14.3.98 Official Journal of the European Communities L77/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) DECISION No 576/98/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 February 1998 amending Decision No 819/95/EC establishing the Community action programme Socrates THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 126 and 127 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (%), in the light of the joint text approved on 14 January 1998, (1)  Whereas Decision No 819/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 1995 (%) establishes the Community action programme Socrates; (2)  Whereas Atrticle 7 of that Decision provides for a financial framework for the implementation of the programme during the period 1 January 1995 to 31 December 1999; (3)  Whereas the Joint Statement () by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission concerning the Decision No 819/95/EC provides that, two vyears after the launching of the programme, the European Parliament and the ) OJ C 113, 11. 4. 1997, p. 14, and OJ C 262, 28. 8. 1997, p. 3. %) Opinion delivered on 28 May 1997 (O] 287, 22. 9. 1997, p. 23 %) Opinion delivered on 18 September 1997 (OJ C 379, 15. 12. 1997, p. 17). %) Opinion of the European Parliament of 12 June 1997 (O] 200, 30. 6. 1997, p. 136), Council Common position of 22 September 1997 (O] C 315, 16. 10. 1997, p. 1) and Decision of the European Parliament of 23 October 1997 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Decision of the European Parliament of 29 January 1998 and Decision of the Council of 12 February 1998. () OJ L 87, 20. 4. 1995, p. 10. () OJ L 132, 16. 6. 1995, p. 18. ( ( ( ( Council will assess the results achieved by the programme, and that to this end the Commission will submit to them a report accompanied by any proposals which it considers appropriate, including any concerning the funding set by the legislator within the meaning of the Joint Declaration of 6 March 1995 (’), and that the European Parliament and the Council will act on those proposals at the earliest opportunity; 4) Whereas the European Parliament called for an increase in the allocation for the progamme in its Resolution on the Commission White Paper on Education and Training — ‘Teaching and learning — towards the learning society’ and its Resolution on the Commission Green Paper on ‘Education — training — research — the obstacles to transna- tional mobility’; whereas, in its resolution on the guidelines for the 1998 budgetary procedure, it included encouragement for youth and education programmes among its priorities; (5)  Whereas the report submitted by the Commission pursuant to the abovementioned Joint Statement has set out the outstanding results achieved by the programme during the first two years following its adoption; (6)  Whereas the programme has been particularly well received in the educational community and whereas there is a need to maintain its forward momentum towards achieving its objectives; (7)  Whereas the demand for support is already many times higher than the available resources and is continuing to rise; () Declaration by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 6 March 1995 on the incorporation of finan- cial provisions into legislative acts (O] C 102, 4. 4. 1996, p. 4).