In its opinion on the amendments proposed by the European Parliament in its second reading, the Commission accepts wholly, partly or in substance 13 out of the 14 amendments made by the Parliament. Only one amendment designed to increase the funds for the SOCRATES II programme has not been accepted (the European Parliament was proposing that the budget be increased to EUR 2.5 billion instead of the EUR 1.55 billion proposed by the Council). The Commission believes that the amendment approved by the Parliament departs from the interinstitutional declaration of 06.03.1995 on the incorporation of financial provisions into legislative acts.
In addition, it is worth noting that the Commission does not wish SOCRATES to permit the learning of other languages other than the official languages of the European Union - something which the Parliament had called for.
All the other amendments have been accepted (in particular : the promotion of a "European Educational Area"; a report on the results achieved, accompanied by any proposals it deems appropriate, including with regard to the financial framework; reinforcing the ECTS; simplifying and shortening the selection procedure; priority given to the languages less widely used and taught in the European Union).�