As part of the #ErasmusDays campaign, the EU Info Centre organized two parallel events for over two hundred students in Sarajevo and Banja Luka, in order to promote the Erasmus+ programme and its opportunities for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s students.
“The number of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina participating in the programme is increasing with each year and we, as the European Union, are very proud of the programme; it is one of the most successful EU programmes,” Khaldoun Sinno, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina told a large gathering of students at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. “I myself was an Erasmus student and, having spent time in another country, university and academic environment, that experience is with me even now and has influenced my own way of thinking. I am happy to see a lot of you who are considering applying. My message to you would be to have no doubts, it is an experience that will stay with you forever,” noted Sinno.
The #ErasmusDays campaign, marked on 12 and 13 October all over Europe, brings together key stakeholders of the Erasmus+ programme with the aim of promoting it. In cooperation with the Western Balkans Alumni Association and the Office for International Cooperation of Sarajevo University, the EU Info Centre organised two parallel, simultaneous events in Banja Luka and Sarajevo, in the premises of the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Historical Museum of BiH respectively, in order to mark this the European Year of Cultural Heritage, and to contribute to the promotion of common culture and tradition.
“For more than thirty years of existence, Erasmus has afforded more than nine million students and academic staff the opportunity to study abroad, gain new knowledge and understand new cultures. This programme offers the possibility for students from all over the world to be part of a big Erasmus family”, said Alexandra Wagner, Head of the Banja Luka regional office of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, to students in Banja Luka.
Sabahudin Mujkić, BiH representative of the Western Balkans Alumni Association noted that participating in a programme like Erasmus+ is a great advantage for students, “Erasmus can be of great help with future employment. It is excellent to have an Erasmus+ exchange on your CV, especially for international organisations and companies,” said Mujkić.
Erasmus+ remains one of the most successful EU programmes, embodying common European values, including youth exchange, mobility and mutual understanding and appreciation. In addition, Erasmus+ enables mobility of professors and academic staff, including the raising of capacities of BiH universities and educational institutions. Increased mobility of BiH students, as well as the increased number of approved projects, attest to the greater awareness and capacities of BiH academia to use funds allocated through Erasmus.
Being part of the Erasmus+ experience enriches personal understanding, enabling learning of new languages, cultures and traditions. During the Banja Luka and Sarajevo events, all of the Erasmus+ alumni unanimously agreed that once they returned to BiH they brought home not only gifts and souvenirs but also knowledge and understanding of new languages, cultures and traditions. The motto “Once Erasmus, Erasmus forever”, truly exemplifies the success of the programme and the importance of youth mobility in fostering greater understanding and progress of society in general.
