Morgen treffen sich in Brüssel der “Economic and Financial Affairs Council” und der “Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Council” gemeinsam, um über EU-Investitionen in Bildung zu sprechen.
Wir unterstützen den offenen Brief der European Students‘ Union – ESU, in dem gefordert wird, das Budget für Erasmus+ zu verdreifachen, und haben diesen Brief den betreffenden Minister*innen Karliczek und Scholz zukommen lassen.
Schaut rein und teilt ihn, denn die Erhöhung des Budgets um ein Mehrfaches ist überfällig!
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Subject: ECOFIN – It’s time to invest in education!
Dear Minister Karliczek,
Dear Minister Scholz
The European Students Union and the freier zusammenschluss
von student*innenschaften (fzs) call on you to align with the proposal of tripling the funding of the next Erasmus+
programme as put forward by the European Parliament and advanced by the
Commission. More than ever it is a political responsibility to take the
European project forward by investing in one of the most remarkable success
stories in the history of Europe, benefiting many more generations to come.
On the 8th of November 2019 you will come together in Brussels for the joint meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council and the Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Council to discuss EU investment in education. This is the key moment when it comes to securing sufficient financial backing for the next generation of the Erasmus programme.
Why does Erasmus+ need more funding?
Tripling the funding is crucial to ensure more equal access for a larger group of beneficiaries from all ages and different educational purposes in order to respond to the high demand of smaller organisations and individual citizens, especially those from disadvantaged groups who still struggle to access and be successful in the current programme. Erasmus+ needs to benefit the many, not only the few. Increased accessibility and a focus on creating an inclusive program need to be at the heart of all policy considerations. Continued investment is needed in order to reach the European wide target of 20% mobile students (ET 2020).
What is the impact of Erasmus+?
Students who participated in an EU funded exchange programme (Erasmus+ and its predecessor programmes) give higher importance to the European elections (60.7%), had higher intention of voting in the European elections 2019 (76.2%) and had a higher election turnout (71.2%) when compared to the European average of the younger population (18-39 years old), as presented by the Eurobarometer surveys. This
showcases the importance of the Erasmus+ programme to instigate political participation in European elections.
A strong and well-funded Erasmus+ will reinforce the global dimension of the programme and the internationalisation of education institutions and different learning environments in order to build bridges with societies and economies across the globe. It will furthermore contribute to societal progress by promoting shared civic values and active citizenship through mobility, volunteering and cooperation projects.
As the representative structure of students across Europe and also Germany, the European Students Union and fzs are asking you to respond to our call, and to work with us in order to build a better Europe for young people. This is the defining moment and we’re calling on you to invest in our future.
We are looking forward to hearing from you and remain at your disposal,
Sebastian Berger Leonie Ackermann
Vice-President of ESU Vorstand des fzs