A stronger Europe needs a properly funded Erasmus+

As highlighted in the Draghi report in September 2024, over the coming decade Europe needs to significantly enhance its competitiveness and resilience. This is central to Europe’s future prosperity, and requires investing in people, skills and talent – in particular through higher education exchange and collaboration.

Europe now faces a strategic choice. To build on the programme’s success, the European Commission has proposed a number of ambitious actions for the next generation of the programme. However, the currently proposed budget of €40.8 billion for the period 2028-2034 will not be enough to fund them. Indeed, underinvestment in education would undermine the EU’s own political objectives.

Erasmus+ is one of Europe’s most tangible success stories. Its contribution to citizens’ lives and to Europe’s future needs investment that matches its proven impact. For nearly 40 years, this popular flagship programme has empowered millions of learners, strengthened institutional cooperation, deepened European integration and fostered global outreach.

At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, Erasmus+ delivers long-term returns in skills, employability, innovation capacity and civic engagement. Few EU programmes combine such broad public support with such clear and measurable societal impact. Erasmus+ contributes directly to developing a highly skilled, mobile and adaptable workforce, strengthens Europe’s knowledge base and enhances societal cohesion and democratic resilience.

Download the joint statement

The statement’s signatories, together representing thousands of higher education institutions, millions of students and key stakeholders, underline a shared conclusion: Europe can only achieve its ambitions in education, skills and talent if Erasmus+ is ambitiously resourced. Moreover, they stand ready to work constructively with all of the European institutions, provide evidence and data where useful and contribute to solutions that ensure a stronger Erasmus+, and by extension, a stronger Europe.

Welcoming the sector’s clear call for investment in the programme ahead of a key debate in the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets on 15 January, EUA Secretary General Amanda Crowfoot noted that:

“When all factors, including inflation and new priorities, are taken into account, the proposed Erasmus+ budget for 2028-2034 would at best allow the programme to continue as it is. However, it would not be able to fund enhanced and additional activities to underpin the Union of Skills and the European Education Area, as proposed by the European Commission.

This means that there will not be enough to pay for more inclusive learning mobility nor properly funded alliances, let alone for the new scholarships in strategy priority fields. Education can make an invaluable contribution to the EU’s competitiveness agenda, but this requires concerted investment.”

Alongside the European University Association, the statement is signed by, CESAER, the Coimbra Group, the Erasmus Student Network, the European Students’ Union, the European Association for the Applied Sciences in Higher Education (EURASHE), the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, the Academic Cooperation Association, AURORA, the European Association for International Education, the European Consortium of Innovative Universities, the European University Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the League of European Research Universities, the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA), the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) and the Young European Research Universities Network.