The European Commission is in charge of a wide range of external education and training activities which complement the EU’s internal programmes and promote wider EU policies. These actions are growing in importance and provide an essential input to the Union’s external policies.
The European Commission implements three main international cooperation programmes in higher education:
- Tempus contributes to building an area of cooperation in the field of higher education involving the EU and partner countries in the surrounding area.
- Erasmus Mundus is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education which promotes the EU as a centre of excellence in learning around the world and supports top-quality European master courses. The external cooperation window promotes partnerships between EU and third countries’ universities in order to develop student and scholar mobility.
- Cooperation with industrialised countries enhances the quality of higher education and vocational education and training and promotes intercultural understanding.