The first 30 years of the Erasmus Project ****************************************************************************************** * The first 30 years of the Erasmus Project ****************************************************************************************** The Erasmus Project celebrates its 30th year in 2017, and 2018 will be the 20th year of it the Czech Republic. Ollie Heppenstall explores its history, impact and what the future mig incredible organisation. The Erasmus programme celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and in that time it has e of thousands of Europeans by providing countless opportunities to train or to study across Union, the EFTA and EU candidate countries, and widening society’s horizons in a way that, project was founded, was but a pipedream. When founded, the Erasmus programme was a voluntary cooperation between 11 European Union Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spai   Despite requiring a decision in the European Court of Justice after opposition from memb existing exchange programmes of their own, the programme became official and by the end of 3,244 students had taken part. The Czech Republic’s entry to the Erasmus programme followed a 1998 invitation to join the confirmed in May 2004. In that first year 879 of Czech university students departed thanks while 243 foreign students arrived. By 2006 the numbers of outgoing students at Charles Un passed 1,000, and by 2008 the numbers of incoming students had reached the same number. Si a slight stagnation in numbers due to the banking crisis of the previous decade, it has be upwards for the Erasmus programme in the Czech Republic and especially at Charles Universi Charles University’s Erasmus intake for 2016/2017 has been the highest on record so far, w of the almost 1,800 arriving students spread across the Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science; all disciplines that are of paramount importan we, as citizens of the EU, share. Similarly, more than 260 students of Charles University’ Arts, 215 students from the Faculty of Social Sciences and a little more than 160 students of Law found themselves whisked away by Erasmus to experience the best of Europe’s academi University’s prowess as an academic institute was confirmed in 2014, coming fifth in the t list of the best 500 universities receiving Erasmus students, alongside the universities o Madrid (Universidad Compultense de Madrid), Valencia (Universitat de Valencia), Bologna, S (Universitat Politecnica de Valencia), Sevilla, Ljubljana and Leuven and tenth in the top sending Erasmus students, alongside Granada, Bologna, Madrid (Compultense), Valencia (Univ Valencia), Padova, Barcelona (Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya), Valencia (Universitat Valencia), Warsaw and Vienna. The growth of the Erasmus programme is not likely to stop any time soon either; in its new Erasmus+ (2014-2020) it reaches also beyond European borders with 17 per cent of the 16.5 Erasmus+ budget going into moving 130,000 students and teachers between Europe and the res (International Credit Mobility), another 1,000 construction projects for higher education Building Scheme) and a further 30,000 scholarships worldwide enabling students and staff t Joint Master Degree programmes. The future looks brighter than ever for the premier scheme looking to study abroad. It is not just education where Erasmus’ presence is crucial; the Erasmus provides is a crucial part of EU foreign and diplomatic policy, such as in the EU- which relies on higher education and youth cooperation playing a key role. Over the last 30 years, Erasmus has revolutionised the opportunities available to EU stude regarding studying abroad in a way that was never envisaged by even the project’s most fer It shall continue to do so for many years more, and ranks as one of – if not the best way able to study abroad. The opportunities open to this generation are unlike any others thro history, and it has opened the eyes of that generation in a fantastic way. It is one of th Union’s greatest success stories; bringing all four corners of the continent together thro a grand scale. It's a testament to the strength of the European community amid unsettling and challenging that such a project has lasted for so long. 30 years is a long time by anybody’s standards century of education and cooperation have come and gone and with every passing year the co project remains as strong as ever across all member states. It is impossible to say that Erasmus has not had a positive influence on a new generation Opportunities such as this were unheard of 50 years ago in a Europe recovering from a cata that devastated the world, and even 30 years ago the programme’s growth and expansion into today could not have been envisioned. Now, in an age where connectivity and cooperation ar ever, Erasmus plays its not insignificant role in giving students some sort of common grou shared opportunities to travel and enhance their studies, and shaping worldviews in a way was impossible. It plays this role by not only making an individual a citizen of Britain, Germany, or of the Czech Republic, but a citizen of Europe, a Europe that while divided al is united in its pursuit of giving potentially life changing opportunities to those who li study within it. Ollie Heppenstall is a journalism student at De Montfort University, England. He is passio He believes projects such as Erasmus and #DMUglobal are crucial to gaining an understandin differences.