European higher education sector jointly proposes amendments to secure the future of Erasmus+

Following their united call for ambitious investment in Erasmus+, the European University Association and sixteen partner organisations representing a diverse range of actors across the higher education sector have presented a joint set of proposed amendments to the draft regulation for the next Erasmus+ programme (2028-2034).

Together, they reaffirm the key role of Erasmus+ in developing the European Education Area alongside the Union of Skills, contributing to Europe’s talent base and global standing, as well as to the personal, educational and professional development of students and staff participating in the programme.

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The 17 signatory organisations call upon the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU member states to:

• Reaffirm support for learning mobility and institutional cooperation across all study fields as a core objective of the programme.
• Increase the total budget to at least €60 billion and establish indicative budget allocations across education and training sectors.
• Reintroduce the committee procedure as an appropriate framework for member states and observers to contribute to implementation.
• Ensure that new scholarships in strategic priority areas bring genuine added value to the beneficiaries without diverting resources from other parts of the programme.
• Build more explicit funding synergies between Erasmus+ and other EU programmes.
• Provide a clear and predictable pathway for the UK and Switzerland to renew their association.
• Reinforce international collaboration by offering more opportunities for mobility, cooperation and policy dialogue that serve the mutual interests of Europe and its partners.
• Systematically enhance the resilience of Erasmus+ and its capacity to support higher education institutions, students and staff in crisis situations.

Consult the full list of proposed amendments

The signatories stand ready to actively support the co-legislators throughout the negotiations and contribute constructively to the final design of the next Erasmus+ programme.

Welcoming the sector’s input to this pivotal piece of legislation for European universities, EUA Secretary General Amanda Crowfoot commented that:

“EUA and our partners throughout the European higher education sector, together representing institutions and communities that make Erasmus+ a reality, are confident that we can make this excellent flagship programme even more impactful and inclusive. We count on the Commission, the Parliament and member states to use this opportunity to establish an Erasmus+ programme that is truly reflective of the needs of universities, students and society.”

Alongside the European University Association, the proposed amendments are endorsed 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 (YERUN).