Erasmus Programme as an Instrument of EU Public Diplomacy

Abstract

Erasmus + Programme can be considered an instrument of soft power in countries that aspire to become EU member states. The core assumption is that due to people-to-people contacts, Erasmus participants are most likely to become informal ambassadors of the EU, in the sense that they become bearers of the EU’s soft power, leading to changes in cultural perceptions and social. However, what will be the place of Erasmus in the ongoing debate on the strategy of enhancing the image of the EU? Erasmus can play a major role in this new strategy, considering the huge increase in mobility flows between EU countries and those waiting to become members. Moreover, the EU institutions are looking for new strategic tools of public diplomacy. This paper aims to test the following hypothesis: Erasmus, as an instrument of public diplomacy, affects the growth of the image of the EU in Albania. Therefore, this paper is of great interest because it is closely related to the debate on the means and goals of the EU’s foreign policy and its influence on the member countries, especially Albania. It reaches the conclusion that Erasmus, as an instrument of public diplomacy, serves to increase the image of the EU, since it is a tool of soft power of the EU.