Free movement and its advantages
Among the multitude of rights conferred to EU citizens, together with the corresponding duties, is the possibility to move abroad to study, according to the principle of free movement.
This is an opportunity that millions of students take advantage of every year, often without being fully aware of the benefits of the single market, the context of mobility per se, and the academic sphere.
First and foremost, access to another Member State, facilitated by a streamlined bureaucracy of visas and official certificates, is a proven reason to stay for the long term.
Currency & phone communication
In addition, the use of a single currency, to which 19 of the 27 EU member states have adhered, means that we are spared the exchange of currency, with the associated tax. As far as telephone and digital communication is concerned, the price plan does not change once you move abroad; by activating data roaming, internet browsing is guaranteed at no extra cost, up to a maximum use of 5 GB per month.
The academic sphere
On the academic side, studying in the European Union allows students to draw on European funds allocated to renew the promise of mobility, exchange of expertise and research.
The latter in particular has been placed at the heart of the “Europe 2020” strategy with the allocation of around 80 billion euros for the “Horizon 2020” program, which for seven years has rewarded the excellence of researchers in new discoveries and innovations made in Europe.
It is also interesting to note how the plurality of university systems can be combined to facilitate the process of recognising qualifications, should this be necessary. The similarity lies in the achievement of the credits envisaged in the degree course, with the necessary exceptions.
Even simpler is to obtain a declaration of compatibility of the title, perhaps necessary to apply to a degree course in another country, which is taken care of by each national office of each member state of the European Network of Information Centres in the European Region (ENIC) and the National Academic Recognition Information Centres in the European Union (NARIC).