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EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef has underlined his commitment to boost the EU’s Erasmus+ student exchange programme during an exchange on youth engagement in politics on Euronews’ Brussels My Love programme.
Micallef holds the portfolio for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport and joined Samira Rafaela, a visiting fellow at Cornell University and former MEP, and Rareș Voicu, President of the European Youth Forum on the programme, which will be aired this weekend.
The Commissioner stressed the importance of the flagship student exchange programme, Erasmus+, in shaping a shared European identity and building key skills.
“The intention is to strengthen the Erasmus Plus Programme, and I want to be quite clear on that,” he told host Méabh McMahon, when quizzed on reports of a possible budget cut proposed by EU member states, reaffirming his intention to safeguard the programme.
Micallef also said the rise in mental health challenges among Europe’s youth was “worrying”.
“In the European Union, 50% of our youth report to face or have faced mental health challenges ranging from loneliness to anxiety to stress,” he said. He pointed to multiple causes, noting that the number of cases has increased since the COVID-19 crisis.
One of his top priorities, he said, would be examining “the relationship between digital environments and the effects that is having on young people”, with a particular focus on social media.
He announced plans to launch an “EU-wide inquiry on the broader effects of social media”, which will be followed by an “action plan on cyberbullying”.
The Commissioner suggested that part of the solution could lie in encouraging more physical activity: “Sport can be quite an important remedy there,” he said. Culture, too, plays a vital role by “giving young people the space to actually express themselves”.
On the cultural front, Micallef spoke about the upcoming “Cultural Compass” initiative, expected to be unveiled later this year.
“We are a global cultural powerhouse,” he said, citing the reopening of Notre Dame as an occasion for world leaders to gather, adding: “Culture is an area where we need to continue to focus our priorities.”
Addressing youth engagement, Micallef underscored the need to ensure young people have a platform to share their views. “The views of young people contribute to taking this project from strength to strength. We need to continue to enhance the level of participation of youth across all our policymaking,” he said.
You can watch the full debate with Glenn Micallef, Samira Rafaela and Rareș Voicu on the next episode of Brussels, my Love all weekend on Euronews TV or euronews.com.
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