Mr President, I would like to thank our splendid, indefatigable rapporteur, Mrs Fontaine, who has "mothered" this programme through this Parliament for the last ten years. I would like once again to congratulate her on the terrific work she has been doing.

Tonight we are debating three of the most important programmes to affect the future of young people throughout Europe. We have had the Youth Forum here for the last two days and in separate meetings and in group meetings they have let us know just how seriously they take, and what great hopes they have riding on, these programmes. They are all-encompassing programmes which have been designed to promote cultural exchange and student mobility in Europe. This is of vital importance particularly to young people from the peripheral countries. The young people in my own country of Ireland have benefited quite significantly from them in the last few years.

I would like to endorse Mrs Fontaine's concern about the financing of these programmes. I am also seriously concerned that the financial provisions currently proposed will undermine the ambitious objectives outlined in the proposals. This shortfall of ECU 55 million just at the point when we are beginning to broaden the dimensions of the programme seems to be absolutely crazy. In view of this unacceptable budget level, I am happy to support Mrs Fontaine's amendment which proposes that the budget should be decided each year by Parliament and the Council. I would hope, however, that Parliament and the Council will agree to provide adequate finance for these very important programmes and that they do not settle, as so often happens in the classic compromise, for inadequate finance.

My second point concerns the management of these programmes. I am very much in favour of having a special advisory committee to help the Commission in the administration of the programmes. The proposal to establish a management committee would not only prove to be a disadvantage to smaller Member States like my own, but also may fail to uphold the objective of consultation with the relevant youth organizations and student bodies. Therefore, in the event of a management committee being accepted, I propose that it should have no responsibility for the allocation of funding and that this responsibility be left to Parliament and Council as the budgetary authority.

My third point is to stress once again the need for openness and non-discriminatory practices within all of these programmes. I support all Parliament's amendments, particularly in relation to equal opportunities for men and women and to targeting the need to include socially excluded and disadvantaged groups, including those Member States who do not have the possibility of financial support other than that coming from Brussels.

Again we have splendid rapporteurs on the SOCRATES programme and I would like to express my appreciation for the work they have all done. It should be open to all students. We promised that and we still have not fulfilled that promise. We must guarantee access to all students, but we must also recognise that some students like the university students in my own country have to continue paying their university fees even though they are participating in an ERASMUS programme in a country that does not charge them university fees. So we have in this case a double bind on the parents who are in most cases supporting these young people.

We should also recognize that the SOCRATES programme should include student teachers as well. More than ever before our teachers need to be trained in a way that encompasses many different cultures and methods of education. Therefore, during their training they too must be given the opportunity to participate fully in exchange programmes.

There has been much talk about the possibility of a two-tier Europe in recent years. This has caused a great deal of controversy between Member States. We must also recognize that the impact of a so-called two-tier Europe would have a most catastrophic effect on the young people in these countries particularly.

Finally, I would like to express my delight that both Cyprus and Malta have been included in the programme. Malta already has warm and long-standing arrangements with the European Community and I hope it will be allowed to maintain them.