MEPs give major boost to Erasmus Mundus

The European Parliament yesterday (21 October) agreed to quadruple the budget for the bloc’s flagship academic mobility programme, which aims to attract highly-qualified students and professors from non-EU countries.

Building on the experience of the 20-year-old Erasmus programme, Erasmus Mundus, which targets non-EU countries, was launched in 2004 in a bid to restore Europe to a leading position on the international university scene (EURACTIV 28/09/04). 

The results of the pilot phase (2004-2008) have convinced MEPs to quadruple the project’s budget from €230 million to €950 million for the next five years (2009-2013). 

In its first edition, Erasmus Mundus provided financial support to 103 international masters and doctoral programmes as well as to participating third country students. 4,424 scholarships have been so far granted to students from outside the EU. 

The creation of partnerships with educational institutions beyond the EU’s borders also served to promote European higher education on the international market. Out of 323 universities participating in the first Erasmus Mundus scheme, 58 were based in third countries. 

The second edition of the programme will seek to involve more students and universities worldwide in an attempt to commit third countries’ best brains to working with and in Europe and to enable the EU to establish contacts and promote research synergies in those countries. Moreover, thanks to the increased budget, European students will also be able to apply for scholarships to participate in sponsored graduate programmes. 

Marielle de Sarnez (ALDE, France), the Parliament’s rapporteur on the programme, highlighted the importance of the initiative, especially in “the difficult times we are going through”. “This is giving a positive image of Europe in the rest of the world,” she said. 

In this context, MEPs have called on member states to simplify their visa procedures and make it easier for qualified students and scholars to join programmes offered at EU educational institutions. 

Regarding financed projects, members of Parliament have insisted that courses should be given in at least two EU languages: linguistic diversity is in fact one of the priorities of the EU’s higher education policies. 

The vote comes four days after the launch of the Commission-sponsored “Study in Europe” website (www.study-in-europe.org). The portal provides information about higher education in the 27 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Admission procedures, financial information and the higher education environment as well as the Bologna process are explained to third-country nationals considering studying in Europe. 

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