07/01/2026 (Agence Europe) – In a joint statement issued on Wednesday 7 January, the European University Association and sixteen organisations representing the higher education sector called for a substantial increase in the budget for the Erasmus+ programme for the period 2028-2034. The signatories are calling for an envelope of at least €60 billion, as they believe that the amount currently envisaged by the European Commission, i.e. €40.8 billion, would only enable existing activities to be maintained, due to inflation and the broadening of the programme’s priorities. According to the organisations, insufficient funding would undermine European objectives in terms of skills, mobility, social inclusion and competitiveness, at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions. The signatories say they are ready to cooperate with the European institutions in the forthcoming budget negotiations. See the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/k6r (NP)