Brussels, January 1986. After six years of testing exchanges between European university students, the Erasmus Programme proposal came to the European Commission for the first time. Although the majority of the countries that were then members of the Union were in favour, those with the greatest weight in the Commission - mainly France, Germany and the United Kingdom - already had their exchange programmes and wanted the proposal to be rejected. After long and hard negotiations, the proposal was rejected on 28 November. But under pressure from educational institutions and youth movements, the issue returned to the Council on 15 December. The Erasmus Programme was adopted three days later and, despite some legal formalities, it was officially launched on 15 June 1987.

In the academic year 1987-1988, 3,244 students completed the first generation of Erasmun. In 2006, more than 150,000 students benefited from the exchange programme, representing almost 1% of the European student population. Currently, more than 4,000 higher education institutions in 31 countries are part of the programme. In 2007, when Erasmus turned twenty, there were already more than two million people participating in the programme, which is expected to reach three million in 2012.

Although Erasmus is an acronym for the European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, the acronym was used to designate the programme as a tribute to Erasmus Rotterdam. Erasmus crossed Europe in the fight against dogmatism and in order to spread knowledge. And when he died, he left his possessions to the University of Basel in Switzerland. But Erasmus, more than academic experience, has become a social phenomenon. And for most, above the spirit of Erasmus, it is known for its prestigious Erasmus parties.