Sofia Corradi, the Italian academic who founded the Erasmus programme enabling millions of young Europeans to study abroad, has died in Rome aged 91.
Her family, in a statement cited by Italian media, described her as a woman of “great energy and intellectual and emotional generosity.”
Known as “Mamma Erasmus,” Corradi was a professor of pedagogy at Roma Tre University. As a student, she received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, which led her to pursue a Master’s degree in law at Columbia University in New York.
Upon returning to Italy, her American degree was not recognised by the Italian education system. This experience inspired her to propose the exchange programme that became Erasmus, officially launched across the European Union in 1987.
Since its inception, the programme has enabled around 16 million students to study in universities and higher education institutions across Europe, according to Erasmus’ official website.
Managed by the EU, it aims to foster closer collaboration among educational institutions throughout Europe.
In a 2018 interview, Corradi described Erasmus as her “personal pacifist mission,” an idea that was born during the Cold War.
Born and passing away in Rome, Corradi dedicated her career to researching the right to education for institutions such as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the London School of Economics.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani credited Corradi with creating “Generation Europe,” highlighting her role in inspiring millions of young people to travel, study, and embrace diverse cultures.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his admiration, stating on social media platform X that she “dreamed of a European youth coming together and thriving through its differences,” adding that millions owe her “a piece of their lives and a broadened horizon.”
French Minister of European Affairs Benjamin Haddad echoed Macron, saying, “Generations of young Europeans thank her.”
