Brussels, 06/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Spanish young European federalists (JEF Spain) and its European platform JEF Europe have expressed concern at the decision of the Spanish government to change the conditions for access to Erasmus bursaries. They are calling on it to review its decision to cut the amounts for the years post-2013-2014 and are calling for greater investment in European education programmes for “a genuinely democratic, diversified and knowledge-based European society”.
A decree published by the Spanish government on 29 October lays down the new conditions to be fulfilled by students: in order to receive an Erasmus bursary, they must now have been in receipt of a general bursary for the academic year 2012-2013. The aim was to allow students from lower-income backgrounds to benefit. This measure, which would have immediate effect, meant that Erasmus assistance would be cut part of the way through the year for thousands of Spanish students already abroad. Given mass student protest and political criticism, including from his own Conservative group, Spanish Educatiion Minister José Ignacio Wert has changed his approach. He is maintaining all bursaries, but only for the academic year 2013-2014. In 2012, Spain cut from €30 million to €15 million the supplements it grants to Erasmus students, according to a Commission spokesperson, Olivier Bailly, who added that the European Union would not be changing the bursaries of €111 a month allocated to 39,000 Spanish Erasmus students. He lamented the fact the Spanish authorities had announced this measure part of the way through the academic year, causing anxiety for students who have started an Erasmus period. “We hope that students' legitimate expectations (…) will be heard by the Spanish authorities”, Bailly stressed. (IL/transl.fl)