Füle, Vassiliou in Eastern Partnership talks

Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth and Helga Schmid, deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, will represent the EU at the third Informal Eastern Partnership Dialogue in Yerevan, Armenia today. The meeting brings together Ministers and senior officials from the Eastern Partnership countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Füle and Schmid, representing High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, will take part in a session with foreign ministers. Vassiliou will be involved in a separate session with Education Ministers, including Lithuanian Minister of Education and Science Dainius Pavalkis, who will represent the EU Presidency. The Informal Dialogue meetings will help to prepare for the third Eastern Partnership Summit, which will take place in Vilnius between 28-29 November 2013. They also reflect the EU’s commitment to advancing the Eastern Partnership and extending sectoral co-operation.

Vassiliou will highlight the new opportunities which will be created by Erasmus+ for students from Eastern Partnership countries who aim to spend part of their degree studies at EU universities. Students from Eastern Partnership countries will also be able to benefit from scholarships for joint Master programmes. Doctoral fellowships will be financed under the renamed Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions, which are part of the new Horizon 2020 programme.