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With the Erasmus program, the European Union supports stays abroad for young people
Photo: Ivan Gener / Westend61 / imago images
A summer in Madrid, a year in Marseille: the EU-funded stay abroad is a highlight of their studies for many students.
In the coming years, significantly more money is to flow into the Erasmus program.
The budget for the years 2021 to 2027 is 26.2 billion euros - a good 11 billion more than in the previous period from 2014 to 2020. In addition, there is a further 2.2 billion euros in funding, as announced by the EU Commission.
Around ten million Europeans are expected to benefit from the program.
In the future, Erasmus exchanges should focus more on inclusion as well as green and digital change.
For example, there will be financial incentives to travel by train in the future, says EU Education Commissioner Marija Gabriel.
However, air travel is not penalized, after all, some areas are difficult to reach by train.
Under the heading »Inclusive Erasmus«, the EU also wants to increasingly enable people with different cultural, social and economic backgrounds to stay abroad, according to the press release on the new program.
People in rural areas should also have more opportunities.
Individual and class exchanges for schoolchildren are also new.
Smaller organizations such as schools as well as youth and sports clubs should be able to apply for funds more easily.
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The Erasmus student exchange program has existed since 1987. According to EU figures, over ten million people from 33 countries have participated in the program over the past three decades.
In 2014, previous EU programs for lifelong learning, youth and sport as well as cooperation programs in higher education were merged under the name Erasmus +.
Erasmus + is open to school pupils, students, trainees, adults, young people, youth workers and sports trainers.
dpa / fla