Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No 75 / 2024 Coll.

Q: What is Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No 75 / 2024 Coll.?

Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No. 75 / 2024 Coll., on the negotiation of the Agreement on the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS IV) — Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the negotiation of the Agreement on the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS IV).

Q: Is Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No 75 / 2024 Coll. still valid?

Yes, Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No 75 / 2024 Coll. is still valid and effective.

75

COMMUNICATION

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

on the negotiation of the Agreement on the Central European exchange programme for university studies (CEEPUS IV)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that on 20 September 2023 the Agreement on the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS IV) was adopted in Warsaw and signed on behalf of the Czech Republic.

The instrument of approval of the Agreement by the Czech Republic was deposited at the CEEPUS Central Office, depositary of the Agreement, on 6 February 2024.

When signing and approving the Agreement, the Czech Republic made the following reservation to Article 8 of the Agreement:

"The Czech Republic does not feel bound by the provisions of Article 8 of the Agreement on the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS IV), signed on 20 September 2023 in Warsaw (Poland), establishing an arbitration procedure as a way of resolving any dispute concerning the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement or the work programme.

The Czech Republic is also not prepared to bear any costs that may arise in connection with the anticipated arbitration tribunal or arbitration procedure itself.

Furthermore, for legal reasons, the Czech Republic considers it unacceptable that the CEPUS Central Office may be a party to the dispute pursuant to Article 8 (1). Such competence shall be reserved only to the Contracting Parties and not to an institution which plays only a coordinating and evaluating role of the Secretariat of this Agreement and which has neither the capacity to interpret this Agreement in an authentic manner, nor the international legal personality, nor the ability to dispute with the Contracting Parties, i.e. sovereign states. ';

The Agreement shall enter into force on 1 May 2025 on the basis of Article 10 (1) thereof and shall also enter into force on the Czech Republic on that date.

The English version of the Agreement and its translation into the Czech language are announced simultaneously.

Minister:

z. JUDr. Smolek, Ph.D., LL.M., v. r.

Head of Legal and Consular Section

Agreement

o

Central European exchange programme for university studies

("CEEPUS IV")

CEEPUS Contracting Parties shall share the following visions:

• the search for truth, the fundamental role of science in the creation of civilization and the transfer of knowledge from generation to generation as a particularly respectable human activity;

• regional academic exchanges as an important tool for overcoming mutual stereotypes;

• long-term academic cooperation through high-quality thematic university networks by establishing an appropriate framework for student mobility, doctoral students, researchers, university teachers and other university staff;

• progress in the recognition of study stays abroad, as well as university qualifications between universities, and promoting the development of the Central European dimension of higher education programmes;

• promoting regional cooperation in higher education under the Central European exchange programme for university studies (CEEPUS IV).

The Contracting Parties undertake to:

• the key role that higher education plays in meeting the UN objectives of sustainable development;

• the objectives of the Bologna Process and its relevant communiqué, thereby contributing to the further implementation of the European Higher Education Area;

and note:

• A strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training to achieve the European Area of Education, the Eastern Partnership of the European Union and the EU to the Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

The Parties agree as follows:

1) Cooperation between the Parties in higher education and related research, in particular cooperation and mobility between universities, shall be encouraged in accordance with this Agreement.

2) The cooperation referred to in paragraph 1, with the exception of the scholarships referred to in Article 2 (6) and (7), shall be carried out within the university networks of the Central European exchange programme for university studies as defined in this Agreement.

3) CEEPUS IV scholarships are comprehensive and are intended to cover the cost of living, the fees for the use of laboratories, if required, according to the usual practice of the host country, as well as accommodation and, if necessary, basic health insurance during the stay in the host country. The amount of the CEPUS IV scholarship is derived from the cost of living in the host country concerned and its inflation.

4) CEPUS IV scholarships may also be awarded for expenditure related to e-learning (online learning), e-teaching (online teaching) and hybrid or hybrid teaching. Virtual scholarships are supplemented by physical exchange according to national regulations and the relevant CEEPUS work programme. In such a case, CEEPUS IV scholarships need not necessarily be used for mobility purposes.

5) Under this Agreement, there is no transfer of funds between the Contracting Parties. CEEPUS IV scholarships are financed by the host country. Any additional increase in travel expenses shall be financed, where appropriate, by the sending country. Additional expenditure may be additional funds for travel expenses, allowances for vulnerable, underrepresented or disabled persons or other additional payments, where relevant. The Parties and participating universities are encouraged to provide additional voluntary funding for CEPUS IV activities.

6) In accordance with this Agreement and the Rules of Procedure, approved by the Joint Committee of Ministers, the Contracting Parties shall notify at annual intervals the number of scholarship months (internal "CEEPUS currency") intended for cooperation in each academic year to come. The minimum number of scholarship months is one hundred (100).

7) CEEPUS IV scholarships do not cover overheads or expenditure related to organisational or administrative matters. Contracting Parties and participating universities are encouraged to provide additional funding on a voluntary basis to cover these costs or expenses.

8) CEEPUS IV scholarship months may also be used to finance meetings to coordinate CEEPUS IV networks, where relevant and as defined in the relevant CEEPUS work programme.

1) The term "university" for the purposes of this Agreement refers to an institution which provides higher education and is recognised by the competent authority of the Contracting Party as part of a higher education system. Each Contracting Party shall provide, once a year before a new call for applications, a list of universities eligible to participate in CEPUS IV.

2) For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "academic year" refers to the period from 1 September to 31 August of the following year. The beginning and end of the actual academic year may differ according to the national provisions of the Contracting Parties.

3) CEPUS scholarships may be awarded to students enrolled in higher education, regardless of their field of study, in all degrees of study programmes, including doctoral programmes. The period of study, training or internship shall be carried out at the host university or CEPUS host institution in accordance with this Agreement and the relevant CEPUS work programme, provided that credits obtained during the study, training or internship periods abroad are recognised and granted by the student's home university. A commercial enterprise, research facility, government institution or other organisation in the host country may also serve as a host institution where necessary and as defined in the relevant CEEPUS work programme.

4) CEEPUS IV shall support through the award of scholarships the mobility of university staff, i.e. teachers, researchers and / or artists, in order to promote transnational inter-university cooperation and the promotion of the Central European dimension of higher education programmes as defined in the CEEPUS Work Programme.

5) CEEPUS IV scholarships may also be provided to other university staff involved in the CEEPUS network in order to strengthen capacity building within the network and to help organise joint activities of partners in CEEPUS IV as defined in the relevant CEEPUS work programme.

6) Scholarship months not used within the CEEPUS network may also be granted to students enrolled in an authorised university which is not on the CEEPUS IV network, as well as to staff of those universities, as defined in the relevant CEEPUS work programme, and provided that such university has specific arrangements concerning studies, teaching, supervision or mutual learning.

7) Each Contracting Party may accept and recognise the participation of students and teachers from non-Contracting Party higher education institutions in the CEEPUS activities under national rules and on the basis of individual decisions of the Contracting Party. The Contracting Parties may declare additional scholarship months for each subsequent academic year for these activities, but which must relate to the implementation of the activities described in the relevant work programme. If the Joint Committee identifies unanimously a common interest in cooperation with a particular non-Contracting Party, students and teachers of that third party may be granted mobility if the relevant Contracting Party has unused scholarship months within the CEPUS network. Where necessary, these unused scholarship months may be used for the mobility of third-party students and teachers as defined in the relevant CEEPUS work programme.

1) A Joint Committee of Ministers ("Joint Committee") is hereby established, each member representing one Contracting Party. The Joint Committee shall be responsible for all actions and decisions necessary to ensure the implementation of this Agreement, including the approval of evaluation reports. At least every second year, the Joint Committee shall approve the CEEPUS IV work programme.

2. Meetings of the Joint Committee shall be held as necessary but at least every two years. The Joint Committee shall approve its own rules of procedure. The Committee shall elect one of its members to serve as Chair for a term of two years. The Joint Committee may set up working groups to implement this Agreement and decide on their composition.

3) The Joint Committee shall make every effort to reach consensus on all decisions. If all the possibilities have been exhausted and consensus has not been reached, decisions shall be taken in the extreme by a two-thirds majority of the votes in person or by the online members of the Joint Committee.

(4) The Joint Committee shall unanimously take decisions concerning the total number of CEPUS IV scholarship months in accordance with Article 1 (6).

1) Decisions concerning the selection procedure for CEPUS IV networks shall be adopted by the Joint Committee Working Party.

(2) Each Contracting Party shall establish a National Commission composed of academic staff and / or other experts to support the selection process referred to in the first paragraph.

3) Each Contracting Party shall establish a CEEPUS National Office which shall have the following scope:

a. Organisation of the implementation of CEEPUS in accordance with the relevant national regulations and financial jurisdictions;

b. Promotion, information and dissemination of the results of cooperation at national level;

c. Consulting potential applicants on network cooperation and scholarship programmes;

d. acceptance and formal evaluation of applications and organisation of evaluation of expert networks at national level;

e. Granting and processing of scholarships according to the relevant work programme and national rules;

f. organisation of scholarship-related payments in accordance with the relevant national rules and relevant financial jurisdictions of the Contracting Party;

g. Serves the role of advisor by informing the relevant Contracting Party of the latest developments in CEEPUS cooperation;

h. Evaluation of cooperation at national level where necessary and participation in the overall evaluation of cooperation;

i. taking the necessary measures and steps together with the CEEPUS Central Office in order to fully respect the European Data Protection Regulation.

4) The Contracting Parties shall notify the CEEPUS Central Office of the establishment of their National Office of the CEEPUS.

5) Representatives of the CEEPUS National Offices participate in meetings convened by the CEEPUS Central Offices.

6) The Contracting Parties shall take measures to ensure that their respective CEEPUS National Offices have the necessary resources to carry out their duties.

1) The CEEPUS Central Office in Vienna is hereby established. The CEEPUS Central Office will have the legal capacity necessary to carry out its functions.

2) The Secretary-General heads the CEEPUS Central Office. The Secretary-General shall be elected on a proposal from the Republic of Austria by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Joint Committee for a seven-year term. The Secretary-General may be replaced in office before the end of his term by a unanimous decision of the Joint Committee.

3) The infrastructure necessary for the performance of the functions of the CEEPUS Central Office, including the salary of the Secretary-General and the staff of the Office, shall be financed by the Republic of Austria.

4) The costs of representatives of the Contracting Parties represented in the CEEPUS Central Office shall be borne by the relevant Contracting Parties.

5) The Contracting Parties are encouraged to provide voluntary funding for the activities of the CEEPUS Central Office in order to further improve cooperation.

6) The CEEPUS Central Office has a coordinating and evaluation function and the Contracting Parties retain full authority and control over their respective national budgets for cooperation.

7) CEEPUS Central Office in particular:

a. It shall inform the Joint Committee at its meeting of the decisions on urgent technical and administrative matters taken by the Secretary-General during the period from the last meeting of the Joint Committee.

(b) prepare an annual report on the progress of implementation and carry out an overall evaluation of the implementation of this Agreement.

c. Proposals for further development of cooperation.

d. It shall prepare and organise meetings of the Joint Committee and the working groups and shall process the minutes of such meetings.

e. Supports the implementation of decisions approved by the Joint Committee.

f. Develop a common strategy for public relations in the context of the cooperation programme and advise the Parties on information policy issues.

g. Publishes information on cooperation between participating universities of the Parties.

1) The Contracting Parties shall, in accordance with this Agreement, make every effort to avoid restrictions on the free movement and residence of persons receiving a scholarship under CEPUS IV.

(2) The Contracting Parties shall take appropriate measures in accordance with their national legislation in order to eliminate administrative and financial obstacles which prevent the proper implementation of cooperation.

The revision of this Agreement by the Joint Committee will be completed before the end of the fourth academic year following the entry into force of the Agreement. This revision will be based on an overall assessment of cooperation.

(1) Any dispute between the Contracting Parties or between the Contracting Parties and the CEPUS Central Office concerning the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement or the Work Programme shall be settled in good faith by means of negotiations and consultations between the parties concerned by the dispute. Any dispute that cannot be resolved through such negotiations and consultations will be handled by the Joint Committee in a friendly manner. For this purpose, the Joint Committee may set up a working group in accordance with Article 3 (2) of this Agreement. This Working Group may make recommendations to the Joint Committee on the resolution of the dispute. If a dispute between the Contracting Parties cannot be resolved by the Joint Committee, any opposing party may bring it to arbitration proceedings.

2) The arbitration court consists of three members. Each party to the dispute shall appoint one arbitrator. These two arbiters appoint a third arbiter to be president of the arbitration court.

3) The arbitration court shall determine its seat and adopt its rules of procedure.

4) The decision of the arbitration court shall be taken on the basis of the principle of the majority of its members. Members of the arbitration court may not abstain. This decision shall be final and binding on all parties to the dispute and shall not be appealed against. The Contracting Parties shall submit to this Decision without delay. In the event of a dispute concerning the meaning or scope of the decision, the arbitration court shall, if necessary, at the request of either party to the dispute, give its interpretation on the basis of a majority of the votes.

1) This Agreement shall be open for signature by all Contracting Parties to CEEPUS III.

(2) This Agreement shall be subject to approval by the signatory States in accordance with their respective national procedures. The instruments of approval shall be deposited in the CEEPUS Central Office, which shall be the depositary of this Agreement.

(3) The depositary shall inform all Contracting Parties of the notifications and approval forms received.

4) The original of this Agreement shall be deposited with the depositary.

1) This Agreement shall enter into force on 1 May 2025 after the signatory States have deposited their instruments of approval. This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the third month following the deposit of the third instrument of approval if fewer than three instruments of approval are deposited by that date. The Agreement shall remain in force for seven years from the date of its entry into force.

2) For States Signatories which deposit their instruments of approval after the entry into force of this Agreement pursuant to Article 10 (1), this Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the date of deposit of the instruments of approval.

(3) Each Contracting Party may at any time propose to adapt this Agreement. This adjustment shall be submitted in writing to the President of the Joint Committee and to the other Contracting Parties no later than six weeks before the Joint Committee meeting, unless the Joint Committee decides otherwise. The Joint Committee shall adopt decisions on the adaptations of this Agreement unanimously. The adaptation shall be subject to signature and approval by the Contracting Parties in accordance with their respective national procedures. The instruments of approval shall be deposited with the depositary. The modification shall enter into force on the first day of the third month following the deposit of the third instrument of approval, unless otherwise specified.

1) This Agreement shall remain open to access to other States which are not Parties to CEPUS III by unanimous decision of the Joint Committee. States intending to access this Agreement shall notify the depositary of this written form. The depositary shall inform the other Contracting Parties of the intention of any State to accede to this Agreement.

2) Access documents shall be deposited at the CEEPUS Central Office. The depositary shall inform the Contracting Parties of the access documents deposited.

(3) For any State which accedes to this Agreement after its entry into force, this Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the deposit of the instrument of accession.

4) States acceding to this Agreement after its entry into force will participate in CEEPUS IV activities under the work programme and in accordance with the decisions of the Joint Committee.

Each Contracting Party may withdraw from this Agreement at any time on the basis of prior written notification to the depositary. Any such withdrawal from this Agreement shall enter into force six months after the date on which the depositary received the notification of withdrawal.

The withdrawal of the Contracting Party shall be without prejudice to the networks, acts and activities initiated under this Agreement before the date on which such withdrawal enters into force.

The Parties recognise the importance of data protection and take effective measures to implement relevant personal data protection standards under the Central European exchange programme for university studies.

The Parties agree that these data protection standards for CEPUS IV will be in line with the European General Data Protection Regulation and its subsequent Regulations.

Denmark in Warsaw, Poland on 20 September 2023 in one original in English.

For the Republic of Albania

The President

For Bosnia and Herzegovina

For the Republic of Croatia

For the Czech Republic

For Hungary

For the Republic of Moldova

Behind Montenegro

For the Republic of North Macedonia

The President

For Romania

For the Republic of Serbia

For the Slovak Republic

For the Slovenian Republic

Citation	Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No. 75 / 2024 Coll., on the negotiation of the Agreement on the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS IV)
Regulation Type	International Treaty
Author	-
Collection	Code of Laws

Date of Promulgation	04.04.2024
Effective from	01.05.2025
Effective until	-
Status	Valid

Communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the negotiation of the Agreement on the Central European Exchange Programme for University Studies (CEEPUS IV)

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