The Erasmus+ program, originally known as the European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, was established in 1987 by the European Community. It enables European university students to undertake a period of study at a foreign university, with full academic recognition from their home institution. The program is named after the Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam (15th century), who spent many years traveling across Europe to understand its diverse cultures.
The Erasmus+ initiative was created to educate future generations of citizens about the concept of belonging to what is now the European Union. It was through the efforts of the student association Egee, now AEGEE, founded by Franck Biancheri (currently the president of the trans-European movement Newropeans), that the French President François Mitterrand was persuaded to support Erasmus in 1986-87. Since its inception, the program has facilitated the mobility of over 2.2 million students within the European community (as of 2009).
Today, more than 4,000 higher education institutions from 31 countries participating in the Socrates program are involved in the Erasmus+ project.
