It was not without a certain pride that the European Commission presented the most recent statistics for the Erasmus + programme on Thursday 30 November. The statistics demonstrate increased participation, including for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Nonetheless, it refused to comment about the ramifications of Brexit on the future of the programme.
The publication of the report coincides with the closure of the campaign celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Erasmus programme and the presentation of the Erasmus + Generation Declaration on the future of the programme.
Increased number of beneficiaries
The report focuses on the results obtained in 2016, covering the third year of the programme of the programme and half of its current life cycle.
It should be recalled that the EU’s multiannual financial framework planned for a budget of €14.7 billion to enable 3.7% of the EU’s young people to study, train or acquire work experience or perform voluntary work abroad.
The report demonstrates that in 2016, 725,000 Europeans received a mobility grant. In total, 330,000 students and members of staff from higher education establishments have benefited from intra-institutional exchanges. France, Germany and Spain were the three main participatory countries of origin, while Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom were the three favourite host countries.
In compliance with the objectives contained in the Paris Declaration, the programme has again helped to develop social, civic and inter-cultural skills. Therefore, €200 million has been allocated to 1200 cooperation projects to promote tolerance, non-discrimination and social inclusion. 35 projects have also benefited from a specific call for proposals worth €13 million in an effort to promote, reproduce and improve good existing practices at a local level.
The “online language support for refugees” initiative helped more than 6,500 refugees who had recently arrived in the EU, to improve their linguistic abilities. In total, 34% of transnational strategic partnerships in the youth field have encouraged social inclusion and solidarity.
The future of the programme in question
Despite these good results, the stakeholders are concerned about the consequences of Brexit on the European budget and ultimately, on the future of student and teacher mobility.
In Goteborg, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, called on EU leaders to double the number of EU youngsters participating in Erasmus + (from 3.7% to 7.5%) by 2025 (see EUROPE 11907). This target subsequently requires a doubling of the programme budget and to increase the amount from €14.7 billion to €29 .4 billion for the 2021-2027 period.
Questioned by the press about the future of the programme after Brexit, the Commissioner for Education, Tibor Navracsics, said that he was optimistic about the support from stakeholders and certain member states but was unwilling to say any more in this connection. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)