BDZ participates in an initiative of the European Commission to provide young people aged 18 a travel Pass to explore Europe this summer

As a member of the Interrail network, “BDZ-Passengers”EOOD will take part in an initiative of the European Commission to provideyoung people aged 18 a travel Pass to explore Europe this summer.

Tour of the Old Continent by train will receive as a gift around 15 000 young people from the EU Member States. The free travel campaign is called “Discover EU” and the EC provides the budget for the rail trips.   

The aim of the initiative is to give young people the opportunity to explore the European continent, to discover different values ​​and cultures, as well as to meet their peers from different Member States. “Discover EU” creates equal opportunities by providing mobility for all young people, regardless of their income, enhances European integration and at the same time it is an environmentally friendly way of traveling. The budget of the “Discover EU” pilot project for 2018 amounts to 12m euros.

Future travelers will be selected through an open competition among all EU citizens born between 2 July 1999 and 1 July 2000. The lucky ones will be offered a travel Pass that will allow them to travel across the continent between 1 day and up to 30 days inclusive. The selected ones will be able to visit at least one and up to four foreign country destinations within the EU.

Young people wishing to participate in the initiative will be able to apply through the European Youth Portal of the European Commission from 12 to 26 June 2018.  

https://europa.eu/youth/discovereu_bg

Approved candidates will be able to begin their journey between July 9 and September 30, 2018.

Participation in the "Discover EU" initiative have already claimed over 30 railway companies operating on the Old Continent.

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The idea of ​​free rail youth trips belongs to the Germans Vincent-Immanuel Herr, Martin Speer and the Austrian writer Robert Menace. They launched it for the first time in 2014. They then discuss it with representatives of the European Parliament and the European Commission and organize a petition on the implementation of the project. European politicians support the project  and it is already a fact.

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Launched in 1972 as a European train pass for youth, the Interrail Pass is now open to all ages and available for travel in and throughout 30 different nations in Europe. Youth, aged 12-27 years, represent the largest passenger group among Interrailers. In 2017, over 280.000 Interrail Passes were issued to European residents, with the most popular destinations for Interrail travellers being Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague and Budapest.