Education, Culture & Youth
Education, Culture & Youth
On the basis of the EEA agreement Iceland participates in a large number of the European Union’s collaboration activities in the field of education, training and youth, as well as culture and audiovisual services. These activities are to a large extent based on action programmes that are run for a number of years at a time. Through these programmes, funding is provided to support various kinds of activities that facilitate European cooperation in these areas.
The aim of these programmes is to improve the quality of European education, promote lifelong learning for all citizens and open opportunities for collaboration with the outside world. Furthermore, the goal is to promote European cultural cooperation in all artistic and cultural fields, enhancing the cultural area common to the European peoples whilst preserving national and regional diversity. In addition to the support young people receive to participate in the programmes on education and culture, people aged 15 to 25 are especially addressed through the Youth Programme, which encourages non-formal learning and the active participation of young people in civil life.
Iceland, together with other EEA/EFTA countries, participates in the following EU programmes in the field of education, training & youth, culture and audiovisual services:
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Erasmus Mundus (2004-2008) – cooperation in higher education between Europe and the rest of the world.
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eLearning – ICT in education.
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European bodies and specific activities in the field of education and training (2004-2008) – promotion of specific activities that fall outside other education programmes.
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Youth (2000-2006) – for the mobility, intercultural learning and non-formal learning of people aged 15 to 25 years.
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European bodies in the field of youth (2004-2006) – specific activities that fall outside the Youth programme.
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Culture 2000 (2000-2006)
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MediaPlus (2000-2006) – for the European audiovisual sector
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Media Training (2001-2006) -Training programme for professionals in the European audiovisual programme industry.
Most of the presently run programmes will conclude in late 2006 when a new generation of programmes will take over (2007-2013). An overview of the programmes that the EEA/EFTA countries take part in or are considering participation in, together with information on the programmes’ budget and Iceland’s contribution to it, can be found on the EFTA homepage. Iceland’s involvement in the above programmes has been very high resulting in thousands of Icelanders participating in European mobility and projects of all kinds.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is responsible on Icelands's behalf for our participation in the above EU programmes. The Ministry has designated special national agencies to take care of the implementation of the programmes in Iceland, promote of the possibilities they offer and provide assistance for applicants. For further information on Iceland’s participation in the EU programmes, please turn to these agencies:
On behalf of the EU it is the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission that is responsible for all the programmes apart from Media which falls under the Directorate General for Information Society and Media
In addition to the programmes, the EU is actively involved in various actions and activities geared towards increasing European co-operation in the field of education, culture and youth, many of which Iceland participates in. Of particular interest is “Education & Training 2010”, an umbrella reference to a range of activities which are the education and training contribution to the Lisbon Strategy. Iceland participates in many of these activities within the framework of the Open Method of Coordination.
A Counsellor of Education and Culture works at the Icelandic Mission to the EU in Brussels, acting as an interlocutor between the EU and the Icelandic government.
The Counsellor for Education and Culture is:
Tel: +32 (0)2 238 50 14
Fax. +32 (0)2 230 69 38
