The PAD is a department of the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz). It is the sole public organization in Germany working on behalf of the Federal States to promote international exchange and cooperation in the school sector. The PAD carries out its role in cooperation with the Auswärtiges Amt, the EU Commission and other national and international partners from the school sector. Since 1995, the PAD has served as a national agency for EU programs and offers information and advice concerning the European educational program Erasmus and other educational programs for schools. In addition, the PAD has coordinated the eTwinning school network since the year 2013.