A total of 1,485 young Romanians will have the chance to explore Europe by train under the European Commission’s DiscoverEU programme, which is offering 36,000 travel passes in its latest round.
The initiative is open to young people born between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, who reside in an EU member state or an Erasmus+ partner country, including Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey.
Applications for the Spring 2025 round are open from April 2 to April 16, with selected participants able to travel for up to 30 days between July 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, according to Romania’s National Agency for Education and Training Community Programmes.
Applicants must register through the European Youth Portal, complete a quiz on the EU and its opportunities for young people, and answer an additional selection question. Successful candidates will receive a pass allowing free train travel across Europe, along with a discount card offering reduced prices on transport, culture, accommodation, food, and other services.
Participants choosing a flexible pass can book up to four trips free of charge via the DiscoverEU mobile app.
Launched in 2018 and later integrated into the Erasmus+ programme, DiscoverEU aims to help 18-year-olds experience Europe’s cultural diversity and history while connecting with peers from across the continent.
In the previous round in October 2024, 3,786 young Romanians applied, with 1,485 receiving travel passes. Since the programme’s inception, nearly 14,500 of the 40,000 Romanian applicants have been awarded passes, official data shows.
