Interest in the Erasmus programme for students and universities continues to increase

Established in 1987, Erasmus, the EU's flagship education and training programme for mobility and cooperation in higher education across Europe, continues to expand. Erasmus receives approximately € 450 million per annum under the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013. For the academic year 2006/07, figures show that 3% more students and 10% more university teachers went abroad compared to the previous year. This brought the total participants to almost 160 000 students and 26 000 teachers in that year alone. Central and Eastern European countries, as well as Turkey, have had the biggest growth in the numbers participating in the programme.

Ján Figel’, European Commissioner for education, training, culture and youth, stressed that “Europe needs more and better mobility at all levels, and Erasmus is an excellent way forward. Erasmus brings improved knowledge, better cooperation and intercultural skills for its participants, and through them ultimately benefits all Europeans. In particular, I welcome that students in the new member states are increasingly taking up what Erasmus offers them. The European Commission's vision is that participation in the Erasmus programme should be the general rule, rather than the exception, for both students and teachers.”

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