The EU wants students from the bloc’s southern neighbors to join its Erasmus exchange program, it announced Thursday as part of a broader plan to bolster Europe’s presence in the Mediterranean region.

The inclusion of non-EU students from countries in Africa and the Middle East is part of the “Pact for the Mediterranean”, which also includes a proposal to double the EU’s budget for this region to €42 billion.

The bloc’s Mediterranean partners include Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.

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EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists the pact includes more than 100 projects, ranging from support for 5G networks and improved mobile connectivity in the region, to youth-focused programs and “rail, road, maritime links to subsea cables carrying data between our nations.”

The EU’s Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica said the pact aims to “connect young people” and broaden the Erasmus Plus and Horizon Europe programs, calling it the “Mediterranean University.” {snip}

“We will also scale up talent partnerships with Morocco, with Tunisia and with Egypt, and facilitate issuance of visas in particular for students” from these countries, Šuica said.

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