ERASMUS+ APROVAT!

 Erasmus+, the new EU programme for education, training, youth and sport,
 due to begin in January, was approved today by the European Parliament.
 Aimed at boosting skills, employability and supporting the modernisation
 of education, training and youth systems, the seven-year programme will
 have a budget of €14.7 billion, 40% higher than current levels. More
 than 4 million people will receive support to study, train, work or
 volunteer abroad, including 2 million higher education students, 650 000
 vocational training students and apprentices, as well as more than 500 000
 going on youth exchanges or volunteering abroad. Students planning a full
 Master's degree abroad, for which national grants or loans are seldom
 available, will benefit from a new loan guarantee scheme run by the
 European Investment Fund.

 Erasmus+ will also provide funding for education and training staff, youth
 workers and for partnerships between universities, colleges, schools,
 enterprises, and not-for-profit organisations.
 
 European Commissioner for education, culture, multilingualism and youth,
 Androulla Vassiliou will take part in a press conference, at the European
 Parliament in Strasbourg, with MEP Doris Pack, Chair of the Culture
 committee and rapporteur of the Erasmus+.
 
 The conference will be webcast live [
 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/other-events/video?event=20131119-1500-SPECIAL-UNKN ]here from at 15:00 to 15.30 CET. The proposal was adopted today by the European Parliament. Adoption by the Council (Member States) is expected within the next month. The Erasmus+ programme will start in January 2014. Find out more: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1110_en.htm