On Thursday 3 May, the Commissioner for Education and Youth, Tibor Navracsics, presented the DiscoverEU pilot project that will help more than 15,000 European 18-year olds obtain a free Inter-rail pass to travel in Europe this summer.
Mr Navracsics explained that this programme will give young Europeans an opportunity to, “discover the rich cultural heritage of the continent, make contact with other people, learn about their cultures and therefore discover what it is that unites Europe”.
The project has already been the subject of a financial decision made on 1 March when a budget envelope of €12 million was granted (see EUROPE 11972). The Commission is therefore responding to a proposal from the EPP group of the European Parliament, which has been striving to make the Inter-rail pass available to all 18-year-olds.
The Inter-rail pass is a train ticket that allows travel on European railway networks outside of the country where the ticket holder resides.
The President of the EPP group in Parliament, Manfred Weber, from Germany, was delighted with this decision. He said that, “This project will show EU citizens that it is more than just a legislative machine”. He considers that this is much more than just a free train ticket and is a programme that is putting into practice, “a new vision of Europe and a new way of involving new generations in the Europe they want".
The leader of the EPP asserted that he wanted to continue to fight to increase the number of programme beneficiaries. He also called on young travellers to share their experiences and discoveries on social media by using #DiscoverEU.
Interested parties will have two weeks to try their luck during a competition organised in June. A jury will then select the 15,000 winners. A second round will possibly be organised in the second half of 2018, depending on what remains in the budget.
Participants will be able to travel during a 30 day period and visit up to four different countries. (Original version in French by Mathieu Solal, trainee)