Brikena Xhomaqi, Director of the LLLP, tells us about how could a strong grant system pave the way for a revolution in Lifelong Learning.

On 21st July 2020,  EU leaders agreed on a recovery package and the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (1) that will help the EU to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic and will support investment in the green and digital transitions. The overall amount for commitments is EUR 1,074.3 billion

After five intense days of negotiations, the EU leaders have agreed on the recovery package, and the new long-term budget of the EU, to address the current critical situation in Europe.

On the 30th of April, the EUF, ESN and ESU officially launched the #Erasmus500 initiative, marking the beginning of a journey towards a fair and transparent Erasmus grant system.

The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is the biggest student association in Europe which offers its services to around 350,000 international students every year.

The European Students’ Union (ESU) is the umbrella organisation representing almost 20 million students in Europe. The aim of ESU is to represent and promote the educational, social, economic and cultural interests of students at the European level.

“Thanks to the Erasmus programme tens of thousands of students have already had the opportunity to travel abroad and study at partner universities.

We interviewed Caroline Sundberg, European University Foundation’s Policy and Research Officer, in order to understand how #Erasmus500 came to life and what the key policy insights are.