European Commission proposes additional funding for the next programme period of Erasmus+

The strengthening of Erasmus+ is part of the Commission's objective of improving European skills and cohesion.  

“The Commission's proposal indicates a strong political will to invest in European cooperation, skills and youth – the very factors that will build the future cohesion and competitiveness of Europe," says Director of the Finnish National Agency for Erasmus+ Mika Saarinen from the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Major investments in education and youth on the horizon

The European Commission is proposing significant increases in investments in research, education, youth and sport in the EU's new Multiannual Financial Framework. As part of this, a budget of €40.8 billion is proposed for the new Erasmus+ programme. According to the Commission’s calculations, this would mean an increase of almost 50% compared to the current funding of €26.2 billion for the programme period ending in 2027. However, the actual budget increase is likely to be closer to 35%, considering inflation and the integration of the European Solidarity Corps programme into Erasmus+. 

"In the current economic situation, the financial framework proposed for the Erasmus+ programme is a well-directed investment in skills and improving European competitiveness," Saarinen says. “However, it will not be able to fully maintain the level of the last year of the current programme period from 2028 onwards. The total shortfall is approximately €3 billion.”

“It is also clear that the proposed Multiannual Financial Framework, which is significantly larger than the current one, has been met with opposition in many Member States. It is uncertain what the final outcome will be for the total budget,” Saarinen stresses. 

International mobility periods and European co-creation to remain the backbone of Erasmus+

The Erasmus+ programme will continue to promote European cooperation at all levels of education and training and in youth and sport in the next programme period as well. The programme supports the capacity building of organisations, inter-organisational co-creation, the personal and professional growth, critical thinking, crisis resilience and democratic participation of individuals and European values, inclusion and solidarity. 

The Commission's proposal maintains international mobility and international learning periods for all ages as the backbone of the programme. The programme will also support inter-organisational development projects and EU-level development initiatives in line with common policy objectives. These include the European Universities Initiative, Centres of Vocational 
Excellence and cooperation networks between education authorities.

The Commission's proposal also takes into account specific support for disadvantaged people, the special needs of adult learners and the lifelong learning perspective, as well as cooperation and flexibility between different levels of education and training and different sectors. 

New avenues in the proposal include attracting talent, offering grants to citizens of third countries in strategic areas (including green technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, healthcare and digital innovation), support for countries applying for EU membership through the programme and support for Ukraine. Reforms are also proposed in the sport sector, including sport cooperation networks and mobility periods for athletes.

The proposal leaves some room to manoeuvre in regard to the budget for the programme. This proved necessary in the current programme period due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among other things. 

A stronger Erasmus+ programme supports the Union of Skills and crisis resilience of the EU

The reinforced Erasmus+ programme also aims to better respond to broader EU objectives such as competitiveness challenges and building Europe’s crisis resilience. It will combine learning, inclusion and solidarity in a way that supports the EU's long-term objectives. 

The programme will serve as the basis for the EU's Union of Skills, which focuses on high-quality skills, inclusion in education and the labour market, the continuing education and retraining of adults and talent mobility to and within the EU. These objectives will be pursued by supporting the development of high-quality teaching, new learning and training methods and the strengthening of the European Education Area.

The programme will continue to focus on strengthening European identity and active citizenship. In addition to this, it will aim to more explicitly support democracy and crisis resilience, meaning preparedness to anticipate, prevent and respond to various risks.

European Solidarity Corps to be integrated into Erasmus+

The proposal would integrate the European Solidarity Corps into the Erasmus+ programme, extending its scope to volunteering, youth solidarity and humanitarian aid. This would clarify programme management and the opportunities available to young people. 

In the past, volunteering activities were part of the EU's youth programme: the European Voluntary Service (EVS), which ran from 1996 to 2018, was one of the activities in the youth sector. 

Final programme and its budget to be confirmed during the negotiation process

Next, the Commission's budget proposal will be submitted to the European Parliament and the European Council, which represents Member States. Following negotiations in and approval by both of these bodies, the final Erasmus+ programme and its available funding will be confirmed by the end of 2027 at the latest. 

More information:

Mika Saarinen
Director of the National Agency for Erasmus+
Finnish National Agency for Education
tel. 0295 338 543
firstname.lastname(at)oph.fi