MEPs vote for €47bn in new Erasmus+ funds, as frugal states seek cuts to EU budget
With 24 votes in favour and one abstention, MEPs proposed to increase the European Commission's original proposal from €40bn to €47bn on Tuesday.
The European Parliament’s culture committee has voted to increase EU funds for the flagship Erasmus+ student exchange programme by €7bn in 2028-2034, even as so-called frugal countries seek to cut overall funding.
With 24 votes in favour and one abstention, MEPs proposed to increase the European Commission’s original proposal from €40bn to €47bn on Tuesday (29 September).
They also said funds should be linked to respect for the rule of law and transparency standards, a clear reference to the situation facing Hungarian universities in the past, which were unable to participate in Erasmus+ during the illiberal rule of former prime minister Viktor Orbán.
Candidate countries, such as Ukraine and Moldova, may be able to participate in the next Erasmus+ in the coming cycle, provided they met “certain conditions,” Polish centre-right and lead MEP on the file, Bogdan Zdrojewski, said during a press conference in Brussels.
The UK and Switzerland are also set to rejoin the programme already in 2027.
And Canada might be able to participate too, Zdrojewski said, should it gain an associate EU membership, an unclear status presented by EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen during her State of the Union speech on 11 September and welcomed by Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney.
Around 17m participants have taken part in Erasmus+ since it was launched 39 years ago, in what is widely considered one of the most popular EU integration projects.
An estimated one million babies have also been born from couples who have met during their exchange.
The committee boost comes amid long-term EU budget talks for the next seven years, in which frugal states such as Germany and the Netherlands want to pay in less than in the past, but Zdrojewski was “feeling optimistic” about getting through the proposed Erasmus budget increase.
He said he counted on EU capitals to defend the programme, which covers mainly international university student exchanges.
MEPs want to make Erasmus+ more inclusive, highlighting special programmes for adult learners and students in informal education programmes.
They also aimed to set a 20 percent quota for participants with underpriviliged access to career and educational opportunities.
To make Erasmus+ easier to manage, they proposed dividing the funding between different areas: education and training (74 percent), youth and volunteering (15 percent), and sport (four percent).
The committee report will now be voted on by the EU Parliament plenary, although it is still unclear when, when it becomes part of MEPs' formal basis for negotiations with EU capitals.
Zuzanna Stawiska is a junior reporter covering European affairs. She also writes stories for the European Correspondent.
