No L 306/36 Official Journal of the European Communities 28. 11. 96 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 21 November 1996 amending Decision 93/246/EEC adopting the second phase of the trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education (Tempus II) (1994 to (96/663/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- liament (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (), (1} Whereas on 18 December 1989 the Council adopted Regulation (EEC) No 3906/89 on economic aid to the Republic of Hungary and the Polish People’s Republic (), which provides for aid to support the process of economic and social reform in central and eastern European countries in areas including training; (2) Whereas on 19 July 1993 the Council adopted Regu- lation (Euratom, EEC) No 2053/93 concerning the provision of technical assistance to economic reform and recovery in the independent States of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia () () OJ No C 207, 18. 7. 1996, p. 8. () Opinion delivered on 15 November 1996 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () OJ No C 295, 7. 10. 1996, p. 34. (*) Opinion delivered on 19 September 1996 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (°) OJ No L 375, 23.12. 1989, p. 11. Regulation last amended by Council Regulation (EEC) No 463/96. (O] No L 65, 15. 3. 1996, p. 3). () OJ No L 187, 29. 7. 1993, p. 1. (3) Whereas on 29 April 1993 the Council adopted Decision 93/246/EEC adopting the second phase of the trans-European cooperation scheme for higher education (Tempus II) (") for a period of four years from 1 July 1994; {4) Whereas the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and of the former Soviet Union, which are benefic- iaries of the Phare and Tacis programmes, consider training and, in particular, higher education, to be one of the key areas for the process of economic and social reform; (5) Whereas the European Community has concluded Association Agreements with six countries of Central Europe (*) and has signed such agreements with four others (°); . (6) Whereas other Association Agreements may be signed in the future with other countries of Central Europe; (7) Whereas the Essen European Council (December 1994) established a ‘pre-accession’ strategy for these associated countries, involving, notably, access to Community programmes, especially in the area of education and training; (8) Whereas Tempus can still make an effective contri- bution to the structural development of higher education required to improve occupational skills () OJ No L 112, 6. 5. 1993, p. 34. (*) Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Romania and Bulgaria. (*) Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia.