Question for written answer E-002983/2017 to the Commission

Ivan Štefanec (PPE)

What progress has been made with the proposal to give young people free rail travel within the EU? In the Commission’s view, could it be made a reality?

Answer given by Ms Bulc on behalf of the Commission (12.7.2017)

The Honourable Member is informed that, as detailed in the press communication of 27 March and on the webpage dedicated to the initiative, the Commission launched the related pilot action "Move2Learn, Learn2Move". To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus+ Programme, the action offers in 2017 young people active in eTwinning projects an opportunity to travel and meet their peers as part of their learning experience. The action is funded by the Erasmus+ programme with a budget of EUR 2.5 million and will cover between 5.000 and 7.000 students.

The pilot action is open to students aged 16 or more currently participating to eTwinning projects under Erasmus+, provided that these projects meet the quality and social inclusion award criteria outlined in the press communication. The selected students will travel individually or in group (class trips, which will be given priority).

The pilot action includes all modes of public transport, not only rail, and the majority of the trips will be multimodal. The project also raises awareness regarding carbon footprint as CO2 emissions are one of the criteria which must be taken into account for choosing the itinerary and modes of transport. Finally, a number of transport operators are supporting the action in the form of reduced prices for the participants.

The Commission will assess the 2017 initiative and may, without any detrimental effect on the Erasmus+ budget and using input from this assessment, consider a similar initiative in the future.