European Mobility Programmes: Championing European Identity?

Investing in young people through mobility programmes like Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps can contribute to a more social Europe. Mobility equips young people with the skills for today’s and tomorrow’s labour market, while boosting active participation in society and the feeling of European identity.
In this tribune, Francesca Dalboni, alumna of the College of Europe, awarded with the Jacques Delors Prize 2017, describes and analyses Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps, the two flagship initiatives of the European Union. Erasmus, in particular, is now regarded as one of the biggest success of the EU, directly achieving the purpose of promoting a common European identity among young people. Erasmus+ allows more and more young people to benefit from this experience. Francesca Dalboni reminds us that a clear priority is to ensure that the policy context of Erasmus+ remains relevant to the needs of the EU and its citizens. Moreover, the allocation of a bigger proportion of the budget under the next MFF to Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps is highly recommended.

The Jacques Delors Prize for Best Thesis is an annual prize awarding a Master thesis by a College of Europe student dealing with or supported by documents present in the collection of the Jacques Delors Archives – Presidency of the European Commission (19841994).