Rannis serves Icelandic citizens as a one shop stop for all EU programmes in the fields of education, youth, culture and research. With a view to raise public awareness of these programmes and enhance synergies between them, a quadriple opening of the new programme period 2021-2027 took place on 15 April.

The programmes concerned are: Horizon Europe in the field of research and innovation; Erasmus+ for education and training, youth and sport;  European Solidarity Corps  for community projects and volunteer work; and Creative Europe for culture and media. Streamed live from the Reykjavik Municipal Theatre, the event brought together speakers on stage and an audience of more than 900 people, reflecting the wide scope of areas covered by the four programmes. 

The speakers included Lilja Dögg Alfredsdóttir, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, Lucie Samcová-Hall Allen, Ambassador of the EU to Iceland, and Rannis experts. Beneficiaries from different target groups shared their success in EU cooperation, both in promotional videos and through an on-stage dialogue led by Bergur Ebbi, a well known Icelandic writer, speaker and Erasmus almuni. Participants agreed that while building on the past success, the new programmes will offer a variety of new opportunities that will encourage Icelandic citizens to address societal challenges and contribute to building a stronger Europe.