Thanks to efforts by MEPs, between 20,000 and 30,000 18-year-olds will have the chance to travel in Europe by rail this year. In the future more young people will benefit from the Discover EU initiative, which was first proposed during Parliament's European Youth Event (EYE).
How it will work
About 15,000 people will enjoy the chance to travel Europe by rail between July and September. Any European citizen who will be 18 on 1 July can apply for tickets in the first round from 12 to 26 June. A second call for applications will be launched later this year.
Participants will be able to travel up to 30 days to as many as four EU countries. Travel will be mainly by rail, but other means will be available in limited cases. This could be for example for people with disabilities, or for those coming from remote areas.
A dedicated page on the European Youth Portal and a Facebook page with detailed information on the initiative will be online by mid-May.
Parliament support
The Parliament has been a strong advocate of the idea of free rail tickets for 18-year-old Europeans, adopting three resolutions backing the initiative.
MEPs believe the initiative will allow young people to experience Europe’s diversity, better understand each other and learn more about Europe. They expect encouraging young EU citizens to travel in the EU and meet people from other countries will foster European identity and reinforce common EU values.
Ref.: 20180427STO02706
