Spain in Europe

Spain has been part of the European Union since 1 January 1986 and on 1 January 1999 it joined the single European currency – the euro. Spain has occupied the presidency on four occasions: in 1989, 1995, 2002 and 2010 and the most important initiatives were the introduction and consolidation of social Europe, “A citizens’ Europe”, and the development of a common European policy in Justice and Home affairs.

Thanks to its membership in the EU, Spain has managed to consolidate the economy, infrastructures and public services. Its citizens can also access European education programmes, work in other EU member states, travel freely around Europe...
 
Furthermore, Spanish is one of the most used languages in international organisations and its influence is ever growing. In the business world, many companies include Spanish, so it proves to be very useful to know the language.
 
In education, Spain has highly qualified workforce and it is the fourth country in Europe with the largest number of people with scientific/technical university degrees (according to Eurostat 2012 data).
 
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, in the 2014-2015 academic year the Spanish University System (SUE) comprised 83 universities. Of these, 50 are public and 33 private. The number of private universities has been growing in recent years.
 
Spain is part of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) which aims to produce the convergence of the European university systems to ensure their degrees will be recognised in every part of Europe, and to improve the hiring process and mobility of its students. With this system, lectures aim to be more cooperative and practical, so students are better prepared for a job. Not only exams count towards your final mark, but also work carried out outside the classroom, internships, etc...
 
As the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is used all over Europe, it is easier for your studies to be recognised in other European countries (without having to be officially recognised) and for you to take joint courses in which several countries take part. Remember that student mobility is increasing, according to studies like one carried out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which states that the number of foreign students enrolled in higher education in OECD countries has doubled since 2000.

The Erasmus Programme has become the most important temporary international mobility programme in Spain. In fact, Spain receives the largest number of Erasmus students. It is managed by the Autonomous Organisation for European Educational Programmes (OAPEE) and it allows you to study for a period of time (between 3 and 12 months) in a higher education institution in a European country, and it is becoming increasingly popular with students.
 
You need to finish the first year of your degree at least and belong to an EU member state. You can find more information at the following links::
 
http://www.oapee.es/oapee/inicio/pap/erasmus.html
 
http://www.esn.org/
 
Spain is the European country receiving the largest number of Erasmus students: the total number of Erasmus student mobilities for study and internships received in Spanish institutions and companies in 2012/13 was 40,202, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.3% and 15% of all Erasmus student mobility in Europe. If you want to make the most of this programme and come to Spain, the grant you get is €250 a month on average (including studies and internship periods). That is, the money you get on the Erasmus programme is not enough to cover your stay in full. You will also need to manage your Learning Agreement (which includes the list of subjects you agree to study) and, in general, you will have to take the same exams as the rest of the students at the university, so you need to have enough command of the language.
 
You can get more information at the International Relations Office at your university of origin.

The Erasmus Programme is part of the Youth Opportunities Initiative (YOI) that the European Commission presented to foster youth employment. This initiative also promotes other programmes and resources that may be interesting when studying and working in Europe, such as Leonardo da Vinci, European Voluntary Service, Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs and Eures. Take a look:
 
http://www.oapee.es/oapee/inicio/pap/leonardo-da-vinci.html
 
http://europa.eu/youth/country/76/theme/46_en
 
http://www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu/
 
http://ec.europa.eu/eures/home.jsp?lang=es

The new Erasmus + programme will integrate the existing programmes in the Lifelong Learning Programme and also the international higher education programmes: Mundus, Tempus, ALFA, Edulink and bilateral programmes, in addition to the Youth in Action Programme.

Erasmus Mundus includes high quality joint Master’s degrees and Doctorates and offers grants funded by the European Union aimed at students from third countries and students from EU-member states or other countries that have been part of the European Union for a certain time.

This means you can study a Master’s degree or Doctorate with the chance of attending several international universities and earn a degree that will allow you to get a job in these respective countries.

You can get more information on the new Erasmus + initiative at the following link:

http://www.oapee.es/oapee/inicio/ErasmusPlus.html

If you would like to learn more about the profile of European university students, you might find the Eurostudent Project interesting. It collects comparable data of the social and economic conditions of the life of university students in Europe.
 
More information: http://www.eurostudent.eu