Erasmus program students upset by Greek bureaucracy

Greece’s notorious bureaucracy is standing in the way of hundreds of university students who want to join the European Union’s popular Erasmus program, which gives students the chance to work or study in Europe for a year, Kathimerini understands.

Students at certain institutions, including the National Technical University of Athens, were recently informed that they would only receive 20 percent of the Erasmus grant in advance, compared to 80 percent previously.

The announcement was based on a law introduced last year by Greece’s leftist-led government regarding the disbursement of Erasmus funds. However, it appears that not all institutions have interpreted the legislation in the same way. As a result, students at other universities, including the University of Athens (EPKA), have not been affected.

Speaking to Kathimerini on Monday, Kyriakos Athanassiou, president of the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY) which manages the program in Greece, said the agency would contact university administrations Tuesday to straighten out the misunderstanding.

Greece receives an average 35 million euros per year in Erasmus funds.