National political and educational agendas have been reshaped by the processes of European integration. Although a few educational issues were mentioned in the 1957 Treaty of Rome including provisions for vocational training and for the mutual recognition of diplomas and certifi cates (Phillips 1995), the birth of the European dimension in education dated back to the early 1970s (Hansen 1998; Ryba 2000). In 1971, education was fi rst mentioned as an area of interest to the then European Community. It was in July of that year that the European Commission decided to set up two bodies which would work on educational issues: (a) a working party on teaching and education and (b) an interdepartmental working party on coordination. In November 1971, the Ministers of Education held their fi rst meeting. In their resolution, they stated that the provisions on educational measures in the Treaty of Rome could be complemented by increasing cooperation in the fi eld of education, and they argued that the fi nal goal was ‘to defi ne a European model of culture correlating with European integration’ (Neave 1984: 6f.), recognizing for the fi rst time the close relation between educational policy and European integration. In June 1974, the Ministers of Education held their second meeting in Luxembourg, arguing for the need to institute European cooperation in the fi eld of education. As a basis for cooperation, it was stated that the traditions of each country and the diversity of their education systems should be respected.