EU asked to increase funds for Green Erasmus travel

According to the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), the EU has been required to increase current green travel aid from €50 to €250 in order to help travelling students. Moreover, ESN has also urged authorities to offer seven days of extra individual support instead of four, so that students worldwide don’t lose money on travel when going to or returning from their Erasmus courses.

 

“The goal is to collect 5000 signatures and make green travel a possibility for all students by creating favourable conditions.

“That is why the petition’s demand focuses on reforming the current green top-up, the 50 euros students can get if they travel by sustainable means of transport, which is insufficient to cover the cost difference between a standard and green travel ticket”, ESN representatives declared.

So far, the petition was signed by the following unions: Erasmus Student Network (ESN), European University Foundation (EUF), European Students’ Union (ESU), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Technische Hochschule Köln (TH Köln) and Students Organising Sustainability UK (SOS UK). More than 1000 people have already signed the request for significant change, despite implementation will take time and considerable infrastructural investment.

According to Green Erasmus research, 94 percent of students show concerns related to climate change and actively want to develop more sustainable habits, so they need more financial help to achieve this goal, as greener options are usually more expensive when compared to air travel.

However, this year’s initiative is not new. In 2021, Last year, Erasmus by Train e.V NGO asked EU officials to offer free Interrail tickets to all Erasmus+ participants.

 

Source: collegenews.org