On Monday 27 March, during the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus exchange programme, the European Commission launched a new initiative called Move2Learn, Learn2Move in an effort to provide a boost to the mobility of young Europeans. The EPP is said to be disappointed by the lack of ambition displayed by the Commission and is hoping for much more in 2018.
The Commission has earmarked €2.5 million taken directly from Erasmus +. According to its calculations, this should help finance between 5,000 and 7,000 young people aged between 16 and 19. Each young person selected will receive an entitlement for the purchase of travel tickets for an amount between €350 and €530. The high tranche involves trips to island or outermost countries or regions (including Malta, Cyprus, Iceland, Guadalupe and the Canaries).
In this connection and taking into account the specificities of certain member states, such as Malta, which does not have a railway network, or others which are not part of the inter-rail project (such as the Baltic countries but also Cyprus and Malta), the European Commission has sought to prioritise all the different modes of transport and only passenger vehicles and shuttle buses, in other words those available at the location, will not be included.
Strict criteria. Only pupils participating in the eTwinning network, the European School exchange and cooperation platform, can take part in the programme. The transport selected must not exceed a threshold of 200 CO² emissions for every kilometre per passenger. For example, the train accounts for 14, buses and coaches are equivalent to 68, the ferry 86 and an aeroplane 285, according to the scale established by the Commission. Another important criterion, for obvious reasons, includes the relationship between the duration of the journey and the time spent on location, which should not exceed a ratio of one to three for a trip of three days, and one to four for a trip longer than this.
Next steps. The call for applications through the eTwinning network is open from 20 March to 30 June. A selection period will follow at the end of August this year. The European Commission and the national services responsible for implementing the eTwinning programme will then proceed to the selection by taking into account the criteria mentioned above, as well as the quality of the projects submitted and their "inclusive" dimension. he prizewinners will have until 31 December 2018 to use their grants.
EPP group not satisfied and intends to counter attack. There was no overwhelming enthusiasm at the European Parliament. The EPP considers that the European Commission proposal is no less and no more than "a wasted opportunity", particularly in the wake of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome (see EUROPE 11754). Manfred Weber, from Germany, the leader of the EPP group and the driving force behind the free Interrail project for young people aged 18, was particularly bitter (see EUROPE 11685). He said that that he "regretted" the European Commission proposal.
Calculating the project at between €1.2 billion and €1.6 billion a year, the Commission has in effect initially opted for a pilot project that is less ambitious because it is cheaper (see EUROPE 11721). According to the Weber, these figures are excessive and his position is backed up by the recent European Parliament vote for a resolution put forward by Siegfried Mureșan (EPP, Romania), which supports the project (see EUROPE 11746).
Weber has not had his last word and is hoping to obtain a more substantial budget line for the next tax year. According to indications from his office, he will seek to convince the different heads of state belonging to his political group of the usefulness of the project, during the EPP group conference held in Malta on 29 and 30 March.
Rail sector satisfied. The rail sector has an entirely different perspective. Libor Lochman, the executive director of the Community of European Railways (CER) welcomed the European Commission initiative, which he argued provided "a positive narrative around transport and which is particularly favourable towards sustainable modes". (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)