The EU considers giving a free Interrail pass to all 18-year olds

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The Commission and Parliament in Brussels are planning on offering a free Interrail pass to EU citizens on their 18th birthday, worth up to the value of €479.

Brexit has caused a divided European Union, particularly amongst the youth. There is rising youth unemployment, as well as a steady rise in far-right populist politics. And, not to mention, the refugee crisis. The EU is facing difficult problems and it wants a more cohesive union and one in which people are proud to be European.

To combat this problem, Brussels has an idea: to give a free Interrail pass to EU teenagers when they turn 18, allowing them to explore the tremendous mix of culture on offer in Europe, as well as mixing with other Europeans from different backgrounds, by train for a whole month. Of course, this may come with a slight hitch for British teenagers as any eventual proposal would take years to come into law, by which time the UK will most likely have left the EU.

On Tuesday (October 4th),  Violeta Bulc – the EU’s transport chief opened the door to the proposal at the European Parliament and added: “We admire the boldness and the level of ambition – and we are ready to explore it further.”

The initiative #FreeInterrail was originally started by two German campaigners – Vincent-Immanuel Herr and Martin Speer –  in 2014, who saw it as an opportunity to mend a divided continent’s wounds and “foster international relations and cultural exchange”.

The initiative is backed by several prominent MEPs, such as Manfred Weber, the leader of the centre-right European People’s Party Group. He believes that it would provide young people with a good perspective of the European Union.

The scheme has also garnered the support of other prominent EU figures, like the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. However, 5 million EU citizens turn 18 every year so this scheme would run into the billions and it’s estimated that the Commission would need to find between €1.2 billion and €2.88 billion in its budget to finance it. Some sort of lottery, where the majority win a free ticket, has been suggested by Bulc. The EPP Group believes it should be financed not only by the EU but by the train companies part of Interrail.

There are challenges ahead, but it’s great to get the debate going about Interrailing and about how much of a positive and eye-opening experience Interrailing can be. It would be great for all 18-year olds to get free Interrail passes and it would allow millions of teenagers, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it, to go backpacking around Europe and discover how great a continent Europe is. Nevertheless, Interrailing is as strong as ever and we will be here every step of the way to help you plan your Interrail experience, free ticket or not!