L 347/50 Official Journal of the European Union 20.12.2013 REGULATION (EU) No 1288/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 December 2013 establishing 'Erasmus+: the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 165(4) and 166(4) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (3), Whereas: (1) ~ The Commission’s communication of 29 June 2011 entitled 'A Budget for Europe 2020" calls for a single programme in the field of education, training, youth and sport, including the international aspects of higher education, bringing together the action programme in the field of lifelong learning ('Lifelong Learning’) estab- lished by Decision No 1720/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (%), the Youth in Action programme (‘Youth in Action') established by Decision No 1719/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (°), the Erasmus Mundus action programme (Erasmus Mundus') established by Decision No 1298/ 2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Coun- cil (°), the ALFA IIl programme established by Regulation () O] C 181, 21.6.2012, p. 154. () O] C 225, 27.7.2012, p. 200. (®) Position of the European Parliament of 19 November 2013 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 3 December 2013. (*) Decision No 1720/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing an action programme in the field of lifelong learning (O] L 327, 24.11.2006, p. 45). (>} Decision No 1719/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing the Youth in Action programme for the period 2007 to 2013 (O] L 327, 24.11.2006, . 30). (©) }l))ecision No 1298/2008EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 establishing the Erasmus Mundus 2009-2013 action programme for the enhancement of quality in higher education and the promotion of intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries (O] L 340, 19.12.2008, p. 83). (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (), and the Tempus and Edulink programmes, in order to ensure greater efficiency, a stronger strategic focus and synergies to be exploited between the various aspects of the single programme. In addition, sport is proposed as part of that single programme (the 'Programme’). (2)  The interim evaluation reports of the existing Lifelong Learning, Youth in Action and Erasmus Mundus programmes and the public consultation on the future of Union action in education, training and youth, as well as in higher education, revealed a strong and in some respects growing need for continuing cooperation and mobility in those fields at European level. The evaluation reports emphasised the importance of creating closer links between Union programmes and policy devel- opments in education, training and youth, expressed the wish that Union action should be structured in such a way as to respond better to the lifelong learning paradigm, and pressed for a simpler, more user-friendly and more flexible approach to imple- menting such action and the end of the fragmentation of international  higher  education  cooperation programmes. (3)  The Programme should focus on the accessibility of funding and the transparency of administrative and financial procedures, including through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and digitisation. Streamlining and simplifying the organi- sation and management, and a sustained focus on reducing administrative expenditure, are also vital to the success of the Programme. (4)  The public consultation on the Union’s strategic choices for the implementation of the new Union competence in the field of sport and the Commission’s evaluation report on preparatory actions in the field of sport provided useful indications regarding priority areas for Union action, and illustrated the added value that the Union can bring in supporting activities aimed at generating, sharing and spreading experiences and knowledge about different issues affecting sport at the European level, provided that they are focused in particular at grassroots level. (’) Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (O] L 378, 27.12.2006, p. 41).