The EU Commission will spend over NOK 100 million sending 18 year olds to Europe.
A total of EUR 12 million is set aside for the initiative. That is equivalent to almost NOK 116 million at today’s rate.
The money will go to pay for the holidays for around 15,000 European youth of 18 years of age. Participants can travel for up to 30 days and visit from one to four countries.
It was the European Parliament that first launched the idea.The idea was to give the young adults free interrail passes. Now this is expanded, so that young people can get tickets for trains,buses and ferries, and, exceptionally, flights.
In the years ahead, the initiative will be expanded. The European Commission has proposed putting approximately 100 million euros a year into the 2020 investment.
The young people who join must apply via the EU youth portal. There they must fill out a form with several questions. Then an EU jury will rank the applications and pick out the winners.
The initiative is intended to strengthen youth’s “European identity” as they enter into adulthood. The EU hopes that travellers will get in touch with other Europeans, learn about other cultures, and “discover what unites Europe”.
Critical voices have, in turn, condemned the initiative as an unacceptable waste of taxpayers’ money. Norway is not included in the eyebrow raising initiative.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
