Brussels, 15/04/2020 (Agence Europe) – Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which at times has interrupted their activities, the 165,000 Erasmus+ exchange students and the 5,000 volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps need a guarantee that they will retain their status and that the extra costs incurred will be reimbursed, requested the European Parliament's Culture and Education Committee (CULT) in a letter to the European Commission on Wednesday 15 April. However, the current communication from the European institution and the different approaches adopted by the national agencies send a confusing message, it said. According to MEPs, students must be supported so that they do not lose this academic year. And European volunteers could even continue their voluntary service, and thus retain the family allowances linked to volunteer status, by being deployed in national programmes to combat the pandemic. (MB)