A total of 35,324 young Europeans who applied for the DiscoverEU March 2023 round will be eligible to travel by train without having to pay any money alone or in a group of more than five people between June 15, 2023, and September 30, 2024.
Through a statement, the European Commission revealed that the results for the DiscoverEU – an action of the Erasmus+ programme that allows 18-year-old residents from European countries to explore Europe travelling mainly by train- will be announced today to the applicants, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
For the March 2023 round, a total of 145,657 applications were submitted, of which over 35,000 benefited from free travel passes.
Selected participants will also receive a DiscoverEU European Youth Card that will permit them to have discounts on learning activities, cultural visits, and sports, as well as accommodation, food and local transportation.
In this regard, the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, said that over one million young people have applied to become part of this action since it was launched while stressing that this “impressive figure” shows how interested young people are in other cultures and in connecting with each other.
“I know they also care very much about shaping a sustainable, inclusive and beautiful future, and this is why we have published the New European Bauhaus routes: I am sure that exploring these innovative and forward-thinking cities will be a long-lasting source of inspiration. I wish all participants the best and a lot of fun on their DiscoverEU journey,” Gabriel said.
This application round was eligible to young citizens born between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005, from European Union Member States, including those from Erasmus+ associated states such as Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, North Macedonia and Turkey.
As part of efforts to further tight connections between young Europeans, more opportunities will be given to them, according to the Commission.
“Even more opportunities to strengthen the learning dimension of the action are available to the young participants such as pre-departure information training or meet-ups throughout Europe,” the statement reads.
The DiscoverEU action brings together different destinations as well as cultural branches, taking into account architecture, music, theatre and fashion, among others.
Earlier this year, DiscoverEU announced that by the end of this year, a total of 47,700 tickets will be given to European youngsters, thus giving them a chance to travel throughout Europe for free.
Through a statement, the European Commission announced that successful applicants would be eligible to travel alone or in groups of more than five people for a period between March this year and February next year.