Enhancing Mobility in Europe

The AER Breakfast Briefing, co-organised with Eurochambres and the representation of Rhône-Alpes, took place on 29 September 2009. It looked at programmes to promote entrepreneurship and professional mobility. 

The European Union has initiated a pilot programme "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs". The programme aims as at helping new entrepreneurs to acquire relevant skills for managing a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) by spending time in a business in another EU county. It contributes to improving their know-how and fosters cross-border transfers of knowledge and experience between entrepreneurs. The programme operates across Europe with the help of more than 100 local, regional or national intermediary organisations competent in business support (e.g. Chambers of Commerce, business support organisations, start-up centres). The activities are coordinated at European level by EUROCHAMBRES, the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which acts as support office.

AER's Eurodyssey exchange programme for young people was launched in 1985. Eurodyssey is governed by two guiding principles: autonomy and the regions' capacity for innovation. As an interregional programme, it aims to foster a European consciousness and to encourage regional companies to offer work placements to young trainees. Eurodyssey gives young people aged betrween 18 and 30 years the opportunity to acquire professional European experience in the course of a three to seven-month work placement and to improve their foreign language skills. 

For further information about the AER programme Eurodyssey, we invite you to visit our website.