On Monday 11 May in Brussels, EU education ministers reached agreement on the EU Council’s position regarding the regulation governing Erasmus+ for the 2028-2034 period.
The EU Council must now reach an agreement with European Parliament on this flagship European Union programme in the fields of education, training, youth and sport (see EUROPE 13828/14).
The European Commission’s proposal is to merge Erasmus+ with the ‘European Solidarity Corps’ (ESC).
The negotiating position (https://aeur.eu/f/lv5 ) is described as “partial”, as it excludes financial and horizontal issues. These matters are currently the subject of negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement on the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the 2028-2034 period.
The EU Council has updated the Erasmus+ programme’s governance model in order to strengthen the oversight powers of the Member States. Notably, it has reinstated the existing ‘Programme Committee’, thereby giving Member States increased control over the programme’s governance.
Two distinct categories of work programmes have also been introduced: a “new action work programme”, for new initiatives proposed by the Commission and managed directly, and a “regular work programme” for actions that continue to receive funding after their initial implementation.
According to the EU Council’s mandate, Erasmus+ will continue to support youth exchanges and the DiscoverEU initiative. In the field of sport, the programme will support the mobility of people active in grassroots sport, including sports staff.
The proposal also introduces the new concept of “partial association” with the Erasmus+ programme for third countries. The EU Council’s mandate further specifies the conditions under which a non-EU country can benefit from this partial association and stipulates that these countries must uphold the values of the European Union.
The EU Council has renamed the ‘Erasmus+ scholarships’ mentioned in Article 5 of the proposal as ‘talent and excellence development opportunities’.
The scope of this new initiative has also been broadened to include other programmes with a transnational dimension, in addition to joint study programmes.
On 16 July 2025, the European Commission presented its proposal allocating a seven-year budget of €40.8 billion for Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)