Starting today, 15 March, free European train passes can be applied for again by young people who are citizens of the European Union. Within the programme, an expected 750 Hungarian youth will receive a free pass.

From today, the next round of applications for the EU grant for free European train passes opens. In this latest round, approximately 750 Hungarians are expected to be awarded the free of charge tickets. The announcement of the applications launch was announced by the programme’s mentor, István Ujhelyi, Socialist member of the European Parliament, during an online press conference on Sunday. Ujhelyi highlighted that the scheme is an opportunity for the young people of the various EU nations to connect with each other.

As part of the ‘DiscoverEU’ programme within the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, more than 212,000 tickets have been distributed in the previous seven application rounds, and almost 25,000 Hungarian applicants have been allocated nearly 5,000 passes.

In this round of applications, 35,300 free train tickets will be handed out,

and it is expected that at least 750 passes will be allocated to Hungarians from this budget.

In the first round of this year, those born between 1 July 2004, and 30 June 2005, including these two dates, can apply; applications must be submitted on the programme’s official website by noon on 29 March. ‘Don’t just go partying, but also research historical events and visit places that are significant from the perspective of Hungarian history. Let’s learn together from the history of Europe and build European unity together,’ Ujhelyi said from the grand hall of the Palace of Versailles.

The original concept of the ‘FreeInterrail’ programme comes from two young German activists who proposed a few years ago that the EU should surprise every European youth with a free train pass on their 18th birthday. The success of the project is evidenced by the numerous awards it has won in recent years, such as the European Quality Award.