The EU currently administers a series of mobility programmes to encourage students and scholars from all over Europe to spend time in HEIs in other countries. At the Bologna Process summit in Leuven/Louvain-La-Neuve in April 2009, European HE Ministers set the challenging target that at least 20% of students graduating in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) should have had a study or training period abroad by 2020. This presents a significant challenge not just in terms of encouraging students to go abroad, but also in terms of curriculum design, and data collection. It is important to note, however, that countries are free to set their own national targets for increasing outward student mobility.

The European Union (EU) issued a Green Paper in July 2009 ‘Promoting the learning mobility of young people’. The aim of the Green Paper is to seek the views of stakeholders and the wider public on how best to increase the opportunities for young people to have a mobility experience. The paper  examines the preparation of a mobility period abroad, issues such as housing, mentoring, validation and recognition of the mobility period, and presents proposals for a new partnership on youth mobility. UK HEIs are encouraged to respond to the consultation before it closes on 15 December 2009.