Nearly 11,000 requests for exchange and cooperation programmes from Switzerland were granted last year
Keystone
The government has extended an interim solution for Swiss participation in the European mobility and cooperation programmes for students, Erasmus+, by one year. This means Switzerland will continue to bear the cost and organisational burden of participating on the scheme.
This content was published on
1 minute
Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch
The education ministry said the decision, announced on Wednesday, would “allow Swiss students, apprentices and education professionals at all educational levels” to continue to benefit from the European Union’s programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport until the end of 2017.
The interim solution for Erasmus+ became necessary after Brussels suspended negotiations with Switzerland, in response to Swiss voters approving in 2014 a proposal to re-introduce immigration quotas for EU citizens.
The Swiss government says it is seeking a long-term deal with the EU on future Swiss participation in exchange and cooperation projects.
Last year, a record number of nearly 11,000 requests for individual projects from Switzerland were granted – an increase of 12% on 2015.
The controversial anti-immigration initiative also affects cooperation between Switzerland and the EU on a prestigious research programme, Horizon 2020, and on the promotion of film productions.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Exchange student numbers and budget increase in 2016
This content was published on
For the school year beginning in autumn 2016, more than 10,000 students signed up to take part in the offering by either coming to study in Switzerland or leaving the country to study elsewhere in Europe. According to the ch Foundation for Federal CooperationExternal link, this is the first time that more than 10,000 students…
This content was published on
When the founding fathers established the fundamental pillars of what is to be the European Union, after experiencing the atrocities of totalitarianism and lack of freedom, they did not anticipate what the outcome would be; they just had a dream of a Europe with no borders and boundaries, to eliminate the possibility of populism and…
This content was published on
The ongoing impasse between Switzerland and the European Union could damage the international competitiveness of Swiss universities, warns the author of the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) university rankings.
This content was published on
Switzerland will keep to its interim solution to ensure that university students can participate in the Erasmus+ exchange programme - after it was frozen out of the scheme by the European Union following an anti-immigration vote earlier this year.
Swiss and EU reach agreement over Horizon 2020 research funds
This content was published on
Switzerland and the European Union have reached an agreement over Swiss participation in the Horizon 2020 research funding programme. It must now be ratified by both governments.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.