A whopping 35,000 lucky 18-year-old Europeans will get the chance to travel around Europe with a free travel pass. ๐
Individuals born between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, can apply for their free pass until Thursday, April 21 at 12 PM.
The application procedure
Aside from the age requirement, applicants must be citizens or long-term residents of one of the 27 EU member states or their overseas territories, or one of the non-EU countries associated with the programme.
It won’t be as easy as just filling in personal details though. ๐ Applicants will also have to answer a total of five multiple-choice questions about the EU and its initiatives targeting young people. Quiz time! ๐ค
Free travel โ and more discounts
The lucky ones who get selected will then be able to travel for up to 30 days between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.
On top of free train travel, the pass recipients will receive a discount card that can be used on accommodation, culture, and food. ๐
Helping young people discover Europe
The passes are part of the European Commission’s DiscoverEU initiative, which aims to encourage young Europeans to travel, “discover new places, and make life-lasting encounters,” according to the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel.
The whole thing launched in the summer of 2018 and since then, over 860,000 candidates have applied for 130,000 available passes.
For this year, the EU is planning two application rounds. The second one, in which another 35,000 passes will be made available, is expected to start in October.
What do you think of this initiative? Will you be applying? Let us know in the comments!
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