EU to Expand Erasmus+ Programme in Next 7 Years – Institutions Agree to Invest Over €26 Billion

Posted date: 23 Jul 2021

Up to 12 million youngsters will be able to benefit from the Erasmus+ programme in the next seven years, after the negotiating team of the European Parliament and the German presidency of the Council reached a provisional agreement last Friday to expand the Erasmus+ programme for the period 2021-2027.

Starting from 2021 until the end of 2027, the EU plans to triple the number of students who benefit from the Erasmus+, which will be more inclusive, not only by covering higher education but also all types and levels of education and training.

Negotiators from both sides have agreed to allocate a budget of €24.57 billion in current prices plus €1.7 billion in 2018 prices, from which 83 per cent will go to activities in the area of education and training, 10.3 per cent to actions in the area of youth and 1.9 per cent to sport-related activities.

Commenting on the deal, Germany’s Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek expressed her satisfaction on the new agreement, noting that through it, the German presidency of the Council intents to “generate enthusiasm for Europe.”

“The new, larger programme for the period 2021-2027 focusses on inclusion. It enables us to support new initiatives and attract an even greater number of participants,” she said.

The Parliament’s rapporteur Milan Zver also applauded the agreement pointing out that now €26 billion can be spent on training, education and more and properly fund three initiatives that have been successfully piloted since 2018.

The Chair of EP Culture and Education Committee Sabine Verheyen, in the meantime, asserted that so far Erasmus+ has had low levels of participation among people with fewer opportunities, claiming that the new programme will change that.

“Those who have missed out in the past will have significantly improved access to learning and mobility, through the specific provisions we have inserted,” she said.

Other MEPs, officials, and even political parties have also applauded the deal through their official social media accounts.
Now the provisional agreement will be submitted to EU Member States’ ambassadors for endorsement, while the adoption of the Erasmus+ regulation for 2021-2027 will take place at a later stage.

The Commission unveiled its proposal for the new Erasmus+ programme on May 30, 2018. Later in November 2018, the Council adopted its mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament.

Whereas on November this year, the European Parliament and the Council Presidency reached a deal on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027) and new Own Resources, after ten weeks of negotiations, in which they agreed for the total budget to be €1824.3 billion for EU flagship programs, including Erasmus+ and Horizon.

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