India a focus of France's presidency of EU: French envoy

New Delhi: French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain said that India is a significant focus of France's presidency of the European Union. He added that the strengthening ties between the EU and India should go hand-in-hand with people to people relations, PTI reported.

Addressing the event that marked the 35th anniversary of the European Union (EU) Erasmus-plus programme on Friday, Lenain urged for "greater academic mobility" between India and the EU, justifying that it would be the best investment in the future of the duo's partnership. The programme was established to support global students and encourage partnerships between universities.

According to the French envoy, 6,000 Indian students have travelled to Europe under the Erasmus programme to date and added that it showed the extent EU values student mobility with India.

"For the last two years, France has been the country welcoming the highest number of Erasmus scholarship holders, and we are very proud of it," Lenain said.

In January, France took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) from Slovenia, while India and the EU celebrate 60 years of partnership this year.

The ambassador further said, "I am happy to share that 143 Indian students have been awarded Erasmus Mundus scholarships for higher education in Europe. This built on the success of the last two years when Indian students were the top recipients of the EU Erasmus-plus scholarships among 167 countries."

"More and more Indian students are looking at the possibility of studying in the EU, exploring its world-class academic institutes, attending courses in two or more European countries, gaining exposure to diverse cultures," he added.

The commemoration event was attended by 250 Indian beneficiaries of the Erasmus+ programme, including students, researchers, academics and business people.

Erasmus stands for the European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. It supports education, training, youth and sport, a statement by the French embassy and the EU in India said. It said, "with a budget of Euro 26.2 billion (Rs 20,96,94 crore) for the 2021-2027 period, this is the largest programme in the world for student mobility and also an important project for collaborative funding."

"With this programme, the EU wants to enhance academic and youth mobility and cooperation among Europeans.

Union members but also with other regions in the world, especially Asia," it added.