns, where in one town the language is an official state language, whereas the other town is situated across the border and the same language is considered a minority language.
(d) Language Criteria
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The Programme is open to all languages. At community level the participants of Town-Twinning projects should use the official languages, for example when applying, whereas at local level RMLs can be used.
(e) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture
“Centre for the Citizen” unit
Rue de la Loi 200
B-1049 Brussels
Tel.:+32 2 295 26 85
Fax:+32 2 296 23 89
E-mail: Towntwinning@cec.eu.int
Website :http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/towntwin/index_en.html

(a) The Action
The purpose of the “Partnerships with Civil Society” sector is to strengthen the dialogue between the European
Union and its citizens with a view to encouraging an active and participatory European citizenship. Since civil society players represent the concerns of a large number of Europeans, the Commission wants to encourage debate, reflection and other awareness-raising projects undertaken by groups, such as NGOs, trade unions and social movements which are also linked to the future of the Union. To strengthen this kind of activity among civil society groups the Commission is setting up an annual call for proposals to enable projects on European issues proposed by non-governmental organisations to be financed. The Commission publishes a call for proposals every year to support
European discussion and reflection projects organised by associations and federations of European interest.
(b) Who may apply?
Grants are available for non-governmental organisations, trade union organisations and other non-for-profit associations in the EU Member States and the acceding countries. The Commission may accept a proposal from an applicant in an EFTA/EEA country or a candidate country only if, by the deadline for submission of grant applications, agreements laying down the arrangements for those countries' participation in the programme have been concluded. Preference is given to schemes involving partnerships with other European organisations, although this is not an absolute condition.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
The types of actions supported are seminars, conferences, events, NGO networking, publications, IT products and
Radio and Television broadcasts. There are no examples of projects about RMLs.
(d) Language Criteria
Civil Society doesn’t exclude any specific language and could therefore be relevant for NGO’s working with RML, but always in relation to the priorities mentioned in the Calls for Proposals and in the context of the debate on the future of the Union. Proposals for this programme can only be submitted in one of the current official languages.
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(e) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture
Visits, traineeships, partnerships with civil society Unit
VM-2, 4/49
B-1049 Brussels
Tel.:+32 2 2992478
Fax.:+32 2 2999302
E-mail : eac-soc-civile@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/civilsociety/en.htm

(a) The Programme eContent, which stands for European digital content for the global networks, builds on the success of MLIS
(promoting linguistic diversity in the information society) and INFO2000 (development of a European information content industry) of which it is the follow-on programme. It aims to stimulate production, use and distribution of
European digital content on the global networks but also to promote linguistic diversity in the Information society.
The project contains three main components: improving access to and expanding the use of public sector information, enhancing content production in a multilingual and multicultural environment and stimulating the dynamism of the digital market.
(b) Who may apply?
The Programme is open to all legal entities in the public sector, for example audiovisual producers working with digital and multicultural radio. The entities should be established in the Member States of the European Union and in the EFTA states that are members of the European Economic Area (EEA). The European Commission has signed memorandums of understanding with the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland, Turkey and Hungary, allowing them to participate fully in the eContent Programme.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
Minority Newspapers to New Media (MNM) is an example of a project promoting lesser-used languages. It is a website that gives an overview of all the newspapers aiming exclusively at minority languages across the European
Union: http://mnm.uib.es/pages/indice.php?lan=ENG .
(d) Language Criteria
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As one of the aims of eContent is to promote linguistic diversity, and as the programme is open to all languages,
RMLs included, it is conceivable that projects dealing with RMLs in relation to the Information Society, will be eligible for funding.
(e) Contact Details
European Commission / eContent Programme Office, Directorate-General Information Society-Directorate D
EUFO 01 / 1181
Rue Alcide de Gasperi
L- 2920 Luxembourg
Fax: +352 4301 34959
Website: http://www.cordis.lu/econtent/

(a) The Programme
Information Society Technologies (IST) is a thematic priority within the current research programme of the
European Union – the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The objectives of IST in FP6 are to ensure European leadership in the generic and applied technologies at the heart of the knowledge economy. It aims to increase innovation and competitiveness in European businesses and industry and to contribute to greater benefits for all
European citizens. Realising the IST in FP6 objectives requires research on both the core technologies and specific applications and the IST therefore targets progress in three main technology building blocks:
Pushing the limits of miniaturisation and minimising the costs and power consumption of microelectronic and micro-systems components.
Developing mobile, wireless, optical and broadband communication infrastructures and computing technologies that are reliable, pervasive and can be adapted to accommodate new applications and services.
Developing user friendly interfaces which are intuitive, can interpret our senses such as speech, vision and touch and that understand gestures; preparing for the Next Generation Web technologies that make access to knowledge simpler and more effective. This includes research in multilingual systems to facilitate translation and interactions.
A strong applied and application-specific research effort is also needed to address in an integrated way the socioeconomic challenges. Research here will aim at: solving trust and confidence problems in the areas of security, privacy, property and individual rights and dependability addressing the societal challenges such as health, inclusion, transport, environment and cultural heritage as well as business challenges such as support to new value chain management, mobile commerce and e work tools and processes. developing the tools and applications of knowledge and computing for complex problem solving in science industry and businesses.
(b) Who may apply?
All legal entities and individuals can apply for the programme, e.g. national, regional and local administrators, industry, voluntary organisations, universities and research laboratories. All countries can participate, but they are not all eligible for funding. Proposals must contain at least a minimum of THREE mutually independent participants: two participants from different EU states or candidate countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic,
Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK) plus one more participant from another EU state or candidate country listed above, or from one of the other Associated
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states which are not candidate countries Liechtenstein, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Switzerland. When this minimum is achieved, participants from any other country in the world can be added.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
An example of a project dealing with minority languages and the information society is MELIN, the Minority
European Languages Information Network. This project takes care of the provision of language resources to users of minority and lesser-used languages in the EU. The website of the project is: http://www.ite.ie/melin.htm
(d) Language Criteria
The Programme is open to all languages, also RMLs. The fact that Information Societies Technologies Research stimulates research in multilingual systems to facilitate translation and interactions, could be interesting with respect to RMLs.
(e) Contact Details
European Commission / IST Infodesk, Information Society Directorate General,
Unit F7
Office BU31 01/19
B- 1049 Brussels
Fax: +32 2 296 83 88
Email: ist@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/information_society/ist/index_en.htm
.
III
(a) The Programme
This programme seeks to strengthen economic and social cohesion by encouraging interregional co-operation in the
European Union. The project further aims at stimulating cross-border cooperation and at contributing to the development of border regions. Interreg III is solely financed by the ERDF and is running from 2000 until 2006. The
Programme is composed of three strands: cross-border cooperation, transnational cooperation and interregional cooperation. The first strand focuses on developing social and economic centres and is therefore not of particular interest to RML. However, the second strand, transnational cooperation, wants national, regional and local authorities to work together in order to promote better integration within the Union by forming large groups of
European regions. Also the third strand is interesting in respect to RML, because interregional cooperation aims to improve the effectiveness of regional development policies and instruments through information exchange and sharing of experience by means of networks.
(b) Who may apply?
All public and private authorities are considered as potential beneficiaries (national, regional or local administrations and other public bodies, research bodies, universities, socio-economic authorities organisations, etc) and can apply for funding, if they are located in the eligible areas concerning each individual programme (see the website of
Interreg III). With regards to the third strand, interregional cooperation, partners from the whole EU may apply for funding. Projects may include partners from third countries, but these will not be co-financed by the ERDF.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
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Regional and minority language activists have effectively used the Interreg programme in order to promote community development and cultural tourism, for example in The Northern Periphery projects. These projects came down to musical festivals in the Sámi areas of Finland, Norway and Sweden as well as in the Celtic fringes of
Scotland. Projects such as the Italian-German legal dictionary in South-Tyrol and the primary school book Chentu
Paraulus in Sardinia are directed under the regional programmes of education and academic research.
(d) Language Criteria
The promotion of language learning and regional cultural values are taken into consideration under the Interreg III programme. The Programme is therefore open to all languages of the Member States, RMLs included.
(e) Contact Details
Directorate-General Regio/01 - Information
CSM2 A01/200
B- 1049 Brussels
Fax: +32 2 296 60 03
Websites: http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/interreg3/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/contacts/index_en.htm
Addresses at national level can be found at: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/offices.htm#be
(a) The Community initiative
The Leader+ Community initiative implemented through 73 national and regional programmes is designed to help local rural actors consider the long-term potential of their local region. It places a strong emphasis on co-operation and networking between the rural areas. Sustainable effects, quality projects and actions that support job creation are a few of the keywords of this programme. The aims of the Leader+ programme are the following:
making the best use of natural and cultural resources, including enhancing the value of sites; improving the quality of life in rural areas; adding value to local products, in particular by facilitating access to markets for small production units via collective actions; the use of new know-how and new technologies to make products and services in rural areas more competitive.
There are three types of action within The Programme:
Support for integrated territorial development strategies of a pilot nature based on a bottom-up approach
Support for cooperation between rural territories
Networking. National networks disseminate information from national level to the Local Action Groups and act as a forum for information exchange on experience and know-how. They also deliver assistance for local and transnational cooperation.
(b) Who may apply?
Local partnerships involving both public and private sectors as well as socio-economic partners and associations of all the Member States. In each Member State there is a national network managed by national authorities.
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(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
The “Sorbian culture” project is an example of a RML-related action under the Leader+ programme. The project,
“leverage for development” improves Sorbian schools, creates a Sorbian Cultural Centre in order to attract tourists and encourages festivals and cultural meetings with the aim of maintaining and developing the Sorbian language and culture. The website of this project is http://www.rastko.org.yu/rastko-lu/istorija/savremena/sschwarzdevelopment.html
(d) Language Criteria
This programme is open to all languages, also to RMLs. The main characteristic of the Leader+ approach to rural development is a bottom up approach. This means that strategies are designed and implemented by local actors and not by national or regional authorities. As a result, this programme could be of interest to keeping minority culture alive.
(e) Contact Details
DG AGRI_ unit F3
Email : agrileader@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/rur/leaderplus/index_fr.htm
(a) The Programme
Urban II is designed to promote sustainable development in troubled urban districts in the EU, small and mediumsized towns as well as declining areas in big cities. Urban II is a Community Initiative of the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF), just like Interreg and Leader + and is running until 2006. The aims are to promote the design and implementation of innovative models for the economic and social regeneration of troubled urban areas and to strengthen information and experience-sharing on sustainable urban development in the European Union.
Urban II can also serve as a link between small-scale innovative approaches and the adoption of an integrated participatory approach in the main Structural Fund programmes.
(b) Who may apply?
In the year 2000 70 towns in the different Member States were selected for the Urban II programme. These cities are currently financed. There are no current plans for a further round.
(c) Projects Promoting Lesser-used Languages
The problems that the selected cities deal with are mostly unemployment and degeneration. Language education can be involved within this programme, but in this case it’s mostly immigrants learning the language of the country in order to give them better opportunities on the labour market. Therefore, there are no examples of projects concerning lesser-used languages.
(d) Language Criteria
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At community level, the Urban programme works exclusively with the official languages of the European Union.
However, at local level it is thinkable that for example a brochure is published in the language of the region concerned.
European Commission, Directorate-General Regional Policy
B-1049 Brussels
Tel.: +32.2.296 06 34
Fax : +32.2.296 60 03
E-mail : regio-info@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/regional_policy/contact/conta_en.htm
The Structural Funds of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund
(ESF) are particularly relevant with regards to support for regional and minority languages. It is allocated through two important components: the Community support frameworks and the Community initiatives.

(a) The Programme
The European Regional Development Fund operates according to regional objectives. The Programme plays a key role in equalising main regional imbalances in the European Union by participating in the development and structural modification of areas where improvement is lagging behind, as well as in the economic and social conversion of regions. Since this programme helps actions to support the indigenous potential of the target zones, it can contribute to the preservation of regional languages and cultures in order to develop tourist infrastructures and to slow down rural exodus. The ERDF programmes usually involve the public sector.
(b) Who may apply?
All parties involved in economic and social development can participate in this programme, not only authorities, but also economic and social agents. Grants are available for the EU Member States.
(c) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General REGIO/01 - Information
CSM2 A01/200
B- 1049 Brussels
Fax: +32 2 296 60 03
E-mail: regio-info@cec.eu.int
Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/funds/prord/prord_en.htm
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
(a) The Programme
The European Social Fund aims to improve employment opportunities for workers in the EU internal market. It is meant to boost mobility and facilitate adaptation to industrial changes. Furthermore, ESP plays a role in strengthening the economy and social consistency of the European Union. ESF has three main objectives: support those regions whose level of development is less than 75% of the EU average; it is responsible for assisting those regions affected by economic and social conversion; and it also focuses on the adaptation and modernisation of national and EU policies along with the systems for employment, education and training. Although it has been recognised that the cultural sector has the potential for job creation and human resources development, the legislative provisions of the ESF make no direct reference to culture or language.
(b) Contact Details
European Commission, Directorate-General Employment and Social Affairs
Directorate "Horizontal and International Issues"
Unit "Communication"
Rue de la Loi 200
B- 1049 Brussels
Fax: +32 2 295 49 18
Email: empl-info@cec.eu.int
Websites: http://europa.eu.int/esf http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/empl&esf/index_en.htm
The following chapter is about guidelines when looking for funding possibilities concerning RMLs. Firstly there is some information about the language policy of the European Commission. One of the key words here is call for proposal . Then some of the selection criteria that are generally used by the European Commission are listed in order to select the projects eligible for funding. Finally there is an explanation about the principle of co-funding, deadlines and the selection process.
This chapter will give an idea about the language policies as implemented by the European Commission, Directorate-
General Education and Culture. It shows that the European Commission insists on the importance of learning languages and the promotion of linguistic diversity, regional and minority languages included.
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
In July 2003, the Commission of the European Communities published an Action Plan titled “ Promoting Language
Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan 2004-2006”. This Action Plan reflects a re-orientation of existing policies and programmes, therefore it is not meant as a supplementary budget facility.
According to this plan, “promoting linguistic diversity means actively encouraging the teaching and learning of the widest possible range of languages in our schools, universities, adult education centres and enterprises. Taken as a whole, the range on offer should include the smaller European languages as well as the larger ones, regional, minority and migrant languages as well as those with “national” status ”. As a result, national and regional authorities are encouraged to give special attention to measures that assist those language communities where numbers are in decline from generation to generation. Moreover, these measures are in line with the principle of the European Charter on
Regional and Minority languages . (See chapter 1.)

The term “new generation of programmes” stands for the recasting of the programmes of DG Education and Culture of the European Commission after 2007. Our guide about funding possibilities has been based on the programmes as they exist now. At this moment it is difficult to foretell what RMLs position will be within an updated version of the
“new generation of programmes.” Still there is a tendency to continue the approach of mainstreaming programmes .
Mainstreaming means that funding for RML projects must be sought through the Commission’s already existing funding programmes. In this respect, the Action Plan says: “ Under the new approach to the funding of projects relating to regional and minority languages, support will be made available from mainstream programmes rather than specific programmes for these languages. The European Commission’s annual monitoring report on culture will monitor the implementation of this new approach .”
No request for funding can be made without a European Commission call for proposals prior to any application. This paragraph is about calls for proposal. Applications should reach the European Commission before the deadline mentioned in the call for proposal. Therefore, this paragraph elaborates a bit more on deadlines.

If the European Commission wishes to undertake an action in a certain field, it launches a call for proposals to
NGOs, specialists, academic experts, universities etc. These calls for proposals can be found on the website mentioned below. For example, in the year 2004 the European Commission will focus on Education through sports and therefore it has launched a call for proposal in 2003 to ask for projects dealing with sports. Standard application forms accompany calls for proposals. If the application has reached the European Commission before the deadline, it
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will be analysed and evaluated in the months following the call for proposal. Finally, the applications that respond best to the listed preferences of the European Commission will be selected. While launching a call for proposal, the
European Commission will also give out information about the subject, the budget available, the context, number of beneficiaries and selection criteria. Calls for proposals are launched on a regular basis, in some fields every year, in other fields once every few years.

A deadline is the ultimate date by which your application has to be recorded if it is to be judged. There are two kinds of fixed deadlines:
Application packs must be postmarked no later than midnight the day before application closing day or the very application-closing day (depending on the postal system in effect);
The European Commission must have received applications before the deadline. This means that it is your responsibility to consider the time that might elapse between you sending your application and your addressee receiving it.

EBLUL can assist you in preparing an application, as it disposes of the appropriate knowledge and human resources.
Please keep in mind that the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages is not able to influence the European
Commission’s project selection process. It is the European Commission, sometimes assisted by the National
Agencies, that assesses project proposals by appointing a panel of experts whose role it is to check the eligibility and relevance of the project in relation to the programme specifications. The Bureau cannot interfere with the evaluation process, either directly or indirectly. It can assist you though in preparing the application.

Calls for proposals in the domain of education and culture can be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/guide/liste_en.html
.
Advice on Community programmes and how to apply is also available from the Commission’s Europe Direct service:
Free phone: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11, from all 15 Member States, in all 11 official languages. Also check: http://europa.eu.int/europedirect/index_en.htm to find the addresses of Info-Points Europe in more than 140 EU cities.
The European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) also provides help to NGOs and citizens applying for EU support:
ECAS
Eendrachtsstraat 53, Rue de la Concorde
B-1050 Brussels
Tel.:+ 32 2 548 04 90, Fax:+ 32 2 548 04 99
Website: http://www.ecas.org/
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The criteria for the selection of projects are normally defined in the call for proposal. Still, this paragraph provides for some suggestions that may help you to determine if your project is likely to obtain funding of the European
Commission.

The European Commission tends to give preference to project applications which: are based in several EU Countries; are cost-efficient; involve accession countries and/or candidate countries; promote cross-border partnerships; focus on equal opportunities for men and women, help deprived people and fight against discrimination.
Usually, projects should include one or more of the following activities, depending on the call for proposals:
Exchange of experience;
Conferences, seminars, meetings, study visits or placements. These activities should be organised around a theme and involve participants from a number of language communities in different EU Member States active in the area concerned;
Networking of players;
Creation of networks to enable regular contact between people from a number of language communities active in specific areas or with an interest in particular topics. These networks could be virtual;
Development of common solutions.
Other conditions necessary in order to receive funding for a project:
The subject of the project should be original;
The applying institution/organisation should be qualified to carry out the project;
Dissemination of the project result should already be included in the proposal: Will many people benefit from the project? How is the project going to be promoted, and to whom? Will it be of benefit only to a few?
Projects where the results are intended to be of interest to a number of language communities should also involve active participation by a number of language communities;
Projects involving a transfer of expertise or best practices to the community concerned may be initiated by communities wishing to propagate the expertise acquired or by communities wishing to benefit from the expertise acquired by other communities or by specialist bodies. The expert(s) concerned should at least take part in the project analysis and development phase and in its evaluation.

Since the main role of the European Commission is to advance the cause of European integration, projects must have a “European dimension” to receive support. The easiest way to enhance this European dimension consists of designing a project in collaboration with organisations and bodies from other Member States. By doing so, the originality of the idea, i.e. what constitutes the very specificity of the project, immediately appears as transferable to other communities. Another way consists of demonstrating that the outcomes of your proposal are indeed transferable, i.e. that practices and outcomes of your project will be applicable, relevant and useful to other
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communities and/or similar lines of action. It is obviously easier to prove the European efficiency of your project if partners from other areas are integrated in it at the initial stage.
In addition, the European Commission tends to encourage projects that deal with co-operation between various organisations but also between different States, regions and communities, as well as projects that promote the debate about Europe, European citizenship and European civil society.

All existing programmes are open to the Member States. They are also available for the EEA countries (Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway) and, under the association agreements with the candidate countries, Bulgaria, Romania and
Turkey.

Information about partnerships can be found at: the website of EUCLID: www.euclid.info
the EUCLID Culture-Match database: www.culturematch.info
the website of the Cultural Contact point Germany: http://212.168.16.20:591/kulturrat/suchen.htm
a partner search database for the Nordic countries: http://www.raa.se/eustod/partnere.asp
the network for European Museum Organisations: www.ne-mo.org/partner
Information about partnerships and EU-funding can be found at: http://www.welcomeurope.com
Information about partnerships can also be obtained from the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages. EBLUL has set up a database of addresses and contacts with a variety of organisations throughout the territory of the
European Union. It is one of EBLUL's main tasks to stay informed of most relevant initiatives geared towards the promotion of minority languages. On that account, it can therefore facilitate your networking with appropriate partners as well as help you out with the design of partnership plans. EBLUL cannot influence the European
Commission decision making process as to applications.
It should be noted that EBLUL cannot provide any help with regard to promoting an artificial language, immigrant languages, non-European languages or dialects which fail to receive support or recognition from local, regional or national authorities.
EBLUL/BELMR
Sint-Jooststraat 49, Rue Saint-Josse
B- 1210 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 218 25 90, Fax: +32 2 218 19 74
Email: eblul@eblul.org
Website: http://www.eblul.org
The Internet portal for regional and minority languages can be found at: http://www.lingualia.net/
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
The European Commission doesn’t give direct payments or grants . The Commission rather applies the principle of co-funding. This means that the amount of money the European Commission will give generally lies within a range of 30-80% of the total cost of the project. As for the rest of the needed money, other sources should be found, for example local administrative bodies, sponsors, the revenue of the sales of publications, etc. Often, the average amount of money you can get is mentioned in the text of the call for proposals itself.
It must be noted that EBLUL fulfils an information role and offers technical assistance to project submitters; by no means it can provide financial help as it itself is funded by the European Commission. (There are occasional exceptions in the form of co-production of certain publications.) Since EBLUL cannot finance projects, the European
Commission is the primary address to refer to. The European Commission consists of a number of specialised
Directorates-General (DG). DG Education and Culture (EAC) is responsible for programmes and actions related to education, culture, youth, media and languages. Therefore, DG EAC is a likely source of co-financing for regional and minority language projects. But as stated in chapter III, there are other possibilities for funding, such as the
Information Society Programmes, the MEDIA Plus programme, Interreg III and Leader+.

Within the application you should include an estimation of the budget necessary for the project. A summary of the total costs and information about any further financial support through other organizations should be given in realistic and concrete terms. In addition, the budget review should list: personnel costs; general expenditure (post, stationary, computers); costs of travelling and accommodation in preparation of the project (usually by staff); costs related to travelling, subsistence and accommodation of conference speakers, experts and participants; costs of production, translation, dissemination and information.
Some useful tips:
Please keep in mind that infra-structural expenses are not covered.
The application you are going to send the European Commission is a draft proposal and by no means a final contract. If you can reasonably believe that a local government or any other body is likely to grant you financial support (co-funding), you can include these in your budget proposal even though no final official ‘go-ahead’ has yet been given.
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