About Free Interrail Passes
About the Initiative
The free interrail initiative was the idea of two individuals, Vincent-Immanuel Herr and Martin Speer. After travelling Europe in 2014 and experiencing what it was to be European, the two came up with the plan for free interrail. Initially, their idea was for all 18 year olds in Europe to be given a free interrail pass on their 18th birthday, this would be a one month pass and would be valid for 6 years; allowing free mobility for young people. The pass will allow youths to travel on almost any train across 30 countries in Europe. The EU has decided to introduce a pilot scheme for 2018, giving away 15,000 passes to youths who are 18 years old on the 1st of July. The pass will be a 30 day pass, allowing travel to up to four countries; valid from July to September of 2018. Promoting European Integration is the aim of the scheme.
Applications will open between June 12th and June 26th, 2018. Registrations can be individual or for a group of up to 5. Applicants will be informed at the beginning of July as to whether they have been successful.
Benefits To The EU
At a time where there are questions surrounding the importance of the EU, this initiative is a bright light in helping to reinforce European solidarity amongst young people. The EU is hopeful that giving young people the opportunity to travel freely across Europe will introduce them to the EU’s territory and create more unity within the European Union for the future. Increasing awareness of different cultures, allowing young people to discover how diverse Europe is, and also increase a sense of common identity, are all benefits surrounding the scheme. Many youths admit that they do not know anyone in a different member state. By allowing free movement across the EU then it would help increase connections and friendships across EU countries.
Economic and Social benefits of the scheme include; boosting youth employment since familiarity with different cultures is an employable skill. The scheme also promotes equal access to travel; opening up the opportunity for people who would otherwise be unable to afford it. Individual countries and cities can also help promote their identities and welcome the new travellers. Finally, Interrail as a whole promotes a more environmentally friendly way of travelling. Therefore, this would have positive impacts on lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
How It's Progressed
The idea has progressed and was successfully proposed to the European parliament in 2016 after gaining significant political interest. Manfred Weber, a keen advocate of the scheme, introduced the debate to European Parliament in 2016. After winning the support of many politicians, the European Parliament then discussed the idea with the European Commission. In 2017 a pilot scheme was granted a budget of 12 million Euros, and in May 2018 the European Commission announced that the scheme would involve giving away 15,000 free interrail passes to youths in Europe in 2018.
The pass will be a one month pass, allowing travel to up to 4 EU countries. Countries that aren’t part of the interrail connection such as Estonia and Cyprus will be allowed to use alternative modes of transport including buses and ferries. It is also unclear as to whether the scheme will continue after 2018.
Opposition
The idea is not supported by all politicians, this is largely due to the cost of the scheme, especially if it were to be implemented in the way that every 18 year old received a free pass. A one month pass can cost up to £465; therefore giving a free pass to every youth could cost the EU billions of euros.
It is also presumed that UK citizens will not be able to apply for the free passes, if the scheme does continue after 2018, since the nation is leaving the European Union.