MEPs on the European Parliament’s culture and education committee have backed changes to the next Erasmus+ programme, including a bigger budget and measures intended to make participation easier between 2028 and 2034.
The Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) voted on Tuesday to amend the European Commission’s proposal for the next seven-year phase of Erasmus+, the EU’s main funding programme for study, training, youth exchanges, volunteering and sport, the Parliament informed.
MEPs want the budget set at €47.39 billion in current prices, compared with €40.8 billion proposed by the Commission.
They also proposed earmarking funding across the programme’s main areas — 74.6% for education and training, 15% for youth and volunteering, and 4.1% for sport — with further allocations within each field.
Focus on inclusion and mobility support
The committee said support for participation should take account of differences in living costs, housing prices, inflation and purchasing power between host countries, regions and cities.
MEPs also proposed that at least 20% of participants should be people with less access to career and educational opportunities.
The committee backed merging Erasmus+ with the European Solidarity Corps, including the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, with practices from the Solidarity Corps applied in the new programme.
For the first time, Erasmus+ should facilitate the mobility of athletes in grassroots sport — not only staff at sports clubs and organisations.
“Erasmus+ is one of the EU’s most recognised programmes, creating opportunities for millions of Europeans to learn, teach, train, and gain international experience,” said rapporteur Bogdan Zdrojewski.
The committee position was approved by 24 votes to one, with one abstention, and is due to be put to a vote by the full Parliament at a future plenary session.
