Brussels, 30/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - The student exchange programme Erasmus celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Since 1997, it has allowed nearly 3 million students to complete part of their studies or do a work placement abroad. To mark the occasion, 66 “Erasmus ambassadors” will attend events held in the countries participating in the programme as well as a conference organised by the Danish Presidency, to be held in Copenhagen on 9 May. This corresponds to one student and a member of the teaching body from each of the 33 participating countries. “Erasmus is one of the great success stories of the European Union: it is our best-known and most popular programme”, said Education Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou. President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso paid tribute to the “extraordinary” effects of the programme on the European economy as a whole, through its “support for high-quality teaching and a modern higher education system, with closer links between academia and employers”. The Erasmus programme also promotes the mobility of European workers, an essential quality for tomorrow's employment market, because students who have studied abroad are more willing to travel abroad later, Barroso and Vassiliou stressed.
“Erasmus: changing lives, opening minds for a quarter of a century” is the slogan selected to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Erasmus. It is time to take stock: over the year 2011-2012, more than 250,000 will benefit from Erasmus. The most popular destinations are Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. The EU earmarked around €3 billion to Erasmus over the period 2007-2013. It is worth noting that the Commission has proposed to merge the seven current programmes for education, training, youth and sport into a single programme, “Erasmus for all”. The aim is to have increased efficiency, facilitate bursary applications and avoid duplication of effort and fragmentation. The proposal is currently being examined by the member states and the European Parliament, which will take position on its budget. (IL/transl.fl)