The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 is a European Union programme launched in 2007 to implement educational objectives and activities in the current financial perspective (2007-2013). The aim of this programme is to promote social development by raising the level of education of EU citizens, increasing their mobility and promoting new links and cooperation within and outside the education sector. The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 consists of four components promoting, respectively, school education (Comenius), university education (Erasmus), vocational education (internships - Leonardo da Vinci) and adult education (Grundtvig), which are additionally supported by cross-sectoral modules promoting foreign language learning and the use of new technologies in education. A separate component is the Jean Monnet Programme, which focuses on supporting education and research in the field of European integration. The total budget for the Lifelong Learning Programme for 2007-2013 is nearly EUR 7 billion.
The aim of the Jean Monnet Programme is to support teaching and research activities in the field of European integration (the creation and development of the European Communities; the functioning of the EU at all levels) undertaken by higher education institutions around the world. The programme, launched in 1990, is currently implemented by around 700 higher education institutions in 60 countries around the world. Between 1990 and 2007, nearly 2,900 projects were carried out, involving higher education institutions and research teams specialising in European integration issues. The aim of the activities undertaken under the Jean Monnet Programme is to promote interdisciplinary research in the field of European integration, to disseminate knowledge about the processes taking place on our continent and to support the creation of international scientific cooperation networks in this field.
The Jean Monnet ad personam project, implemented in 2007-2010 by the Department of European Studies at the Poznań University of Economics, is in line with the main objectives of the programme as defined by the European Commission. The programme aims to deepen the knowledge of students and other people interested in this subject about the functioning of the European Union and the processes taking place within it. Particular attention is paid to two main priorities, namely ‘The evolutionary development of the EU’ and ‘The European Union in the context of globalisation, economic growth and social cohesion’. The planned activities and priorities are implemented through seminars for students and doctoral students. Another important aspect of the project is the planned publication on the new Member States of the European Union and the effects of the enlargement of the Community to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
