The European Union Commission has announced that a total of 2,767 youngsters from Poland have been awarded free passes to travel across Europe.
According to the Commission of the EU, on the most recent round of applications, which was closed at the end of March 2023, a total of 9,597 youngsters from Poland applied for free travel passes.
However, since the number of passes needs to be distributed to youngsters from other participating countries, only 2,767 of them were granted one, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The free passes were granted through DiscoverEU, which is an action of the Erasmus+ programme that gives the opportunity to European youngsters to discover the EU through learning experiences.
Furthermore, this experience also gives the youngsters the opportunity to learn more about protecting the environment as they will be travelling predominantly by rail.
“DiscoverEU is an action of the Erasmus+ programme that gives you the opportunity to discover Europe through learning experiences. Travelling predominantly by rail, you will discover Europe’s stunning landscapes and its variety of cities and towns,” the Commission explains.
The selected participants will be able to travel with the free passes that will be distributed through the programme for a maximum period of 30 days – between mid-June of this year and September 2024.
Moreover, during the travel period, the selected applicants from Poland and those from other countries will be able to make new friends from other countries, discover their European identity, learn more about other cultures, and more.
Apart from being granted free travel passes, all selected participants will also be given a card that offers discounts on accommodation, food, educational visits, local transportation, and cultural activities, among others.
Hundreds of other applicants from other Erasmus+ participating countries were also selected for the free passes.
Data provided by the EU Commission show that apart from Poland, the top five list of countries whose youngsters were granted the highest number of free passes includes Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
Youngsters from Germany were granted the highest number of passes. A total of 6,072 youngsters in the country were granted free travel passes.
As for the other countries, it has been revealed that a total of 4,919 French youngsters, 4,341 Italian youngsters, and 3,458 Spanish youngsters were selected.
To be eligible for the next round of applications of DiscoverEU, applicants must not be older than 18. They must also complete the application form correctly.
Source: Schengen Visa News