35 Years of the Erasmus Programme

A blend of two central elements of the Erasmus programme: its original intellectual inspiration — Erasmus himself — and an allegory of his influence on Europe. The former is represented by one of the most celebrated portraits of Erasmus. The latter is conveyed through a beam of connections arching across the coin from one beacon to another, reflecting the countless intellectual and human exchanges between European students. Some of these connections form additional stars, born from the synergies between countries.

Fifth joint issue of the European Union. All 19 eurozone states are issuing a coin with the same design on different dates. The coins differ only in the legend, which appears in the respective national language.

The Erasmus programme is one of the most visible successes of European education policy: since 1987, it has allowed students to complete part of their studies at universities in other EU member states, and to this day has taken millions of young Europeans to another country. It is named after Erasmus of Rotterdam, the humanist and theologian who himself taught and researched in various parts of Europe in the late 15th and early 16th centuries — from Paris to Cambridge, Basel and Freiburg. Erasmus of Rotterdam is regarded as one of the most influential scholars of the Renaissance; his work "In Praise of Folly" and his commitment to critical, non-denominational education made him a symbolic figure of cross-border thinking. Belgium, where he worked for a time at the Habsburg court and maintained close ties with the scholarly circle of Leuven, has a particular historical connection to this legacy.

That the programme received its administrative home in Brussels in 1987, closely tied to the European institutions, is no coincidence — the link between the historical humanist and the modern education network is therefore especially fitting for Belgium. Today, Erasmus+ covers far more than student exchange: vocational training, youth work and sport are also part of the programme, which regularly ranks among the most popular EU funding schemes. To mark the Erasmus programme's 35th anniversary in 2022, all euro states jointly honoured this chapter of European educational history with a joint commemorative coin issue.