The European Association of ERASMUS Coordinators (EAEC), is a membership network, which currently has more than 140 members. It was founded in 2004 in Lodz, Poland, with an official kick off during the ERACON 2005 (ERASMUS Coordinators Conference and GO-Exchange Education Fair 2005) in Cyprus. 

The network represents the reference point for all the academics and practitioners involved in the Erasmus programme activities and beyond. Among the very extensive aims of the Network we can mention enable exchange of information and experience, promote mobility, circulate provisions on the Bologna Process, promote principles and participation in the ERASMUS+ European Commission Programme, support the process of raising education and quality standards, and organize seminars and conferences, just to mention a few. 

The Erasmus Congress and Exhibition (ERACON) is the main event organized by the network and in 2020 it will take place online on November 19 and 20.

In this extensive interview in two parts, the President and founder of the Association, Prof. Gregoris Makrides, tells us more about the network, the present and future of the Erasmus Programme and provides us with his insights on the current state of the internationalization of education and training in Europe and beyond. The first part looks back to the origins of the association and the the past of Erasmus.