Dr Kazimierz Musiał University of Gdańsk C o n f e r e n c e Life-long Learning Experience and Common Values Vilnius, 23 February 2011

 Historical dimension of the educational cooperation with the Baltic states – geopolitical space of experience  Nordplus programme priorities and goals  Baltic integration in the Nordplus programme – perspective of the stakeholders  Desired scenarios to pursue a more intensive cooperation and educational exchange

 The Nordic countries’ assistance in all fields after 1991  Political redefinition of the Nordic horizon of expectations – new Northern Europe  Education is a tool to modernise society – Nordic experience  Formal education has been adequate but civic education sovietised or ailing – Baltic experience.  Eurofaculty – the first pattern of assistance in education  Bilateral exchange programmes between Nordic and Baltic schools and teachers – mutual learning is a tool to create a feeling of partnership  EU framework programmes – a difficult alternative

 Before Nordplus consisted of three sectoral programs: Junior, Adult and Higher Education, apart from autonomous Nordplus Language and Nordplus Neighbour  Nordplus Neighbour aimed at developing networks between the Nordic region and Adjacent Areas (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Northwest Russia)  In the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) participate on equal footing in a common Nordplus Framework Programme (though without formal influence on the general steering of the programme). Nordplus Nordic Language and Culture continues as an autonomous programme without Baltic participation.

 The Nordplus FP offers financial support to a variety of educational cooperation between partners in the area of LLL from the eight participating countries in the Baltic and Nordic regions.  The main aims of the programme are:  To promote Nordic languages and culture and mutual Nordic- Baltic linguistic and cultural understanding;  To contribute to the development of quality and innovation in the educational systems for LLL in the participating countries by means of educational cooperation, development projects, exchanges and networking;  To support, develop, draw benefit from and spread innovative products and processes in education through systematic exchange of experience and best practice;  To strengthen and develop Nordic educational cooperation and contribute to the establishment of a Nordic-Baltic educational area.

 Generally a successful project for the Baltic stakeholders because it:  supports cooperation in the desired domains,  fosters internationalisation – Norden and EU,  introduces less formal modes of cooperation and focuses on problem solutions, less on procedures,  enhances mutual trust and fosters administrative closeness in the form of mutual interests and loyalties.

 Mobility – success but national specialities  Lithuanians – good coordinators in Adult  Estonians and Latvians – good coordinators in Horisontal  Relative financial gain of the Baltic partners – more benefits (14,5%) than contributions (5%)  Baltic partners willing to contribute to the contents of cooperation – e.g. domain of culture  Language policy of the Nordic Council versus pragmatic choices of the shop-floor cooperation

 Could the issues targeted by the priorities of the Nordplus Framework Programme be realised better without it?  Nordic Swans and Baltic Cygnets – fairy tale of the 1990’s – now all should be equal (also when sharing burdens and meeting challenges)  Birds of a feather fly together – pragmatic choice for the future towards more advanced integration patterns