Erasmus orgasmus in Spain and Germany

Link to original article on cafebabel

But not the UK – a lookback on how the European exchange programme is doing, twenty-one years after its creation

The Erasmus programme was first introduced in 1987 to increase student mobility within the European community. It largely succeeded in its aim, with about 90% of all European universities participating in the programme and one and a half million of Erasmus students. Yet where do all these students chose to go to? Which countries attract them the most?

Destination Spain

Of all Erasmus destinations, the most popular by far is Spain, which welcomed 26, 600 students in 2006 (about 20% more than the second most popular country, France). Spanish universities host the highest numbers of Erasmus students , and Spain is one of the few European countries who receives more than it sends students. Yet, Spain has only become this popular since the past five years; in 2000, it was still lagging behind France and the UK. It is claimed that its Erasmus population only started to take such proportions after the movie l'Auberge Espagnole by French director Cedric Klapisch was released in 2002.
Aude Verbeke, a Belgian Erasmus student in Spain, believes that this popularity comes from the festive reputation of Spain. ‘For many students, Spain is synonymous with parties and sun. Some are only expecting that from their Erasmus exchange. I was told that Spanish universities were easy and that there would be a lot of free time. Yet I had to work more than what I thought.’ Manuella Portier, a French Erasmus student in Spain, agrees that Spain is popular ‘because of its climate, its festive side and its language. The Auberge Espagnole contributed a lot to its reputation. Spanish is also one of the most learned languages in the world, and it might be easier for someone to leave in a country whose language he knows.’

Boo to the UK

Learning or improving a language is indeed one of the main motivations behind Erasmus exchanges identified by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN); therefore it comes as no surprise that other popular European destinations include France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy, whose languages are widely learned. These countries respectively welcome between 15, 000 and 20, 000 Erasmus students a year, a number which has been on the rise for the past decade.
The United Kingdom is an exception to that regard. The Erasmus programme seems to be losing its popularity at a high speed, with an ever-decreasing number of Erasmus exchanges from and to the UK. Besides, British Erasmus students have always been in small numbers, most of them choosing France as a destination.
Another particularity is the success of Germany among central and eastern European students, especially from Poland and the Czech Republic. The main reason is that many Czech and Polish students regard German as an important language to speak. According to the ESN, they are more concerned than other European students about the positive consequences of an Erasmus exchange on their future career.

Go east

For the moment, the countries that attract the least Erasmus students are the new member states of the European Union, like Bulgaria and Romania. This is because most of them have only been part of the Erasmus programme since the late nineties and did not have much time to develop its implementation. Yet the odds are slowly changing. Poland and Czech Republic, for example, are starting to attract more and more German Erasmus students.
Benjamin Feyen, president of the Erasmus Student Network in Germany, observes ‘a slow change in the opinion of many German students: depending on the size of the city and the reputation of the university, central and eastern European destinations become increasingly popular - including their languages. Since the EU enlargement in 2004, the former eastern bloc states are not really considered as such anymore. But doubtlessly more still has to be done to promote those countries among German students.’ Perhaps there only needs to be another ‘Auberge Espagnole’ in one of these countries…
(Homepage picture: *nathan/ Flickr)

The World's Largest Coconut Orchestra

Trafalgar Square, London, 23/04/2007

We will be in the Guinness Book of World Records.

I was there.
Without me, they would have been 5531.

Czechs lead the charge to British Universities

Link

Published at the Times / students, 5 December 2006

Thousands of European students are heading to study in the UK. Sybille Regout finds out what they think

We've had the plumbers and builders, now it's Eastern European students that are on the way. The UK is one of the most popular destinations for student visitors from the expanded EU.
In the two years since EU enlargement, the number of students from the new member states coming to study in the UK has shot up to 16,300 every year. Since Poland, the Czech Republic and eight other countries joined the European gang in 2004, the appetite to arrive on UK campuses has increased massively.
The Erasmus exchange scheme has been allowing students to study in other countries for almost 20 years and as the EU gets bigger so does the demand for places and the Czechs are leading the charge.
The exchanges last between three and twelve months, Vojtech Kral, a 26-year-old at the University of Wolverhampton, is a typical Erasmus student. "My main motivation was to gain some experience in a foreign country, to learn English, and to have some independence," he said.
Czech Jan Pavel Stibor, 23, came because of the teaching. "The quality of the system of education is superior in the UK," he said. He spent his exchange at Coventry University. "It prepared me for real life. Their standards of studies and their school equipment are way better than at home. The greatest difference, I think, is in the relationship between students and teachers; it is not as formal and as polite as in Czech Republic, but it is more efficient."
Czech Ladislav Snizek, on Erasmus in Bristol, found the education standards higher as well. "In the United Kingdom, they give us less to study, but we are expected to understand it all. The students also attend all lectures and seminars, which is not often the case at home; but they probably do so because they pay higher tuition fees."
Many also enjoyed the mix of international students. "The essential part of my Erasmus experience was to meet lots of people from all around the world," 23-year-old Petr Zelenka said. But the strong international community and short stay often led Erasmus students to stay together and develop their own lifestyle. "I didn't quite fit amongst local students," explained Ladislav. "My friends were other Erasmus or other Czech students."
Overall, Ladislav felt welcome in the United Kingdom and found it a "very pleasant place to live and work - except, of course, for the weather". He instantly liked the "English politeness, willingness, decency and good manners". Czech Jiri Telecky was also impressed by the manners: "My impressions about the British are that they are more responsible, more individual and kind when you need help. On the other hand, they don't know much about other countries. Most Scots believe that we are still Czechoslovakia! And they are not really willing to learn foreign languages."
The British attitude towards alcohol struck Jan Pavel. "They can't just drink for good mood as we do in the continent. They drink to get drunk, and then they cause problems afterwards," he said.
Having no income other than a modest scholarship and support from their families Ladislav and Jiri had to find student jobs. "The United Kingdom is an expensive country, even for richer European nations. This has been a problem until I found a part-time job. Afterwards, things got better, because the wages were higher than in my country," explained Jiri.
Many students found their time in the UK extremely helpful. "One year here gave me incomparably more than many years in a familiar environment. I recommend going abroad to all students regardless of their course and personal attitude," Jan Pavel explained. "My CV improved, I got my language skills kicked up, and met new friends from all over the planet. Student exchanges, in my opinion, are a perfect way for bringing up the new generation of globalisation, these are the people that will lead the world's economy in the 21st century."

Copyright Times Newspaper Ltd.

Final Journalism Project

You can now download my Final Journalism Project for the University of Westminster, "Old and New Europe. Relations between previous and new Member States since the 2004 enlargement" from this link:

http://www.fyma.ucl.ac.be/~boucher/sybilleregout-westminsterproject.pdf

Please leave your comments!

Copyright 2006 Sybille Regout, may not be used without permission of the author.

Père ou Mère?

Published by cafebabel, 28.06.2006

Lien en Français

Link in English

Notre langue et notre pays natal sont traditionnellement déterminés par nos parents. Mais lequel des deux, exactement ? Dans la plupart des pays d’Europe, c’est à la mère que s’apparente le langage. Les Anglais évoquent la « mother tongue » pour la langue maternelle : les Allemands parlent de « Muttersprache » et les Espagnols de « lengua maternal ». Il n’y a qu’en Pologne que l’expression język ojczysty » fait référence à la langue paternelle. Le père a en général la meilleure part du gâteau car c’est lui qui détermine le pays natal d’un enfant. C’est ce qu’illustrent le néerlandais « Vaderland » ou l’expression tchèque « Otcina » : de la même manière, le mot hexagonal « patriotisme » renvoie à la racine latine «pater », le père. Aux Pays-Bas, un patriote est parfois désigné par le mot « vaderlander ». Quoiqu’il en soit, Italiens et Français ont trouvé un moyen de réconcilier homme et femme en parlant de « madre patria », l’équivalent de la mère patrie hexagonale.

Published in European Voice, 4 May 2006

Schengen visa fees under attack

The decision to raise the price of a Schengen visa from €35 to €60 came under attack this week, as analysts said the new fees would further isolate the zone's poorer neighbouring countries.

Justice and home affairs ministers decided last week (27 April) in Luxembourg to raise visa fees from next year. The higher costs stem from the implementation of the Schengen Information System II (SIS II), which will collect biometric data such as fingerprints from visa applicants.

An exception will be made for Russia, which has already signed a visa facilitation agreement, while Ukraine is in the process of negotiating one. Talks may start on similar agreements with the western Balkans countries and Moldova.

Tarkan Mouravi, co-director of the Institute of Policy Studies in Georgia, said that the decision had a "psychological and symbolic meaning". "It is not along the line of the values of the European Union, of its message of openness," he added. Arcadie Barbarosie, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy in Moldova, agreed, arguing that more expensive visas "will not stop criminals, because criminals are not people to whom costs matter". Aaron Presnall, director of studies at the Jefferson Institute in Belgrade, added that "criminals do not stand in line to get a visa. They have other ways to cross the border".

"This decision will have negative consequences on the flow of people, especially for students and owners of small- and medium-sized businesses," said Presnall. "People who will be stopped are the cultural élite. And they are precisely the kind of people that the EU wants."

Friso Roscam Abbing, European Commission spokesperson for justice and home affairs, said that the decision was balanced. "On the one hand, the biometric system, which we all find necessary, will require documents that are more expensive. On the other hand, there will be derogations," he said.

© Copyright 2006 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

Published in European Voice, 27 April 2006

http://www.europeanvoice.com/archive/article.asp?id=25271

Macedonia: improving democracy

Entry talks for EU membership are still some way off, writes Sybille Regout

Macedonia is the newest candidate for membership of the EU. Granted that status at last December's European Council, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), as the European Commission refers to it, is on its way to fulfilling the political criteria for membership, that of being recognised as a functioning democracy, with stable institutions. But the opening of entry talks is still some way off, with further reforms needed.

An immediate concern is the electoral process. The Commission judged that the 2005 local elections presented some "serious irregularities". The next elections are scheduled for July 2006.The Commission expects "that the next elections will be organised [to] democratic standards", said Krizstina Nagy, spokeswoman for Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.

Erwan Fouere, head of the Commission's delegation in Skopje and EU special representative, said: "The entire EU is going to be watching this election. We are confident that FYROM will deliver a result on time. This is an election that they will look back on with pride."

Macedonia must also improve its legal system, with the efficiency and independence of the judiciary a particular worry. Lucia Montanaro-Jankovski, researcher for the European Policy Centre, points to "a huge backlog of court cases, corruption and an excessive executive influence in court". For Nicholas Whyte, of the International Crisis Group, "the problem with [the] judicial system goes deeper than corruption: it is about problems of competence, about incorrect understanding of the law".

The Commission has already pointed out that "efforts to improve the independence and efficiency of the judiciary [...] must be sustained". Fouere said that there were changes afoot. "Draft laws are currently being proposed to the government," he said. "Once implemented, they will strengthen the independence of the judiciary and will hopefully free the judiciary from political pressure."

Macedonia's economic preparedness is arguably worse than its political readiness. It has made efforts to establish a functioning market economy but still suffers from institutional weaknesses. The country needs to become more business-friendly, improving financial markets and domestic and foreign investment. It also needs to bring more economic activity out of the grey and black markets, to be regulated and taxed properly. Fouere said that corruption was deterring foreign investors.

A spokesman from the EU integration department of Macedonia's ministry of economy said that new measures were being taken, including "better control of the market and of companies, creation of new departments in related fields and changes to the law. The FYROM is taking initiatives and making significant steps in order to meet the criteria".

The Commission has repeatedly raised concern about corruption. "The level of corruption remains high and affects many aspects of the economic, social and political life of the country. The effectiveness of the fight against corruption therefore needs far more strengthening", it said last year.

The Commission's view is that "zero tolerance is the only policy that will work".

Experts do, however, concede that the level of corruption is not as high as in other Balkan countries. "Corruption is there, but it is not specific to the FYROM. It is an illness of the entire region," said Montanaro-Jankovski.

Entry talks will only be opened with Macedonia when it has reached "a sufficient degree of compliance", the Commission has said. The Commission will present a report to the European Council at the end of 2006 on Macedonia's progress.

© Copyright 2006 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

Published in European Voice, 27 April 2006

http://www.europeanvoice.com/archive/article.asp?id=25244

Enlargement's positive impact

Contrary to popular fears, the 2004 enlargement of the EU had a positive, albeit limited, impact on western European economies, according to a study published today (27 April).

The study, carried out by Katinka Barysch, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform, for the Central Organisation of Industrial Employees in Denmark and the Confederation of Danish Industries, argues that the most positive outcome of the 2004 enlargement is that it led to reforms across central and eastern Europe. Barysch points out that the new member states' transformation "from post-Communist chaos to orderly EU membership" in less than 15 years was "one of the most impressive examples of regime changes ever recorded".

The central and eastern European countries benefited from integrating with the bigger and wealthier economies of western Europe, the study argues.

The consequences of trade created an export boom and healthy economic growth rates in the accession countries, the study says. The export boom was closely linked to large-scale inflows of foreign direct investment. Since the early 1990s, Western companies invested €150 billion in the now new member states.

But a growing number of citizens in the old EU member states suspect that the new member states' economic success has come at their expense.

Barysch argues that "many west Europeans misunderstand the way in which enlargement has impacted on their country". She points out that enlargement had a positive economic impact on older member states, though limited, because of the small size of the new members' economies. Many western European companies invested in retail, telecoms, energy or media in the new EU states, she points out, adding that firms in older EU member states such as Austria, France, Germany and the Netherlands made substantial profits by trading and investing there.

Public hostility to enlargement in western Europe is largely caused by fears of unemployment following the relocation of industries to new member states and immigration of workers from the poorer new members.

But Barysch points out that relocation, which started long before the enlargement eastwards, helped western EU companies stay competitive in the face of globalisation by allowing them to employ skilled and lower-cost workers. "This has to be seen in the wider context of globalisation," she says.

"Competition with India or China forced the old EU countries to adjust. Companies needed to cut their costs or they would run out of business."

The European Commission reported in February that countries which opened their labour market to east European workers in 2004 were "upbeat about the outcome of this decision". Immigrants helped to fill the gaps in national labour markets and enlargement "has helped to formalise the underground economy constituted by previously undocumented workers", it explained.

Barysch denounces the myth of eastern Europe being a "low-tax paradise that flourishes at the expense of high-tax neighbours". Taxation levels in new member states are not much lower than in older EU countries, she says. In 2003, the ten accession countries collected 36% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in taxes, as opposed to 40% by the older member states, she points out.

She also argues that the EU's biggest enlargement ever has not been a burden for the Union's budget, with the 2003-06 costs amounting to 0.1% of EU GDP. Barysch concludes that while the EU's enlargement east was "one of the Union's greatest ever successes", "the main reason why the political atmosphere in the EU has become somewhat antagonistic is that politicians and the media in some eurozone countries have exploited populist fears of low-cost competition from the east".

© Copyright 2006 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

Here is another article about nuclear power published on cafebabel.com
http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=A&Id=1766