A TEMPUS STUDY EN DOI 10.2797/39115 The main achievements of the Tempus Programme in the Western Balkans 1991 – 2013 Issue 18 ― November 2013 http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus Tempus THE MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE TEMPUS PROGRAMME IN THE WESTERN BALKANS 1991‐2013 This document has been produced within the framework of the European Union's Tempus programme, which is funded by the Directorate‐General for Development and Co‐operation – EuropeAid and the Directorate‐ General for Enlargement. Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency Unit P10 – Tempus & Bilateral Cooperation with Industrialisted Countires Office address: Rue Colonel Bourg, 135‐139, 1140 Bruxelles – Belgique Postal addess: Avenue du Bourget, 1‐ 1049 Bruxelles – Belgique Phone: (32‐2) 299.68.67 – Fax: (32 ‐2) 299.45.30 Preface The main aim of the Tempus programme is to support the modernisation of higher education in Partner Countries outside the European Union. The regions targeted include the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Southern Mediterranean. The geographical proximity of the Western Balkans and its shared history and culture makes the region of particular importance to the EU. Since the inception of the Stabilisation and Association process in 1999, cooperation between the EU and its South Eastern European partners has been a major objective of the European Union's external relations and enlargement policy. It aims to help the countries of the Western Balkans tackle the challenges of social, economic and institutional development. Since 1991, the countries of the region have been participating in the Tempus programme, which was part of an overall EU initiative to support economic, social and democratic transition in the Western Balkans, in the framework of the PHARE, CARDS and IPA funding. Since then, Tempus has been going from strength to strength. The Tempus programme, as a whole, has been in existence for twenty‐two years and has been achieving consistent results. The 20th anniversary was celebrated in the region in Belgrade in 2011, with a high‐level Ministerial conference to mark the occasion. Given the impact, the European Commission's new education programme, Erasmus+ (2014‐2020) incorporates Tempus‐like activities in its capacity‐building strand. However, before moving on, we have taken a moment to look back at the impact of the programme in the region, since its introduction. This publication aims to highlight those achievements and the role of the stakeholders who contributed to them. It is important to acknowledge their contributions and their hard work, which helped to make the programme a success. The National Tempus Offices (NTOs) have played a pivotal role in this respect. They were established when the programme started in each of their countries and some of the colleagues responsible for the NTOs have been with us for several years. Their untiring dedication to the programme and the wealth of experience they have built up over the past years has been instrumental in the smooth running of the programme. They have proved to be very reliable, trustworthy and committed partners and respected members of the Tempus family. The success of the programme in the region is due, above all, to their hard work and dedication. We thank all those NTOs who have contributed to this document. We hope that you will find it stimulating and inspiring and we look forward to continuing to work with the region through enhanced cooperation under Erasmus+ from 2014 to 2020. Klaus Haupt Head of Tempus Unit, EACEA Content INTRODUCTION I ‐ MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PROGRAMME 1.1 ‐ Main Achievements at Staff Level 1.2 ‐ Main Achievements at Institutional Level 1.2.1 ‐ Implementing Curriculum Reform 1.2.2 ‐ Providing Necessary Equipment for Communications and Laboratories 1.2.3 ‐ Encouraging Reform of University Governance and Management 1.2.4 ‐ Fostering Links between Higher Education Institutions and the Labour Market 1.3 ‐ Main Achievements at National Level 1.3.1 ‐ Supporting Reform of Higher Education Systems and Policies 1.3.2 ‐ Promoting Regional Cooperation II ‐ MAIN RESULTS 1. Albania 2. Bosnia and Herzegovina 3. Croatia 4. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 5. Kosovo* 6. Montenegro 7. Serbia ANNEXES I. Brief Overview of the Tempus Programme II. Statistics on the Number of Projects in Tempus I and II (1991‐1999) III. Statistics on the Number of Projects in Tempus III (2000‐2006) IV. Statistics on the Number of Projects in Tempus IV (2008‐2013) V. List of Participating Institutions in Tempus IV VI. Tempus Events Organised in the Western Balkan Region VII. List of Tempus Publications from the Tempus Series * 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. INTRODUCTION The countries of the Western Balkans have been involved in the programme from its earliest days. With the exception of Albania, all were part of Yugoslavia, which itself participated in the programme in 1991, if only for one year. In this year, the European Parliament passed a resolution which stipulated “that the constituent republics and autonomous provinces of Yugoslavia must have the right freely to determine their own future, in a peaceful and democratic manner and on the basis of recognized international and internal borders”. After the break‐up of Yugoslavia, Tempus adapted to the changing geographic configuration of the region, with its three successive funding instruments: PHARE, CARDS and IPA. Under the PHARE programme (1991‐1999) which aimed to promote economic and social cohesion in Eastern and South Eastern Europe, Albania joined Tempus in 1992 and Bosnia and Herzegovina and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1996. The EU developed its 'Regional Approach for the Western Balkans' as of 19971. This was followed by the European Commission's Stabilisation and Association Process (SaP) in 1999, which aimed to promote capacity‐building, economic and social development and stability in the region. There was a stronger focus on promoting closer relations between neighbours in the region and with the EU. Regional co‐operation has been at the heart of international efforts in the Western Balkans ever since. The Zagreb Summit in 2000 emphasised regional co‐operation as part of the EU's "contract" with the SaP countries, and each national Stabilisation and Association Agreement included a clear commitment to promoting closer links between neighbours. The CARDS2 programme was created in 2000, as the EU's main instrument for financial assistance to the Western Balkans. Tempus was one of the regional programmes funded under this instrument. Croatia was included in the Tempus programme in 2000 and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, from 2001 to 2002. Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244/99) joined the programme in 2001 and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro participated from 2003 to 2006. As of 2006, the EU adopted the Instrument for Pre‐Accession Assistance (IPA), which went into effect in 2007 and replaced the previous funding instruments, PHARE and CARDS. The overarching goal of the IPA is to enable EU candidate and potential candidate countries to make political, economic and legal reforms, so that they are better equipped to join and face the challenges of being in the EU. Following the independence of Montenegro in 2006, both Serbia and Montenegro continued to participate in the Tempus programme as of 2007, as two separate independent countries. The Western Balkans Platform on Education and Training, launched by the European Commission in March 2012, is the latest EU initiative to promote greater cooperation in the region and assist the Western Balkans with their reforms in the area of education and training. The Platform convenes the Ministers responsible for education in the region on a regular basis and is chaired by the European Commission's Director‐General for Education and Culture. 1 The regional approach was based on an integrated policy, aimed at promoting peace, stability and sustainable development in the Western Balkans. It encompassed Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo. 2 Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation programme created by Council Regulation 2666/2000. 1 The existing six countries from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) and Kosovo have been involved in the Tempus programme in various forms and at different points in time throughout its 20‐year history. During Tempus IV, both Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia gradually joined the Lifelong Learning Programme and were therefore not eligible for Tempus funding any longer. More than 700 cooperation projects have been funded during the entire period. A breakdown of projects is shown below. Geographic Breakdown of the Number of Projects (1990‐2013)* Tempus I Tempus II Tempus III** Tempus IV Total Albania 17 54 47 32 150 Bosnia and ‐ 25 76 53 154 Herzegovina Croatia*** ‐ ‐ 87 15 102 former Yugoslav ‐ 36 94 33 163 Republic of Macedonia Kosovo ‐ ‐ 29 39 68 Montenegro ‐ ‐ 26 41 67 Serbia ‐ ‐ 103 84 187 Yugoslavia 90 ‐ ‐ ‐ 90 Total**** 107 115 349 149 720 * The 'number of projects' comprises of cooperation projects between HEIs (excluding Pre‐JEPs and Compact Measures). ** For the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as well as the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the