Erasmus is key to Europe’s future – Don’t diminish it

By Danny Byrne. The economic situation in Europe has hit young people very hard. A good education that prepares them for a world that is increasingly fast-moving, mobile, interdependent and multicultural is fundamental to ensuring they do not become a 'lost generation'.
Over the past 25 years, the European Union's (EU) Erasmus programme has allowed nearly three million young Europeans to study abroad. More recently, Erasmus has also supported job placements in companies abroad.
A whole generation has learned what it means to live and work alongside people from another culture, and to develop the skills and versatility that are vital for the modern labour market. It is a generation that has gone on to find some of the best jobs.
There is, however, concern that the current and future budgets for Erasmus, to be agreed in the coming weeks, may not be sufficient to live up to pledges to open up Erasmus to millions more young Europeans from 2014 through the Erasmus for All programme, at a cost of less than 2% of the total EU budget. More...