On Friday 23 October, the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) held its annual conference and General Assembly. The event, originally planned to take place in Amines (France), was turned into an online conference due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr. Stefano DOMINIONI, Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) and Director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes took part in the conference via a video message, highlighting the positive experiences of previous cooperation with EYCA and the intent of future joint projects and initiatives.

In August this year a Letter of Intent on cooperation between the Secretariat of the EPA, Eurail and the European Youth Card Association (EYCA) was signed with the purpose of  promoting sustainable mobility across Europe, supporting the discovery of the rich and diverse heritage of Europe and fostering the creation of a strong community of young travellers who support cultural diversity, intercultural learning and mutual exchanges across borders.

In the framework of Routes4U, joint programme between the Council of Europe and the European Union, a #Routes4U Special Edition of the European Youth Card was realised in cooperation with EYCA. This card offered hundreds of discounts for activities on Cultural Routes crossing seven countries in the Danube region.

EYCA is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation composed of 40 youth card organisations in 37 countries across Europe. It distributes the European Youth Card to over 6 million young people, enabling them to experience social, cultural, educational and travel opportunities at a great discount.

Additional information can be found at the EYCA’s website.