European Union urged to raise Erasmus+ funding by €20 billion to boost inclusion

Several European universities and student groups have called on the European Commission to raise funding for Erasmus+ by an additional €20 billion, just weeks after the UK announced it would rejoin the scheme in 2027. 

The European Commission had initially proposed a €40.8 billion budget for the Erasmus+ programme from 2028 to 2034 as part of its overall €2 trillion proposal for the European Union’s long-term budget.  

This proposal, announced last summer, was already a sizeable increase over the €26.2 billion budget of the current seven-year cycle, which ends in 2027. 

Sixteen groups, some of which the University of Warwick belongs to, such as the Guild and the European University Association (EUA), released a joint statement on 7 January.  

The proposed Erasmus+ budget for 2028-2034 would at best allow the programme to continue as it is

Amanda Crowfoot, EUA Secretary General

They argued that, while €40.8 billion “represents a step in the right direction”, more funding is needed to tackle “a wide range of new challenges”.  

These challenges include the achievement of mobility targets endorsed by member states, the consolidation of the European Universities Initiative and the Centres of Vocational Excellence, and the success of scholarships in strategic fields. 

They also claimed that a €60 billion boost would allow Erasmus+ to prioritise meeting the programme’s agreed political targets, ensure an increase in skills development, and respond to demographic changes and labour-market needs, all without reducing its quality. 

Amanda Crowfoot, the Secretary General of the European University Association (EUA), asserted that “when all factors, including inflation and new priorities, are taken into account, the proposed Erasmus+ budget for 2028-2034 would at best allow the programme to continue as it is”. 

She added, however: “It would not be able to fund enhanced and additional activities to underpin the Union of Skills and the European Education Area, as proposed by the European Commission.” 

Investing in people – through higher education exchange and collaboration – is central to Europe’s future prosperity, competitiveness and resilience

Draghi report

Crowfoot also stressed that higher funding would be needed to support inclusive access to study abroad, alliances, and new scholarships.  

The university groups pointed to the findings of the Draghi report, a 2024 publication on economic competitiveness on the continent, to argue that Europe needed more talent over the coming decade that could work internationally.  

They said: “In this context, investing in people – through higher education exchange and collaboration – is central to Europe’s future prosperity, competitiveness and resilience.” 

The programme, which the UK will rejoin next year after initially leaving following Brexit, is aimed at providing opportunities for students to enrich their education through study or work in any of its member countries. It allocates the funding for these international placements and works to bring participants from across the continent together.