In 2007, the ERASMUS programme of the EU will turn 20 and the European Commission and the 31 participating countries are to host "birthday celebrations" throughout the year. A first event already took place in December, with speeches of the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, and the Commissioner of Education and Training, Jan Figel’.

Launched in 1987 and named after the Dutch humanist and theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466 – 1536), the ERASMUS programme has been promoting student and teacher mobility, as well as interuniversity cooperation across Europe, and has acquired wide fame over the years. It has given over 1.5 million students a study-abroad experience. Currently, the programme has more than 150 000 beneficiaries per year and covers nine out of every ten European higher education establishments.

The hopes of the European Commission are that by 2012, ERASMUS would mark a total of 3 million students. European Commission: The ERASMUS Programme celebrates its 20th Anniversary ERASMUS @ 20: the Commission launches the celebrations for the anniversary of its flagship education programme ERASMUS website