Non U.S. Education Systems: Regional Information—Europe

NARIC Network (National Academic Recognition Information Centres) is the regional network of official bodies responsible for making degree equivalency determinations, or providing information to competent authorities, created by the European Union to help implement the SOCRATES student mobility program. Many national NARICs are also ENICs.

European University Association is a regional organization promoting the common interests of European higher education institutions and engaged in projects such as quality assurance audits and accreditation. The site provides extensive information and links.

Homepage of the CIS Executive Secretariat provides information on the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and links to the member states and various joint activities. Some education information is included. In Russian; English site under construction.

COMENIUS is the project within the EU's SOCRATES program that focuses on increasing learning opportunities, mobility, and cooperation for school-age students and primary and secondary educators. The site provides information, links, and sponsored project descriptions.

Council of Europe (COE): Education Home Page provides extensive information and links regarding the Council's activities in primary and secondary education, particularly as regards in-service teacher training, ministerial cooperation, and curriculum projects in the areas of cultural heritage and human rights.

Council of Europe (COE): Higher Education Home Page provides extensive information and links regarding the Council's activities in higher education and research, particularly as regards student mobility, degree recognition, national legislative reforms, and adult learning.

ERASMUS is the project within the EU's SOCRATES program that focuses on the international mobility of higher education students and related inter-institutional and cross-border cooperation, including the European Credit Transfer Scheme (ECTS). The site provides extensive information and links.

European Association of Institutions of Higher Education (EURASHE) is a recently founded professional association of European postsecondary educators that cooperates with the European Union and other organizations on official projects. The site provides basic information but no links as yet.

European Association of International Education is a professional association of higher education researchers, administrators, and international student advisors. The site provides information, news, membership services, and links to European and North American organizations and associations.

European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES) is the UNESCO-sponsored research and cooperation agency for the European Region. The site provides online publications and documents, activity information, and links to various European and UN organizations.

European Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) is a regional network of public sector and quasi-private organizations responsible for various aspects of quality assurance, including the approval of institutions. The site provides information on projects and descriptions of and links to member organizations.

European Union (EU) Education and Culture Directorate-General (DG XXII): Education Site is the official web site of the European Commission (the EU's executive branch) for education policy and initiatives. Extensive information and links, including online documents and international agreements.

EURYDICE -- The Information Network on Education in Europe is a comprehensive site, still under development, for information, documents, laws, and other technical resources pertaining to education within the European Union.

EURYBASE is a searchable online database of documents and information, organized by country via a clickable map, provided on the EURYDICE server of the European Union.

European Education Thesaurus (EET) is a multilingual, comparative online dictionary of European educational terminology provided on the EURYDICE server of the European Union.

EUN - European Schoolnet is the European Union's web resource for school-age children and their teachers. The site provides lessons on European contemporary history and culture, links to school web sites, and information on programs for educators and students.

GRUNDTVIG is the European Union's program to promote adult education and lifelong learning opportunities. The site provides program information and links to sponsored projects and related resources.

IDEA: Electronic Directory of European Institutions is an online directory of European educational agencies, IGOs, and national bodies. The site includes contact information, links, and online documents.

LEONARDO DA VINCI is the European Union's program of cooperation in the field of vocational education and training. The site provides a description of the evolution of the project to date.

LINGUA is the European Union's program to promote language learning and an appreciation of Europe's linguistic diversity. The site provides information on the stages of the LINGUA program and links to related language activities.

MINERVA is the European Union's program to develop distance learning and IT-enabled educational resources within its concept of a pedagogically sound approach to distance education. The site provides a description, an online database of sponsored projects, and links to related activities.

SOCRATES is the European Union's comprehensive program of cooperation in the field of education. The site provides detailed descriptions and links to the various component projects and contact information for EU and national SOCRATES agencies.

TEMPUS is the European Union's program for enabling the PHARE countries (Eastern European states recently emerged from Communism plus developing Mediterranean states), the NIS countries (former Soviet Republics, now independent), and Mongolia to cooperate as fully as possible with EU student mobility and related regional programs in education. The site includes a detailed description of the project and related activities.