Almost 95,000 young people applied in the third round of this new EU initiative for youth. The successful candidates were selected based on the award criteria and taking into account the quota set for each EU Member State.

“I am proud to see that more young people are exploring the richness of our history and culture”

“In one year, around 275,000 young Europeans applied to become part of the experience, with some 50,000 awarded a travel pass,” commissioner Tibor Navracsics, responsible for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, said in a statement.

“I am proud to see that more and more young people are exploring the richness of our history and culture, making new friends across borders, becoming more independent and self-reliant, sharing experiences and emotions, and ultimately, discovering themselves.”

The winners of the third round will be contacted so that they can arrange their trips.

Most will travel by rail, with alternative modes of transport used in exceptional cases.

As well as the travel pass, participants will receive technical support and guidance on topics such as sustainable travel and what it means to be a DiscoverEU Ambassador. 

They will also be invited to report back on their experiences through social media tools or by providing a presentation at their school or local community.

The scheme was particularly popular with Italian teenagers: over 27,000 18-year-olds from the country applied for just over 2,000 free passes.

The Commission is planning to launch the next application round before the end of the year when another 20,000 travel passes will be available.

In May 2018, the Commission proposed a €700m investment for DiscoverEU as part of the future Erasmus program under the EU’s next long-term budget for 2021-2027.

If the European Parliament and the Council agree to this, an additional 1.5 million 18-year-olds would be able to travel over those seven years.