To address the challenges of making the Erasmus+ programme accessible to people with fewer opportunities, MEPs from the Committees on Culture and Education (CULT) and Budgets (BUDG) held a joint session on Monday 11 March.
This exchange of views in the presence of the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova, highlighted both the ongoing efforts to make the European programme for education, training, youth and sport more inclusive and the need to support greater accessibility.
In her speech, Ms Ivanova emphasised the significant progress made in improving the programme’s inclusiveness. In particular, she mentioned the introduction of dedicated measures in the fields of education, training and sport from 2021, and the launch of a new framework for inclusion and diversity.
Efforts have been made to facilitate access to the programme, by reorganising its structure and creating networks of learning opportunities, such as the SALTO resource centres, which promote Erasmus+ at national level.
The results are encouraging: the proportion of participants from less privileged backgrounds has risen from 10% in 2021 to 13% in 2022, with a target of 15% for 2023. In several countries, specific projects have been implemented to bring communities together and combat discrimination, highlighting the positive impact of these initiatives on inclusion.
However, financing remains a major challenge. Milan Zver (EPP, Slovenia), permanent rapporteur on Erasmus+, welcomed the increase in the budget, which has almost doubled, but also pointed out that greater financial support for Erasmus grants was needed, particularly for students from less privileged backgrounds.
Niclas Herbst (EPP, Germany) stressed the importance of supporting an increase in the Erasmus+ budget to improve programme access for those with fewer opportunities, taking inflation into account. He asked the Commission what concrete measures had been taken to support access to the programme for these individuals.
Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, Spain) stressed the need for more funding for Erasmus+ and the importance of channelling these funds to those with fewer opportunities. She asked about the Commission’s actions to encourage Member States to implement effective inclusion programmes.
The speeches converged on a joint call for reinforced action at all levels - European, national and regional - to ensure that the Erasmus+ programme reaches its maximum potential for inclusion and accessibility. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)