we explain the Erasmus program, one of the main legacies of Jacques Delors

Jacques Delors, the main instigator of Erasmus, died on Wednesday. This student exchange program across Europe is now 36 years old. Who can benefit ? And to what extent?

The former minister, Jacques Delors, died Wednesday December 27 at the age of 98. He was one of the architects of European construction and the father of Erasmus. Immortalized in The Spanish inn by Cédric Klapisch, this European student exchange program was launched in 1987. Since then, it has benefited 14 million Europeans, including 130,000 French each year.

At the very beginning though, he started off quite slowly. The first year, in 1987-1988, only 3,000 European students, pioneers, took the gamble of going for a year or a few months to another European country to continue their studies. Some benefit from a scholarship.

The following year, there were three times as many and ten years later, there were more than 110,000. It was at that time, in 2002, that Cédric Klapisch directed the film The Spanish inn. This film, which has become a classic, popularized the program among an entire generation and those that followed, without creating an immediate boom. Erasmus attendance continues to increase at its usual rate. In 2009, the total number of students who went on Erasmus since the program was created 23 years earlier stood at two million.

The number of partner countries increased from 11 to 33

It was ultimately not much, compared to the rate of the following years since in just a decade, this figure was multiplied by seven. By 2022, a total of 14 million people had participated in the program. This acceleration is due to greater popularity but also to a broadening of the criteria for benefiting from the program. Initially, only students could go on Erasmus. Since 2014, apprentices, trainers, job seekers, young graduates, and even middle and high school students can too. The average age of participants still remains around 22-23 years old. They can go to 33 partner countries, compared to only 11 in 1987. Spain is by far the country which attracts the most candidates.

The program still suffered some setbacks. Erasmus mobility was significantly slowed down, particularly in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. They were even reduced to nothing during the confined spring and early winter. Erasmus also suffered from Brexit. The United Kingdom left the program in 2021, at the same time as it left the European Union, although it was a popular destination. Despite this, 36 years later, Jacques Delors’ creation is still considered a European success.