Free rail travel for all young people
3.8.2015
Question for written answer E-011991-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
István Ujhelyi (S&D)
Two 20-year-old German activists, Vincent-Immanuel Herr and Martin Speer, have discovered what would really bring Europe's nations closer together: free rail travel! Their proposal is for the EU to provide everyone below the age of 30 with a free one-month Interrail ticket. This is well worth discussing, since mobility is one of the most important freedoms, the promotion of which is one of the EU's tasks. As a European democrat I believe young people in the EU should see the world and gain experience and knowledge, which they would then be able to use for the benefit of their own countries. This would be an opportunity to help improve understanding between nations. As Vice-Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism I am doubly involved here, as the proposal affects both areas of the committee's activities.
I would like the Commission to answer the following questions:
- —In what form does it consider the proposal of the young Germans to be viable, and when might it begin?
- —Is the Commission prepared to allocate funding to this, perhaps in the form of a pilot project?
- —Has there been an initiative like this in the past? If so, what was the outcome?