Brussels, 31/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Students Union (ESU) said that the Erasmus programme (which was 25 years old on 30 January) was still the preserve of an elite and was not sufficiently inclusive. Students recognise the success and added value of the programme, which has accomplished a lot to improve student mobility, but Erasmus still needs to be improved and address all students equally. Erasmus has been the victim of its own success and requests for grants currently exceed availability. The European Commission has appealed for greater European Union resources, with a bigger budget for the new “Erasmus for All” programme. The president of the ESU, Allan Päll concluded: “For us, the key in the next years will be to start looking at who gets access to mobility opportunities since there is more evidence around to show that Erasmus is mostly used by students with higher socioeconomic backgrounds.” The ESU hopes that during negotiations on the EU's next long-term budget - which will take place this year - governments will show a clear commitment towards long-term investments, such as investing in education and research, which will help Europe overcome the crisis and build a sustainable future for all.
The European University Association (EUA) also congratulated Erasmus on its success and its substantial contribution to implementing the Bologna Process and major reforms in the education sector in Europe. Considering student and teacher mobility essential for social cohesion and the economy, the EUA backs the Commission proposal to increase the “Erasmus for All” programme. The universities consider that there is still much to be done to improve mobility and that it is important for the programme not to focus exclusively on the number of mobile students but also on the quality of the mobility. Like the ESU, the EUA also advocates improved access to Erasmus, particularly for students from poorer backgrounds. (IL/transl.fl)