Agreement
among the Government of the Republic of Latvia, the Government of the Republic of Estonia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, on the creation of a common educational space in general upper secondary education and vocational (up to higher education level) education within the Baltic States  

The Government of the Republic of Estonia, the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, hereafter "the Contracting Parties"

on the basis of friendly relations between the three countries,

seeking to give students of the Baltic States more opportunities to study and to acquire education on general upper secondary education and vocational (up to higher education level) education at the public educational institutions of the Baltic States, and to get acknowledged certificates;

desiring to increase mobility of young people in the Baltic States;

have agreed on the following:

Article 1

The Contracting Parties shall give students, citizens and permanent residents of their countries, access to each others' general upper secondary education programmes and vocational education programmes (up to higher education level).

Article 2

Students, who acquire a general upper secondary education or vocational (up to higher education) education (further "vocational education") programme within a host Baltic country, shall pay (if such are established) study fees or similar fees on the equal basis with students of this country.

Article 3

Students, who acquire general upper secondary education or vocational education within a host country, have the right to receive grants and similar support on the equal basis with students of that country.

Article 4

Students, who have acquired partial general upper secondary education or vocational education with at least satisfactory results in the country of one of the Contracting Parties, shall have the right to pursue their studies in an educational institution of their own country, pursuant to a document issued by the educational institution of one of the Contracting Parties country, certifying partial general upper secondary education on or vocational education.

Article 5

Students, who have acquired general upper secondary education in another country of Contracting Parties and were granted a school-leaving certificate or other form of certification documenting that they have completed a general upper secondary educational programme, are entitled to apply for admission to higher education programmes in their home country as they may apply for in the country, in which they have completed upper secondary education.

Article 6

The Contracting Parties shall, within the vocational education curricula, recognise a mandatory professional apprenticeship in enterprises, institutions, or similar establishments of the country of another Party, different to the country where the vocational education was acquired.

Article 7

The Contracting Parties shall inform the inhabitants of their own countries about the possibilities, assured with this agreement, to acquire general upper secondary education or vocational education in the other countries of the Contracting Parties.

Article 8

The Contracting Parties shall jointly follow up the implementation of the Agreement, change and amend it, if necessary. For this purpose the Contracting Parties shall establish a Consultative Committee, which will propose changes and amendments to the Agreement. The Committee shall co-operate with the responsible Ministers or their authorised representatives and shall give information on implementation of the Agreement. The Contracting Parties are authorised to develop legal acts for promoting the implementation of the Agreement.

Article 9

The Contracting Parties shall work out relevant agreements which grant the right for students of the other Contracting Parties to acquire higher education.

Article 10

The Agreement shall enter into force 30 days after the date upon which all the Contracting Parties have notified each other of the accomplishment of all the necessary constitutional procedures for the Agreement to enter into force in their country.

Article 11

This Agreement will remain valid for 5 years and shall automatically be renewed for another period of 5 years, unless one of the Contracting Parties six months before the date of expire of the relevant, notifies to the other Contracting Parties in writing on its intention to terminate the Agreement. Any changes and amendments to the Agreement shall follow the same procedure as its entering into force.

Article 12

Study credentials, issued on time of validity of the Agreement are completely recognised and utilised even after one of the Contracting Parties has terminated engagements mentioned in the Agreement. Students who at the moment of termination of the engagements of the Agreement study in another country of the Contracting Parties, have the right to finish an academic year on the same terms, as when the Agreement has been in force.

Article 13

Each Contracting Party can terminate engagements of this Agreement by giving a written notice to the other Contracting Parties, who shall confirm in writing the receipt of this notice.

The termination of the Agreement shall enter into force after the expire of six months from the date upon which the other Contracting Parties have received a notice on termination of Agreement's engagements.

Article 14

The Agreement is done in triplicate, each in the Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian and English languages. All three originals are authentic. In case of divergence the English text shall prevail.

Done in Sigulda on this day of 10th July, 1998