Direct contact between youth of Europe. One of the recent initiatives of the European Commission, which has not in my opinion received the attention it deserves, is the "Erasmus World" project. Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Culture and President Romano Prodi presented it before the Summer break in a joint press conference (see our bulletin on 18 July p 16) but I doubt that its significance was entirely understood: some echoes here and there but without enough commotion to attract public opinion, which had already plunged headlong into the summer holidays. And yet, doom and gloom merchants, content to describe European construction as a technical enterprise without fervour or soul, could find food for thought in this project.
The starting point is the extraordinary success of the Erasmus programme, as it currently exists. University students from the whole of Europe know it and use it and thanks to this programme, launched and supported by the Commission and funded out of a Community budget, hundreds of thousands of youngsters spend some of their studies every year in a country other than their own; they thus open their minds to other cultures and languages. Friendships and bonds are struck and prejudice falls away; Europe appears to these youngsters as a living reality. Erasmus will celebrate its thousandth participant next month: a million youngsters will come into direct contact with Europe. And that continues: for the year 2001-2002 alone, 120, 000 students, more than 10, 000 teachers and 1,800 universities (from 30 countries belonging to EU and candidate or associated countries) took part in the programme. I have already stressed the success of the film "L'Auberge espagnole" by Cédric Klapisch, who describes this new reality (see this section, 29 June).
Ambition. The new initiative of Ms Reding, accepted by the Commission by unanimity and which is being sent to the European Parliament and the Council, aims to transfer the success of the Erasmus programme to a world level, with the appropriate adaptations. The objective is to attract the young elite from Africa, Asia, South America and also (why not?) North America to study for their Masters in European universities by offering them suitable grants. Romano Prodi pointed out when announcing the project that, "top grade youngsters from the would world generally go to the USA to carry out and perfect their studies. We aim to re-establish the attractiveness of European universities". Ms Reding explained that this had nothing to do with competing with the USA but simply a means of offering the world elite a "viable alternative" and of contributing to making Europe, "an intellectual, cultural, economic and social pole of attraction". President Prodi logically emphasised that the goal is not to impose a kind of European cultural hegemony but of developing and encouraging dialogue with other cultures and reciprocal knowledge. This, in my opinion, does not exclude the legitimate ambition of asserting the "European model", which does not always correspond to the "American model" (far from it), despite the convergence of fundamental principles.
Meeting the challenge of world culture. The Commission hopes that the new programme will begin in 2004, with a number of pilot projects launched in 2003. In 2004-2008 "Erasmus world" should welcome between between 4,200 students and 1000 teachers from other continents who will take part in 250 "EU Masters inter-universities" for one or two years with grants (for students) of EUR 1,600 per month. An important detail: each Masters will be in three different countries in the Community, in order for candidates to avoid the easy solution of going to English-speaking universities. The model is obviously based on that of the US Fulbright programme but the "Erasmus world" project also includes an aspect for European students who could benefit from grants for sudying in universities outside Europe.
The first Council debate is planned for 12 November and the European Parliament will also have a word to say about it too. We will then know whether Europe is ready to meet the challenge of world culture.
(F.R.)