Third Level Education Dail Éireann — 2025-12-11 ============================================================ Edward Timmins (FG), Wicklow I note the current Erasmus+ programme ambitions include fostering stronger participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement. This is more important than ever, given the threat democracy is experiencing in the western world. The ambition to expand well beyond Europe's borders is also commendable. Promoting our European values is a worthy cause. We often forget how fortunate we are to live in a peaceful, democratic and wealthy society, something our ancestors could only dream of and which people in many parts of the world today do not have. Ireland was known as the island of saints and scholars back in the Dark Ages. We went to Europe, educated the natives and our legacy remains all over Europe. I urge the Minister to continue to support and develop this rich and positive programme that we call Erasmus. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-11/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00 Sitting date: 2025-12-11