Brussels, 08/07/13 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 8 July, Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, presented the annual figures for the Erasmus Programme. She was pleased to note that, two weeks ago, “the latest record figures” show that “we have exceeded our target of 3 million” and demonstrate the success and lasting popularity of the programme since it was set up in 1987.
In the course of the 2011-2012 academic year, a new record was set: the programme enabled 252,827 Erasmus students to spend part of their higher education studies abroad or train in a foreign country, 9% more than the previous year. Around 80% of the total (degree, masters or PhD) opted to spend an average of six months abroad at a university or other higher education institution. The others chose to go on a job placement abroad. Foreign job placements are increasingly in demand: more than 18% up on last year. The Erasmus programme enables students to acquire skills and international experience that they can then use when looking for a job. The commissioner stated that “Erasmus is more important than ever in times of economic hardship and high youth unemployment”.
The number of students studying abroad increased in almost all countries. There were more Spanish students studying abroad or on placement than from any other country: 39,545, compared to 33,363 Germans and 33,269 French. With 39,300 Erasmus students choosing Spain in 2011-2012, this country remains the most popular destination, ahead of France (28,964) and Germany (27,872). Demand is higher than the number of grants available in most countries. The average monthly grant awarded by the European Union aiming to cover the costs relating to living abroad and travelling remained stable in comparison to the past three years at €252.
The programme has also enabled more than 46,500 members of academic staff and administration to teach or receive training in one of the 33 participating countries (EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland and Turkey) for a period of up to 6 weeks. The Commissioner explained that “Erasmus has also played a tremendous role in improving the quality of higher education in Europe by opening up our universities and colleges to international cooperation”.
In 2011-2012, the EU spent €494 million on the Erasmus programme. Around 473 million of this was used to help with student and staff mobility. For the current budgetary period (2007-2013), the EU allocated a budget of €3.1 billion to the programme.
Looking to the future, the commissioner said that she was delighted with the provisional agreement on the new Erasmus+ programme for education, training, youth and sport. It is due for launch in January 2014 and is expected to have a budget of around €14.5 billion for 2014-2020 - 40% more than funding for the current education and training mobility programmes (the current Lifelong Learning Programme, as well as Youth in Action, Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the bilateral cooperation programme with industrialised countries). The commissioner said that the aim had been to bring the different programmes into a single one in an effort to simplify and avoid duplication. The Commissioner hopes that Erasmus + will enable 4 million young people to study, train, teach or volunteer abroad in the next seven years.
Erasmus + also includes a new loan mechanism for students seeking to study for a Masters abroad. This will include loans of €12,000 for a year or €18,000 for two years at reduced interest rates. No parental guarantee will be requested and repayment will only be made after a first job has been obtained. Now almost 10% of students study or train abroad thanks to Erasmus or other public or private initiatives. With this new strategy, the EU has set itself the objective of increasing student mobility to at least 20% by the end of the decade. (LM/transl.fl)