DiscoverEU: Discover Europe with a free train ticket

The EU sends young people on a journey

In the Euopean Year of Youth 2022 70,000 young people will get the chance to discover Europe by train. From 7 to 21 April 2022 young people aged 18 can apply online on the European Youth Portal for a free DiscoverEU train ticket in the first of two rounds. The OeAD manages the campaign in Austria. Around 1,350 travel passes will be available for Austria in 2022.
A short multiple-choice quiz with questions about the EU awaits the applicants. A total of 35,000 tickets will be issued in the first application round in April 2022. Another application round will follow in October, where another 35,000 tickets will be available for young adventurers.
Sustainable travel for young people
 DiscoverEU was launched in 2018 to help young people get to know the European Union better. The encounters and personal exchange with other Europeans increase awareness of Europe and of their own European identity. At the same time DiscoverEU also promotes sustainable travel. An opportunity from which many young Austrians will also benefit.
“It is a very important aspect of the European Union and of growing up to be able to move around freely and explore other countries. This is exactly what we enable young people to do with DiscoverEU. Especially after these cripplingly long years of pandemic and closed borders within the EU this is a very important sign,” says the state secretary for youth Claudia Plakolm, who encourages the young people: “Take the time for it and take advantage of this offer, there is a lot to discover.” Last year more than 1,200 young people from Austria received such a ticket: “We see that this offer is well received by young people. DiscoverEU offers them the opportunity to discover and get to know Europe independently,” says the OeAD’s managing director Jakob Calice regarding this offer for young adults.
DiscoverEU will become even more inclusive
 In the future young people who need additional support in planning and carrying out their journeys will also benefit from this offer. As part of Erasmus+ DiscoverEU will in the future also provide additional funding for organisations and institutions that support and accompany young people in carrying out their journeys. As of the autumn it will be possible to apply for additional funding for this within the EU Erasmus+ programme.
Detailed information on DiscoverEU and how to apply:
www.erasmusplus.at/discovereu
https://europa.eu/youth/discovereu_de