"I am a citizen of the world, so the great Renaissance thinker Desiderius Erasmus is reputed to have said. It is because of his cosmopolitanism that 521 years after his birth, the EU named its exchange programme for students after him. It was part of a project aiming to create citizens of Europe, not just of its member states. Britain's post-Brexit withdrawal from the scheme was a setback for a cosmopolitan project that has suffered bigger blows since."
"Could the announcement that British students are to be readmitted to Erasmus+ provide some hope that the internationalist dream is not dead yet? As an alumnus of the then-fledgling programme in 1989, I hope so. I spent a term in Erasmus's home town of Rotterdam, at the university that bears his name, and was there when the Berlin Wall fell. Half-Italian, I was enthusiastic about the vision of ever-increasing union in Europe."
Erasmus+ aimed to create citizens of Europe by promoting student mobility and cosmopolitan links across member states. Britain’s post-Brexit withdrawal weakened that project while rising nationalism and Euroscepticism reduced support for transnational initiatives. Cosmopolitanism strengthens broad connections but can weaken attachment to specific places and peoples, creating a difficult trade-off for many. Readmitting British students to Erasmus+ could signal renewed support for international engagement. Effective mobility requires highly managed systems that preserve distinctions between visitors and guests, protect established communities, and treat study abroad as a privilege rather than an entitlement.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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