The European Union’s ERASMUS+ programme has transformed lives through its huge range of projects. In 2018 alone, nearly 900,000 participants went on study exchanges, training, volunteer or work placements in countries other than their own.
ERASMUS+ has been running, in some shape or form, for over 30 years, supporting over 10 million participants. The programme aims to support mobility of young people to broaden their outlook on life, experience other cultures, learn transversal skills and gain important job skills (and opportunities).
According to the European Commission’s recently-released ERASMUS+ Annual Report 2018, 2018 saw a massive 25% in the number of students and teachers who went abroad (nearly 40,000 individuals). Funding was distributed to 95,000 organisations for running over 23,000 projects.
Spain was the most travelled-to destination for mobility programmes, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy. The largest group of travellers came from France, followed by Spain, Germany, Italy and Turkey.
This year (2020) marks the end of the current ERASMUS+ funding period. A proposal is being tabled for the next funding period from 2021 to double the amount from €15 billion to €30 billion.