Student aid crosses borders, court says

(B2) The European Court of Justice has indicated that a State cannot make the payment of training aid conditional on having first studied in the country of origin (judgment Morgan C-11/06 and C-12/06). Two German students had gone to study one, genetics in Bristol (United Kingdom); the other, occupational therapy in Heerlen (Netherlands). No longer residing in Germany, they had been refused German training aid. "Articles 17 EC and 18 EC preclude a condition according to which, in order to be able to benefit from aid for training granted for studies pursued in a Member State other than that in which the students who request the benefit of such aid are the nationals, these studies must be the continuation of training followed for at least one year in the territory of the latter's Member State of origin." (...) "The double obligation, resulting from the condition of a first phase of studies, is likely, because of the personal inconveniences, the additional costs as well as the possible delays which it implies, to dissuade citizens of the Union to leave the Federal Republic of Germany for the purpose of studying in another Member State and thus to make use of their freedom of movement and residence there (point 30)".

(NGV)