Travelling and transport

BG/BRG/BORG Eisenstadt - September 2022

The aim of the meeting in Eisenstadt - Austria, was to focus on the aspects of travelling and transport. Since the establishment of the European Union, European countries have become closer in many aspects. So we looked at the European idea of the four fundamental freedoms, particularly focusing on the freedom of movement of people and goods. We had workshops where our students became aware of the fact that travelling easily and without border controls (with some exceptions) is only possible due to a common effort of the countries involved. Besides, the concept of open borders can no longer be regarded as a matter of fact by young people living in the European Union, which has become obvious during the migrant movement in 2015. We also looked at the future of the European Union in this context.

Freedom of movement of people also includes the right and freedom of all European citizens to choose in which EU country they want to study, work and live. Many young people take advantage of Erasmus and other programmes to improve their own knowledge, broaden their horizons and explore the culture of another country. In this context, we looked at the programmes on offer, but also discussed issues of transport. Protection of the environment was also discussed in the context of freedom of movement of goods.

So these were the activities:

• • Getting to know our European partners - presentation of the participating countries with special emphasis on EU-related topics

  • Workshop with an expert on the four fundamental freedoms of the EU with special emphasis on the freedom of movement of people and of goods

  • Travelling and transport around Europe - students will discover the advantages and disadvantages, the result was shown as a work of art based on maps of Europe

  • Workshop on Erasmus projects with the aim of informing students about the manifold programmes offered by the European Union to young people who want to study or work in another country

  • Participants visited interested classes and act as “ambassadors” of their country at our school, by e.g. showing their presentations on their countries/towns/schools