To win a travel pass, young people must register on the European Youth Portal and answer five quiz questions plus a tiebreaker question.
Recently, the Commission published the autumn call for DiscoverEU, which will provide 35 young people with a travel pass to explore Europe and its rich culture. The call is open to applicants from the Erasmus+ program countries and will run until 000 noon on 25 October. To win a travel pass, young people must register on the European Youth Portal and answer five quiz questions plus a tiebreaker question. Candidates who were born between January 12.00 and December 1, 31 and who have successfully taken the quiz will be able to travel through Europe for a maximum of 2004 days between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024.
“2022 is the European Year of Youth and we are at a pivotal moment in European history. We must focus our attention on the younger generations and give them the opportunity to broaden their horizons so that the world becomes more connected and tolerant. That's what DiscoverEU is all about. Traveling allows young people to get to know our diversity, but also discover our many similarities.”
As 2022 is the European Year of Youth, even more travel passes will be given away this year. A total of 70 passes are available this year. DiscoverEU is now part of Erasmus+. That is why young people from Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey can now participate. Also this year, the recipients will receive a discount card that allows them to enjoy more than 000 discounts on public transport, culture, accommodation, food, sports and other services in all participating countries.
In the context of the European Year of Youth, the Commission has launched the flagship initiative “Youth discover culture through DiscoverEU in 2022”. In that context, the DiscoverEU Cultural Route was launched on 25 May 2022. This route combines different destinations and different cultural sectors, including architecture, music, visual arts, theatre, fashion, design, etc. DiscoverEU travelers can visit the European Capitals of Culture or destinations on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List or have the European Heritage Label. And they can also visit locations with the “Access City Award” label. These are cities that have made a special effort to become more accessible to everyone, regardless of age, mobility or fitness.
Erasmus+ National Agencies help young people prepare for their journey through pre-departure information sessions. With these meetings, DiscoverEU aims to promote discussions on topics such as sustainability, culture and European identity. In addition, as part of the European Year of Youth, the agencies are organizing the DiscoverEU meet-ups, an initiative launched in the summer of 2022 and consisting of an exciting cultural program of one to three days in all Erasmus+ countries. There have already been 49 of these meet-ups and the initiative will continue in the coming years.
Social inclusion is a top priority of the Erasmus+ programme; therefore, participants with disabilities or health problems can be accompanied during their trip. Not only will the travel costs be covered, but also additional individual assistance will be provided. In addition, this year the Erasmus+ National Agencies are launching the DiscoverEUAction to promote inclusion, which allows organizations working with young people with fewer opportunities to apply for funding. The Commission encourages sustainable rail travel. Special schemes are available for young people from outermost regions, overseas countries and territories, remote areas and islands, according to the Europese Commissie.
