Brussels,
16 September 2002
Celebration
of one million "Erasmus students": 30 Erasmus ambassadors
invited to Brussels for the European Erasmus Week
At
a press conference held today in Brussels, European Commissioner
for Education and Culture, Viviane Reding, has announced
the launch of a European Erasmus Week that will take place
in the 30 Erasmus countries (15 member states, 3 EEA countries
and 12 candidate countries) and in Brussels from 18th
to 25th October. 30 students from all participating
countries will symbolise the One Millionth Student and come
to Brussels for the celebration. The Erasmus programme supports
students' and academic staff's mobility in higher education.
Named after a popular Renaissance humanist and philosopher,
it began in 1987 and has become one of the best known EU
initiatives in the field of education, and a flagship of
European integration.
15
years of Erasmus
In 1987,
3,000 young pioneers had the opportunity to carry out a
study period at a partner university abroad. Ever since,
the number of participants has been steadily on the rise:
50,000 students in 1992, 100,000 in 1999 and 110,000 last
year. During the academic year 2002/03, about 120,000 young
people are expected to embark on the "Erasmus experience"
and spend up to 12 months in one of more than 1,800 European
participating higher education institutions. That will bring
the number of students who have spent part of their training
abroad to over a million since 1987. Currently, almost 10,000
students from EEA countries and candidate countries pack
their bags every year, thanks to Erasmus.
The main
countries of origin of the Erasmus students are France (about
17,000 a year), Spain (16,000 a year), Germany (16,000 a
year), Italy (13,000 a year) and the United Kingdom (about
10,000 a year).
Recent
surveys have pointed to the fact that former Erasmus students
often succeed in undertaking positions or tasks at work
which are related to the skills developed during their stay
at the host universities (skills such as language, professional
knowledge of the host country, first hand knowledge of the
host culture and society, etc.). Furthermore, statistics
indicate that about one third of the students receive a
job offer abroad and half of those who accept (one fifth),
are employed in the country where they carried out their
Erasmus placement.
There
has also been a strong increase in the number of academic
staff able to take part in exchanges for teaching purposes
or study visits within the programme: from 1,000 in 1988
to over 10,000 today.
Erasmus
plays a great role in shaping a new model for higher education
in Europe and promotes, inter alia, a European credit transfer
system (ECTS) to ensure the recognition of Erasmus studies,
and the development of thematic networks in universities
across Europe.
European
Erasmus Week
To mark
this achievement, the European Commission has decided to
launch an "Erasmus week" from 18th
to 25th October 2002. Celebrations will be held
across Europe in all the 30 countries taking part in the
programme. While the Commission is organising the main event,
which will take place in Brussels on 24th and
25th October, students' associations, Socrates
National Agencies and academic networks have been invited
to join forces and to ensure the coverage of the "Erasmus
week" at national and local level.
For example,
Hungary will organise an exhibition and competition of photos
taken by Erasmus students, a social event for foreign Erasmus
students studying in Hungary and a Première of the film
"L'Auberge espagnole" at the French Institute in Budapest.
During
the Erasmus Week in Brussels, Viviane Reding, together with
the 30 Erasmus Ambassadors, will launch the Erasmus Student
Charter. This "passport" given to each Erasmus participant
will outline the entitlements of the Erasmus students, such
as free tuition and full recognition of studies abroad,
and specify the main obligations of the Erasmus students
in respect of both their home and host universities.
Last
but not least, President of the European Commission, Romano
Prodi, has suggested to the Danish Presidency of the European
Union that the 30 students should, as symbolic representatives
of the One Millionth Student, meet the Heads of States and
Government and be photographed with them at the European
Council due to take place in Brussels during that week.
Further
information is available at : http://www.ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus/million_en.html
Or, on this site: Erasmus
World
For more information on Erasmus, please visit
the europa website on http://www.ec.europa.eu/education/index_en.html
More information:
Lynne Hunter
Adviser
Delegation of the European Commission to Australia and New
Zealand
Phone: 02 6271 2742
Fax: 02 6273 4445
email: lynne.hunter@ec.europa.eu
