Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism, Sport, Media and Youth, delves into the details of Europe’s new student mobility and research programme Erasmus+ as it rolls out across Europe.
The PIE: What for you is the most significant change between this Erasmus+ programme and the schemes it replaces?
AV: First of all is the budget – we have a 40% increase, which under the present circumstances is amazing. It is indicative that the European Union and its members states give a lot of importance to education because in order to overcome this crisis, it is necessary to give all our young people the skills that they need to have a good life and to stay in work. So that is why I proposed a bigger increase, but I was very happy that they accepted the 40% increase. So this is the first achievement.
“Jobs which require high qualifications are increasing, to the detriment of those who have low qualifications”
The second one is that we have introduced certain innovative elements in the programme – like, for example, because we give so much importance to first of all mobility, but also the Masters degree.
That level of qualification will be very, very useful in the future because we know that jobs which require high qualifications are increasing, to the detriment of those who have low qualifications. So we are encouraging young people to take up Masters degrees but they are very costly. Therefore, we are offering now the possibility through the European Investment Fund and through banks the possibility to get a loan with very good terms, with the guarantee of the EU. So the young person doesn’t have to present any security from his parents or from himself. So this is the second innovative thing.
The third is what we call the knowledge alliances and the sector skill alliances. These are structured partnerships between educational and businesses to bring the world of work closer to the world of education: to formulate their curricula and their programmes to the point of giving the young person the skills that the market needs, so that he’s not unemployed. We support them both in a technical way but also with money.
The PIE: And the programme has opened up to third countries for the first time, hasn’t it?
AV: Yes – the final thing is the opening up of the programme to third countries, because the world of education is becoming globalised. I know that in a few years’ time we’ll have millions and millions of people becoming mobile for education, so we have to open and make Europe more attractive to the outside world, and remain competitive from an educational point of view.
“The world of education is becoming globalised. We have to remain competitive from an educational point of view”
So in the same way as third country students can come to Europe for a certain period of time through Erasmus, our students can also go to third countries – like China, India, Brazil and other countries – to also have part of their education there.
The PIE: Are there particular regions you’re targeting?
AV: No, but it’s mainly regions with which we cooperate: countries that I mentioned, and also neighbourhood countries are very important both from the East and South, so we give priority to the neighbourhood and to strategic partners. And of course, in order for a student or a young person to go there, their university or their institution much reach an agreement with an intitution in a foreign country. So it’s only those institutions that have reached an agreement.
The PIE: There’s been some pushback against the loans from the European Students Union, who’s concerned about brain drain across some regions. Is that a concern you have?
AV: No, because whatever you do, young people will travel. They will leave. The solution is not to ban their travelling or to make it difficult for them to travel, but to improve the conditions at home. The reason they are travelling is not because they don’t like their home country, it’s because the environment is not the right one: much lower payments; the economic situation is usually not very good; the standard of their education establishments might not be that high. So this is what we have to make sure that we improve.
“Whatever you do, young people will travel”
And that is why we encourage partnerships between universities so that gradually, they raise their standards. And mobility helps – especially mobility of teachers and staff. They bring back to their universities new systems, new methods of teaching, and they improve their educational institutions.
The PIE: I understand negotiations with Switzerland about its involvement with Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 has been suspended?
AV: Yes. For the time being, the negotiations have been suspended, because for us the freedom of movement is very important. It has to do with the signing of the protocol with Croatia: because Croatia is a new member state, and Switzerland must sign an agreement with Croatia for the freedom of movement, which they have not done. We have to wait and see. If they do it, we shall be very pleased to resume their Erasmus.
But in the meantime, the Swiss government has decided to have transitory measures allowing their students to become mobile and also allowing some European students to go to Switzerland, but they cover the expenses.
The PIE: Do you think the referendum voting for a cap on EU immigration will damage student mobility long-term?
AV: I think it will be damaging, yes, of course. Probably before the referendum they did not think seriously of the repercussions, but we knew very well that this would happen if they took that decision. And of course, students – probably, I don’t know – they will suffer, certainly, from this, but the point is the participation in the voting was very low. So I don’t know to what extent students realised what was coming, and whether they voted, because I think it was less than 40% participation.
It’s a very unfortunate situation which will harm not only the Swiss students but also the rest of the European students because we had a very good relationship between our young people and our universities, and it will be a shame to postpone it.
