The revamped version of Europe’s most popular student programme was signed into law on 11 December by European Parliament President Martin Schulz. Erasmus+ boasts a budget of more than EUR 14 billion for 2014-2020, nearly twice as much as its current funding, giving more than four million young Europeans the chance to study or train abroad.
Erasmus+, due to begin in January, is aimed at boosting skills, employability and supporting the modernisation of education, training and youth systems. It supports 13-30 year old students, trainees, apprentices, volunteers, teaching staff or trainers to seek education, training or even organised sporting activities in other EU countries. The leaders of youth clubs and voluntary workers will now also be eligible for Erasmus+ funding.
The programme brings together existing education and training initiatives Comenius, Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig, which maintain their names as they are already well known. It also includes the Youth in Action programme and for the first time covers sport.