From: The Erasmus500 declaration supporters

OPEN LETTER TO European Commission: President, Ursula von der Leyen, Vice-President for Promoting the European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel

Saturday, 17th of October 2020

Honourable Commissioners,

We come to you today with a simple request: Since last April dozens of universities, student we ask you to be champions for an Erasmus+ and stakeholders organisations have joined programme that allows for the participation of forces to support the notion that all European many more students from all walks of life! students should receive a monthly Erasmus+ grant of at least 500€. This would: Since many years researchers have shown that the single largest obstacle to participation in Inclusiveness international student mobility is the additional Replace an unintelligible grant system with financial burden associated with living abroad. something far simpler, fairer and transparent: 98% Current grants have not kept up with soaring of all students studying abroad with Erasmus+ rent prices, and in the vast majority of countries would receive more and better financial support, receiving financial support from the family is which is of crucial importance when we know that a pre-requisite for being able to participate in during the economic crisis the ability of families a programme like Erasmus, which means that to financially support students in affording such students from disadvantaged socio-economic experiences can be severely curtailed; backgrounds are underrepresented. Meanwhile approximately half of all European students work Simplicity while they study, and those who rely on that income to meet their living expenses also find Radically simplify administration, reporting and themselves structurally excluded from enjoying auditing requirements, engendering considerable such life-changing opportunities. systemic savings; having mobility as a triggering event for funding means a single documental The current pandemic has already brought a new proof would be required; wave of inequalities to the education sector. As Strong support we stand on the edge of yet another daunting social and economic crisis, we ask you to make Strongly emphasize how all citizens of the Union sure that the next Erasmus programme is have comparable rights and opportunities. genuinely inclusive - and there is a disarmingly simple manner to partially achieve this goal. We believe all political leaders would in principle By acting decisively together we can make sure be favourable to higher grants, the question mobility will benefit many, instead of a privileged being where to find the resources to do so. The few. Erasmus500 proposal already takes into account the outcomes of the MFF negotiation and the We would be honoured to have the opportunity latest mobility modalities that will be introduced to discuss this matter with you and illustrate from 2021 onwards, combining them in such a how the existing Erasmus grant system could be way that, according to the latest statistical data reliably reengineered. We count on your political published by the European Commission, would leadership to make such a change possible, seizing very nearly suffice to attain such an ambitious a historical opportunity to make the programme leap forward! a reality for every European student.

Through this letter, we speak to you on behalf of hundreds of supporters, ranging from Erasmus alumni in the furthest corners of our continent to the French and Spanish Rectors Council, that feel this is a central challenge for the future of #Erasmus500 Europe and of one of its most beloved flagships www.erasmus500.eu programmes.

The supporters

Members of the European Parliament SGroup European Universities’ Network Corina Cretu, S&D, Romania The Class of 2020 Grace O’Sullivan, Greens/EFA, Ireland Mediterranean Universities Union Iuliu Winkler, EPP, Romania Utrecht Network Ivan Štefanec, EPP, Slovakia Young Universities for the Future of Europe Marcos Ros Sempere, S&D, Spain Vladimír Bilčík, EPP, Slovakia Higher Education Institutions Aalborg University International Networks Aarhus University Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Aix Marseille University Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen Berner Fachhochschule Board of European Students of Technology Cyprus University of Technology Coimbra Group of Universities Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Crue Universidades Españolas DTU - Technical University of Denmark Erasmus Student Network Erciyes University European Students’ Forum - AEGEE Hasan Kalyoncu University European Student’s Union I.E.S. Felipe Trigo European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association Institute of Technology Sligo European University Foundation Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra French Rectors’ Conference Instituto Politécnico de Tomar International Association for Political Science Istanbul Arel University Students Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Junior Enterprises Europe IT University of Copenhagen Lifelong Learning Platform JAM MUSIC LAB Private University for Jazz and Popular Music Vienna Mendel University in Brno University of Usak Mus Alparslan University University of Zurich Mykolas Romeris University Vilnius Gediminas Technical Univerisity Northumbria University Vytautas Magnus University Oslo Metropolitan University Zurich University of the Arts Pädagogische Hochschule Luzern Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich Student Organisations Philipps Universität Marburg Austrian National Union of Students Roskilde University La Coordinadora de Representantes de Sakarya University Estudiantes de Universidades Públicas Selcuk University Erasmus Student Network Bahcesehir St. Petersbrug State University Erasmus Student Network France Transilvania University of Brasov Erasmus Student Network Germany Trinity College Dublin Erasmus Student Network Luxembourg Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Erasmus Student Network Malta Universidad de Alcalá Erasmus Student Network Spain Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha Erasmus Student Network TU IC Universidad Europea de Madrid Erasmus Student Network Turkey Università degli Studi di Trento Erasmus Student Network UIA Università della Svizzera italiana Fédération des associations générales Universitat Politècnica de València étudiantes Universitat Rovira i Virgili Federation of Estonian Student Unions Université de Liège Georgian Student Organisations Association Université Le Havre Normandie National Alliance of Student Organizations in Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne Romania University College Copenhagen National Union of Students in Hungary University College of Northern Denmark National Union of Students in Denmark University of Applied Arts Vienna National Union of University Students in University of Barcelona Finland University of Catania Student Council for Higher Education University of Copenhagen Swedish National Union of Students University of Eastern Finland Swiss Student’s Union University of Geneva TU Dublin Students’ Union University of Herzegovina Unione degli Universitari University of Latvijas Union Nationale des Étudiant-e-s du University of Luxembourg Luxembourg University of Parma Union of Students in Ireland University of Pavia V4+ Student Alliance University of Poitiers University of Porto University of Split and 166 individual supporters.