Introduction and activities
of the Liaison Committee

The "Memorandum of Understanding"
and Position Papers 2001 and 2004

Policy Paper 2006:
Learning Innovation for the Adapted Lisbon Agenda

Feedback to the Policy Paper 2006

Policy Paper 2004:
Distance Learning and eLearning in European Policy and Practice: The Vision and the Reality

Feedback to the Policy Paper 2004 from the European Commission

Liaison Committee Policy Paper 2002:
A Framework for European Commission Programme Funding

Contacts and links
to the member institutions

News from the networks

Press release
of the European Commission

Chair and Secretariat
 
   

Introduction of the Liaison Committee

The representatives of the European ODL organisations at their meeting of 25 June 1998 in Bologna agreed to establish the European ODL Liaison Committee in order to meet on a regular basis and to create a common platform that would be an added value for the networks.

Representatives of the networks on 21 January 1999 in Brussels signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment and functioning of the Liaison Committee of the European Open and Distance Learning Networks". The document forms part of the European strategy of participating organisations.

In the framework of the Liaison Committee, co-operation between the participating networks is developed in order to promote and enrich the activities of each organisation and through this to enhance the development of open and distance learning. The basis for the co-operation is joint benefit and multilateral reciprocity.

The European ODL Liaison Committee brings together a sufficient number of members to be considered as representative for the area and for the countries of the European Union and, increasingly, for countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It has a structure that enables to mobilise opinions and expressions of needs.

Aims of the Liaison Committee

  • to create a forum for the exchange of views in the field of open and distance learning,
  • to improve communication between the networks.
  • to express common opinions and goals of the European ODL organisations
  • to facilitate the engineering of Europe-wide projects
  • to promote partnerships in this field in conjunction with other European initiatives,
  • to give recommendations to the European Commission and Member States and
  • to assist in defining and implementing action plans and programmes in order to enhance the integration of ICT in learning.

The Liaison Committee works as a voluntary agreement for co-ordination and stronger co-operation in a light framework, without a permanent administrative structure.

Members

The founder members of the Liaison Committee are:

  • Association of European Correspondence Schools (AECS) - since 1999 new name: European Association for Distance Learning (EADL)
  • Coimbra Group,
  • EuroPACE 2000,
  • European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU),
  • European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN),
  • European Federation for Open and Distance Learning (E.F.ODL),
  • European Universities Continuing Education Network (EUCEN),
  • International Council for Open and Distance Education - Europe (ICDE-Europe)
  • Network of Academics and Professionals (NAP).

The European Federation for the Education of the Children of the Occupational Travellers (EFECOT) joined the Liaison Committee in June 1999.

Permanent observer status has been offered for the Association of European Universities (CRE), and in June 2000 for Santander Group - European Universities Network and E.A.T.A. - European Association for Telematic Applications.

Observers from the European Union, the Council of Europe and other relevant European or international bodies may be invited to attend meetings of the Liaison Committee and to participate in activities resulting from these meetings. The relevant services of the European Commission - to act as contact and co-ordinating entities - have formally been invited to the meetings.

The Committee is open towards involving further organisations. New members may be invited to the Liaison Committee on the basis of unanimous agreement of the member organisations, using the jointly established and agreed legal, formal and professional criteria for the involvement of new members.

Activities

As one of its first concrete activities, the Committee prepared late 1998 a document for the European Commission and the European Parliament on the proposals for ODL in SOCRATES II. The comments and suggestions presented were highly appreciated by both the President of the European Parliament and the Commissioner in charge, who in their letters sent to the Liaison Committee welcomed the contribution.

The consultation between the European Commission services and the Liaison Committee has been continuous in the issues of European policy and EU programmes in the field of open and distance education.

The Liaison Committee organised with the involvement of the networks represented in the Committee, the Lisbon 2000 European Conference, entitled "ODL Networking for Quality Learning", on 19-21 June 2000 in Lisbon, hosted by Universidade Aberta, Lisbon.

LISBON 2000 EUROPEAN CONFERENCE

The Lisbon 2000 European Conference "ODL Networking for Quality Learning", organised jointly by the major ODL networks, members of the European ODL Liaison Committee, was held 19-21 June, 2000 in Lisbon.

The event sponsored by the European Commission (DG Education and Culture) and hosted by Universidade Aberta was a successful conference, attracting over 300 delegates enjoying specific and amazing venue, the place of the Expo '98 in Lisbon.

Review papers, presented at plenary sessions by the member-networks of the Liaison Committee gave overview of the present state of art and and updated analysis on the developments in the field of open and distance learning in Europe. The book of the collected review papers entitled "New Learning" has been published and can be ordered from any of the networks in the Liaison Committee.