From 1 to 3 October 2025, over 100 participants from 18 regions across Europe gathered in Barcelona, Catalonia, for the Eurodyssey Forum and 40th Anniversary celebration – a milestone edition devoted to exploring how youth mobility strengthens regional competitiveness and fosters innovation across Europe.

The Forum opened with welcoming remarks from Francesc Castellana (Director of the Servei d’Ocupació de Catalunya), Esther Estany (President of Eurodyssey), Vania Freitas (AER Secretary General), and Hande Özsan Bozatli (AER Honorary President).

Panel Discussion: Youth Mobility for Regional Competitiveness

Moderated by Vania Freitas, the panel brought together regional and youth representatives to reflect on how interregional mobility can help regions attract and retain talent, bridge skills gaps, and promote inclusive growth.

Esther Estany, our host from Catalonia, underlined that youth mobility acts as an “antidote to brain drain,” helping young people gain professional and transformative skills abroad and return with new ideas to contribute locally.

From Madeira, Carla Berenger described mobility as an investment in the region’s future competitiveness, noting that while travel and living costs remain major barriers, the regional authority subsidises mobility schemes to ensure young people can participate and later bring their experience back to local companies.

Manuela Atzori, discussed how Sardinia’s talent shortages and depopulation challenge demand circular mobility strategies, programmes that not only send young people abroad for training but also create incentives for their return.

Representing the AER Youth Regional Network, Florian Wunsch emphasised that creating the right conditions for young people to come back, such as affordable housing, green infrastructure, and flexible employment frameworks, is essential for sustainable regional development.

Finally, María José Borreguero Figols (Arian International Projects CEO) provided the employers’ perspective, stressing that companies benefit greatly from hosting Eurodyssey trainees, who bring adaptability, soft skills, and international perspectives. However, she called for longer placements and stronger cooperation between employers and programme organisers to maximise impact.

The discussion concluded with a consensus that youth mobility should be seen not as a loss of talent but as an investment in human capital, a catalyst for innovation and growth across European regions.

A Milestone Celebration

The highlight of the first evening was the Eurodyssey 40th Anniversary Ceremony, held at the Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona, where former trainees (from 1986 to 2025!), regional coordinators, and partner companies shared live moving testimonies about the programme’s life-changing impact.

The celebration also featured three videos showcasing testimonials about Eurodyssey’s impact and benefits, how this experience is enriching regarding culture, friends and language learning, and finally a description of Eurodyssey in one sentence:

Designing the Ideal Traineeship for Recent Graduates

The second day featured the ETI Labs Focus Group, organised within the Erasmus+ Erasmus Talent & Innovation Labs project. The session gathered over 50 participants, including regional authorities, companies, and (former) trainees, to co-design a model for the “ideal traineeship for recent graduates”.

The session opened with flash presentations from four former trainees, representing Eurodyssey, Erasmus+, the UN, and the EU Blue Book programme, who shared first-hand experiences of their mobility journeys, motivations, and lessons learned.

Participants then split into mixed working groups to exchange ideas and identify key ingredients of a high-quality traineeship. Among the recurring priorities were:

• Accessibility and fair financial support, ensuring all young people can benefit regardless of background;
• Strong mentorship and structured learning, linking academic and professional skills;
• Clear post-traineeship pathways, with opportunities for employment or continued collaboration;
• Alignment with regional labour market needs;
• Enhanced University–Business Cooperation (UBC) to make traineeships more relevant and impactful.

The focus group outcomes will feed into ETI Labs’ forthcoming conceptual framework for an Entry-Level Traineeship Track, supporting AER and its partners in formulating policy recommendations and case studies on innovative traineeship models for young Europeans.

The day continued with two parallel workshops, addressing key aspects of Eurodyssey’s future. One focused on innovative financing strategies to ensure the programme’s sustainability, while the other explored ways to promote traineeships in rural areas and overcome stereotypes linked to them. Both sessions encouraged the exchange of experiences and creative ideas to make Eurodyssey more inclusive, resilient, and accessible to all regions.

In the afternoon, participants enjoyed a guided tour of Barcelona, discovering some of the city’s most emblematic landmarks and cultural heritage sites. The visit offered an opportunity to experience Catalonia’s vibrant atmosphere firsthand, while fostering informal exchanges and networking among regions in a relaxed and inspiring setting.

Eurodyssey Governance and Renewal

The Forum concluded with the Eurodyssey Plenary, during which participating regions reviewed activity reports, shared updates, and elected a new Steering Committee, composed of Adriana Andrés (Catalunya), Nino Beradze (Adjara), Carla Berenguer (Madeira), Anita Kalala Mbiya (Bruxelles-Capitale), Luca Mereu (Sardegna), Michalis Socratous (Cyprus), and Ricardo Vieira (Açores). This new Steering Committee will be chaired by Daniel Ruiz Trinidad (Comunitat Valenciana), the new Eurodyssey President. Congratulations!

Closing remarks by Paco Ramos, the Secretary of Labor of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Vania Freitas, and Daniel Ruiz Trinidad, the newly elected Eurodyssey President, reaffirmed the programme’s commitment to empowering youth and strengthening Europe’s regions through interregional solidarity and cooperation.

Last but not least, this very special Eurodyssey Forum edition marked the end of Esther Estany’s career. The AER Secretariat and all the member regions want to thank, so so so much, the Eurodyssey President of the past 8 years, and member of the programme since its beginning, for her unwavering support and for promoting the programme since its inception!

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Are you interested in Eurodyssey? More information on the Eurodyssey website & you can contact Jeanne Demonque ([email protected]), the AER Programmes Coordinator

Read more on the Austrian press: Auslandspraktika: Wunsch fordert mehr Chancen für Junge