SIGNATURE COLLECTION FOR ERASMUS+
The National Youth Council (NYC) has launched a petition for a smooth participation in the Erasmus+ higher education mobility programme. The aim of the online petition among students is to raise awareness among responsible decision-makers that the opportunity to gain experience and develop abroad is now almost indispensable for young people's future.
The University of Miskolc is supporting the signature campaign to advocate for Erasmus+ programmes.
Links to join the petition are available here:
Below is the text of the call for action from the National Youth Council
„As a member of the European Union, Hungary is also eligible to participate in Erasmus+ mobility programmes, so not only Hungarian young people and teachers can gain valuable experiences and professional experience abroad, but thousands of students from all over the world can visit us to get to know and love our country and continue their studies here.
The National Youth Council, as the umbrella organisation of Hungarian youth and youth NGOs, is launching a petition to ensure that students from Hungarian model universities can continue to participate in Erasmus+ higher education mobility programmes.
This is why we are launching a signature campaign between 12 and 21 April 2023 in cooperation with university citizens to speak out on behalf of students from the model universities before the European Youth Forum and the European Union institutions.
We call on the European Commission to ensure that young people are not the victims of a dispute between the European Union and a Member State government!
We hope that the above dispute will be resolved through negotiation as soon as possible, but time is a key factor in a young person's life when it comes to their future and their well-being. The Commission's decision could jeopardise the dreams of thousands of young people every year, and could leave untapped a resource that provides an opportunity for the international transfer of knowledge, an irreplaceable factor for the development of both the individual and the Member State.
Reason:
Study visits abroad are an unparalleled opportunity for Hungarian university students and young academics, as well as for foreigners visiting Hungary, to develop their skills, gain professional experience and learn about other languages and cultures. Last year, nearly 10,000 people participated in Erasmus+ programmes in Hungary every year. The freezing of the programmes will primarily affect institutions that would provide 62% of the participants, depriving nearly 182,000 students, including 30,000 foreign students and 18,000 teachers, of the chance to gain international experience. Erasmus+ higher education programmes are among the most popular mobility opportunities abroad. Participants gain important soft skills that can be put to good use in the labour market.”