Starting in 2018, 18-year-olds living in the European Union will be given free Interrail passes.
The measure passed the European Parliament recently, with a pilot scheme set to begin next year with passes issued to 20,000 teenagers on their 18th birthday. Parliament set aside 12 million euros to pay for the free passes. Supporters hope the plan will be rolled out across the EU in 2020.
German MP Manfred Weber, one of the legislators who was behind the proposal, said that the free Interrail passes will allow young adults “to discover the beauty and diversity of Europe over three weeks within a two-year period.”
In nations that aren’t covered by Interrail—including Cyprus, Latvia, and Malta—other modes of transport will be made available.
The Christian Democrats in the European Parliament launched the proposal for free Interrail passes last year, but the measure failed.
But just because the measure passed the Parliament this year doesn’t mean it hasn’t met with opposition.
Belgian conservative politician Anneleen Van Bossuyt believes the European parliament is playing Santa Claus, so to speak. “The taxpayer’s hard-earned pennies can be spent better than by financing sweets,” she said. “A year and a half before the European elections, the traditional groups roll out this initiative to buy the hearts and voices of the young people. It is disappointing how they continue to support this kind of folly, against the will of the citizen.”
Supporters see the measure as a great way to broaden young Europeans’ horizons. “I continue to be a big supporter of a free pass for every European 18-year-old,” said Belgian Christian Democrat Parliament member Tom Vandenkendelaere. “It is a democratic and positive European project. Interrail can be a ‘can opener’ for many young Europeans, as [student exchange program] Erasmus did for me.”
Speaking of the Erasmus program, that initiative will receive 2.3 billion euros in 2018, an increase of 54 million from the 2017 funding.
Only 18-year-old EU citizens or those legally residing within the European Union will be eligible for the free Interrail passes.