Brussels, 13/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - Support for the educational programme Erasmus is increasing as part of the negotiation on the new 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework which is currently under way. Following on from the artists and intellectuals, and European universities (see EUROPE 10728), now more than a hundred European NGOs, 50 MEPs and a growing number of citizens - all part of Fraternité 2020 (F2020) - are calling on European leaders for sufficient funding for the Erasmus programme. In a press release, F2020 - the first citizens' initiative - asks for 3% of the European budget to be given to the EU's exchange programmes as of 2014. The objective is to send a strong signal to European leaders next week.
The share of the European budget currently spent on European exchange programmes is around 1.2%. The European Commission has proposed increasing this to about 1.6% (€19 billion) in the future but in F2020's view this is still not enough and the organisation calls on European Council of 22-23 November to move beyond this proposal. “The expansion of EU exchange programmes will help bring down youth unemployment and will stimulate sustainable growth by investing in Europe's people - the most precious resource our continent has to offer”, says Simona Ponckuté, a member of F2020 from Lithuania. “There are things that need to be cut in austere times, and there are things that need to be expanded. Investing in EU exchange programmes and the qualifications of EU citizens clearly belongs to the latter category”, says Miguel Otero-Iglesias, a member of F2020 from Spain.
F2020 was set up under the European Citizens' initiative (ECI). This is one of the major innovations of the Lisbon Treaty and it aims to increase direct democracy within the EU. F2020 has currently gathered signatures from several thousand people from the 27 EU member states. Its objective is to reach a million signatures, which will enable it to question the European Commission directly and to call the Commission to bring forward legislation on one of the EU's areas of competence. (IL/transl.fl)