As part of the celebrations of thirty years of Erasmus and the sixty years from the signing of the Treaty of Rome, Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo and Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds Ian Borg were invited by Italian Secretary of State for European Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister Sandro Gozi, Italian Minister for Education, Universities and Research Valeria Fedeli, and the Italian agency overseeing Erasmus+, Indire, to address the General State of Erasmus Generation Meeting held in Rome this week.

In his intervention, Minister Bartolo said that Erasmus+ is a success story through which more than nine million people have benefited, and that it has become a household name among European young people and even adults.

The Minister spoke of the impact that Erasmus+ and its predecessors had on students and adults in continuing studies to further pursue future careers and how this indirectly contributed to reducing long-term unemployment.

Furthermore, Minister Bartolo said that Erasmus+ fostered a European identity among its participants and increased networking as a result of the opportunities for mobility it offers.

With a view to the future, Minister Bartolo also commended the latest developments in Erasmus+ which include:free online interactive language courses, a worldwide eligibility strategy for students and staff, as well as the implementation and testing of the International Volunteer Opportunities for All (IVO4ALL) programme. This provides prospective applicants with the opportunity to carry out volunteer work on an international scale.

Minister Bartolo said that there should be more investment in Erasmus+ which is necessary for the social and economic progress of the EU.

During his intervention, Parliamentary Secretary Borg said that 60 years later, the anniversary of the Treaties of Rome is significant, particularly in the light of this same objective, that is, one that strives for a better Union by involving those countries willing to safeguard and re-launch the European project, thus restoring hope in the future of all generations, particularly the younger ones.

“There are many paths that lead to this scope and vision,and one of them is undoubtedly the Erasmus+ programme,” he said.

“During the Maltese Presidency, Malta will look forward to the mid-term review of the 6-year programme of Erasmus+.” Ian Borg said that the results of the evaluation will be used to feed into the impact assessment for a possible successor programme for Erasmus+.

It will also focus on two related and interdependent themes in the youth sector which tie up with the scope of the Erasmus+ programme. The first theme will focus on reaching out and supporting young people, including those at risk of marginalisation, such as NEETs (those who are Not in Education, Employment or Training), as well as young people with a migrant or refugee background.

The second theme will focus on promoting the formal recognition of quality youth work. Ian Borg reiterated that the younger generations are the present and the future of Europe, and that investing in their potential is the cornerstone of a united Europe.

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