The European Commission supports with the Jean Monnet Programme academic research and teaching in the field of European Integration since 1990 within and outside of the European Union. Since 2007, the Jean Monnet activities are part of the new Lifelong Learning Programme. They are managed by the “Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency” of the European Commission, established in 2005.

A major objective of the Jean Monnet Programme is thus to promote teaching and research on European Integration within different disciplines at universities. This mainly happens through the creation of Jean Monnet Chairs, Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence, and Jean Monnet teaching modules. Furthermore, networking activities of scholars and other information dissemination and research activities are supported. Another task of the Jean Monnet Programme is funding for genuinely European institutions, such as the European University Institute, Florence, and the College of Europe, Bruges and Natolin, as well as for scholarly associations.