This week, from 14-16 October, events and initiatives around the world celebrate the EU’s flagship youth programme – Erasmus+ – with past and present Erasmus beneficiaries sharing their experience.

Erasmus+ promotes cooperation in education and training all over Europe. The first of these three-day celebrations marked the 30th anniversary of Erasmus+ in 2017. In 2021, a year of transition and the launch of the Erasmus+ programme for the 2021-2027 period, the Erasmus Days focus on the European Commission’s four priorities for the new programme: inclusion, sustainable development, the digital sector and active participation in democracy. As in previous years, there is a variety of events, from exhibitions, conferences, discussion panels and poetry slams to digital events like e-tournaments, webinars and podcasts. The events and initiatives are organised also throughout Western Balkans.

Erasmus+ is open to the Western Balkans and has offered a host of opportunities for students, educational staff, youth and sports organisations from the region to study, teach or volunteer abroad. More than 30,000 students and staff have taken part in exchanges between the Western Balkans and the EU since 2015, with 300 master students from the region availing of scholarships. Discover some of their stories here and directly in the links below.