Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Friday 4 May 2018
EU to give young people free train tickets to explore Europe

By RAF CASERT and FRANK wide Interrail travel. EU's next budget cycle,
JORDANS "It starts this year and this starting in 2020, is being
Associated Press is just the beginning," EU warmly welcomed by some
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Euro- lawmaker Manfred Weber who have campaigned for
pean Union is convinced said. "It will show the Euro- the idea.
it has found a new way for pean people that the Euro- Vincent-Immanuel Herr
young people to fall in love pean Union is much more and Martin Speer, who
with neighboring countries than a law-making ma- launched the #FreeInterrail
— free train rides. chine." campaign, said the pro-
The EU kicked off the Dis- For the past half century, posals of the EU executive
coverEU project Thurs- the cut-rate Interrail tick- were "brave and forward-
day to send up to 30,000 ets have been a coming- looking."
18-year-olds chugging of-age ritual for many Eu- "An idea that began over
across the continent this ropean youngsters. Cross the dinner table in 2014 is
year, giving them free rail the continent, sleep on now going to become a
tickets to broaden their ho- a beach, see the great tangible EU program that
rizons. All for a taxpayers' sights, taste the good life will influence the lives of
cost of 12 million euros ($14 and make new friends. hundreds of thousands of
million). Weber said it would help young people in a positive
If all goes well, and the next young Europeans "discover way," they said in an email
7-year EU budget plans are all the richness of their dif- to the AP.q
approved, that could turn ferences."
into a budget of 100 million This year, 18-year-olds will
euros ($120 million) a year, be able to apply for a free
A boy rides his scooter on the Bir Hakeim bridge as the Eiffel
Tower is seen background in Paris, Wednesday, May 2, 2018. giving some 200,000 teen- ticket to travel in up to four
Associated Press agers the right to Europe- EU countries for a month.
There will be a quota sys-
tem and a quiz on EU
heritage, culture and cur-
rent affairs to pick the first
15,000 ticket recipients in
June. A second selection is
due this fall. Beyond travel,
those selected will have to
pay everything themselves.
The prospect of seeing the
program expanded in the