The European Union's Erasumus Programme Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation 2004

At its meeting in Oviedo, the Jury for the 2004 Prince of Asturias Award for International Co-operation, made up of D.ª María Jesús Álvarez González, D. Enrique Barón, D. José María Bergareche, D. Emilio Cassinello, D. Manuel Díaz Ron, D. Severino García Vigón, D. Antonio Garrigues Walker, D. Álex Grijelmo, D. Luis Lada Díaz, D. Ricardo Martí Fluxá, D. José María Martín Patino, D. Marcelino Oreja Aguirre, D. Yago Pico de Coaña, D. Luis Ruiz de Gopegui Miguel, D. Ignacio Ruiz-Jarabo, D. Luis Sánchez-Merlo, D. Nicolás Sartorius, D. Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, chaired by Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo with Teodoro López-Cuesta Egocheaga as secretary has decided unanimously to bestow the 2004 Prince of Asturias Award for International Co-operation on the European Union´s ERASMUS Programme.

The ERASMUS Programme for educational interchange is one of the greatest projects on international co-operation in the history of Mankind. To date, it has provided the means by which nearly two million students from two thousand universities have enhanced their levels of training and furthered their knowledge not only of the common values of the peoples of Europe but also of their cultural diversity, thereby making an effective contribution to the creation of a European citizenship.

The Jury wishes this award to highlight the promising new development launched recently by this extraordinary initiative which goes by the name of Erasmus, by which young people worldwide will benefit from the new programme, Erasmus Mundus.

Oviedo, 7th July 2004