Sunday

2nd Apr 2023

Opinion

In defence of the Erasmus scheme

  • "Education is supposed to broaden the mind: even those who don’t choose to go abroad find Europe coming to their lecture theatre instead" (Photo: European Commission)

In the wake of last December’s rather unsatisfactory deal on the EU budget, it is not surprising that the Erasmus student exchange programme is being eyed up for cuts. This temptation should be resisted.

Latest figures announced two weeks ago (16 March) reveal that the scheme is now more popular than ever. Student participation rose by 6 per cent last year and that of teachers by 13 per cent. This is a practical example of European cooperation that is an astounding success.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

I have soft spot for the Erasmus scheme, as it was the subject of one of the first pro-European campaigns I was involved in. The university I was studying at had declined to take part, and so the student union protested.

There already were bilateral links with universities in other European countries, we were told, so that this new scheme was not necessary. But the whole point of Erasmus was to expand opportunities. It would open the way for student exchanges that had not existed before, and importantly it would increase the number of students that could take part. The old system was fine for the privileged few for whom it had been designed: the new system would benefit many more.

And isn’t that the point of the EU as a whole? The advantages it offers should be open to everyone, rather than the traditional elite. I have lost count of the number of Eurosceptics rejecting the description "anti-European" because they personally spend every summer in a delightful villa in Tuscany.

There is a decent criticism of the EU that it is not doing enough to spread the benefits of European integration throughout the whole of society. I share it. But the way to deal with it is to reform the EU, not reject it.

The Erasmus student exchange programme is a perfect example of this. Not only does it benefit the hundreds of thousands of students, living and studying in another country for a year, but also it benefits the universities and towns that host them. The vice-chancellor of one English university said to me that the atmosphere on campus had changed and improved immeasurably as a result of the influx of students from abroad. Education is supposed to broaden the mind: even those who don’t choose to go abroad find Europe coming to their own doorstep and lecture theatre instead.

Back at my old university, the rules have finally changed and it is part of the Erasmus scheme, too. The number of students from elsewhere in Europe has soared to the benefit of all.

Helping the next generation discover the character and diversity of their continent and fulfil their own potential within it is exactly the kind of long-term investment in its own future that the EU should be making. Let’s hope that the Erasmus scheme can survive the cuts.

Richard Laming is Director of Federal Union.

http://www.federalunion.org.uk

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

Ukraine — what's been destroyed so far, and who pays?

More than 50 percent of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, large parts of its transport network and industrial capacity, around 150,000 residential buildings damaged or destroyed. The bill is between €378bn to €919bn.

Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?

As autocracies collapsed across Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, Albanians had high expectations that democracy and a free-market economy would bring a better life. But Albania's transition from dictatorship to democracy has been uneven and incomplete.

The overlooked 'crimes against children' ICC arrest warrant

An unprecedented component of this announcement has received less attention: the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Putin's commissioner for children's rights. Lvova-Belova is accused of deporting and unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Column

What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking

Perhaps even more surprising to the West was the fact that the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal was not brokered by the United States, or the European Union, but by the People's Republic of China. Since when was China mediating peace agreements?

Dear EU, the science is clear: burning wood for energy is bad

The EU and the bioenergy industry claim trees cut for energy will regrow, eventually removing extra CO2 from the atmosphere. But regrowth is not certain, and takes time, decades or longer. In the meantime, burning wood makes climate change worse.

Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?

As autocracies collapsed across Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, Albanians had high expectations that democracy and a free-market economy would bring a better life. But Albania's transition from dictatorship to democracy has been uneven and incomplete.

The overlooked 'crimes against children' ICC arrest warrant

An unprecedented component of this announcement has received less attention: the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Putin's commissioner for children's rights. Lvova-Belova is accused of deporting and unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Latest News

  1. EU to press South Korea on arming Ukraine
  2. Aid agencies clam up in Congo sex-for-work scandal
  3. Ukraine — what's been destroyed so far, and who pays?
  4. EU sending anti-coup mission to Moldova in May
  5. Firms will have to reveal and close gender pay-gap
  6. Why do 83% of Albanians want to leave Albania?
  7. Police violence in rural French water demos sparks protests
  8. Work insecurity: the high cost of ultra-fast grocery deliveries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains
  2. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  3. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us