(15 June 2017) – Yves Bertoncini and Sofia Fernandes, of the Jacques Delors Institute, present an overview of the quantitative and qualitative evolution of the Erasmus programme over the last three decades.
30 years after it was launched by the European Commission led by President Jacques Delors in June 1987, the “Erasmus” programme has become one of the most emblematic “brands” of the EU, a legacy that deserves to flourish giving a new impetus to youth mobility in Europe.
While many technical and statistical assessments have already been carried out to evaluate Erasmus’ impact on the employability of its beneficiaries or their open-mindedness about European citizenship, it might be worthwhile, on the occasion of the programme’s 30th anniversary, to put into historical perspective its political repercussions, to outline its future and to highlight the success of the “Erasmus spirit”.