The European Union has distributed 36,000 travel passes to young Europeans this year, allowing them to travel across Europe by train for free for one month between July and September next year.
DiscoverEU is an initiative from the European Union, part of the Erasmus+ programme. Launched in 2018, it offers 18-year-olds the chance to explore Europe at no cost.
The initiative aims to strengthen bonds between young people from diverse backgrounds and help them discover their European identity.
Young people born between 1 July 2006 and 30 June 2007 were eligible to apply.
Both youths from EU Member States and those from Erasmus+ countries such as Turkey, Iceland, and Serbia had the chance to receive a pass.
Winners were selected based on their answers to five quiz questions and one tie-breaker question. In Belgium, 6,637 young people applied, with 928 receiving a pass.
Beyond the DiscoverEU travel pass, participants also receive a European Youth Card, which provides various benefits like access to certain accommodations, local transport, and discounts.
According to the European Commission, the next application round is expected to open in the autumn of 2025.
