MEPs have backed a negotiating position calling for a €47.39 billion budget for the EU’s Erasmus+ learning mobility programme for 2028 – 2034, higher than the €40.8 billion proposed by the European Commission.
The European Parliament adopted its mandate for talks with EU member states by 454 votes to 34, with 93 abstentions, it announced on Thursday.
Erasmus+ funds study, training and volunteering opportunities abroad, and MEPs said they want the programme to be more accessible to young people from different economic, social and geographical backgrounds.
They called for set spending shares within the programme budget, with 74.6% for education and learning, 15% for youth and volunteering, and 4.1% for sport.
MEPs also backed changing mobility grants so they better reflect differences in living costs, housing and inflation between host countries, regions and cities, and cover higher travel expenses for people going to or from more distant locations.
Changes to who can take part
The Parliament said it supports widening participation to include, among others, grassroots athletes, as well as learners, teachers and trainers in vocational education and training — practical courses linked to specific jobs.
MEPs also backed integrating volunteering and solidarity activities from the European Solidarity Corps, and the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps — which supports aid work in non-EU countries — into Erasmus+.
They also supported faster access to the programme for EU candidate countries without having to complete the association procedure, and “stronger ties” with the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Rapporteur Bogdan Zdrojewski said the Parliament’s proposals would “almost double” Erasmus+ funding and that MEPs “welcome the return of the United Kingdom.”
MEPs are now ready to start negotiations with EU governments once those governments have adopted their position on the EU’s long-term budget, including overall funding levels.
