Norwegian participation in the EU programmes in this field, which is regulated by Protocol 31 of the EEA Agreement, began in 1995, when the first generation of the programmes came into being. Participation in the programmes, especially Comenius and Leonardo, has been a success for Norway. The contacts and networks established as result of common activities in the programmes are important.
Norwegian schools, kindergardens, universities, organisations, pupils, apprentices, students and teachers participate on all levels of the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) including Erasmus, Comenius, Grundtvig and Leonardo da Vinci.
Norway also participates in the Erasmus Mundus program supporting cooperation and exchange between higher education institutions in Europe and in other parts of the world. Norway is an active participant in the Youth in Action programme.
The educational programmes are in Norway managed by Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU), on whose website you also will find other sources of information on Norwegian education.
General information on the programmes can be found on the Commission's home page, Directorate-General Education and Culture.
Information on the Norwegian education system can be found on the Ministry of Education and Research website.
The Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs is the Norwegian National Agency for Youth in Action. Find more information on their website.
For questions, please contact Counsellor for Education at the Mission of Norway, Ingveig Astad: inga@mfa.no, +32 (0) 2 238 74 74.
(Updated May 2011)