UK encouraged to pursue Erasmus+ further

A member of the European parliament (MEP) has called for a long-term UK commitment to Erasmus+ as legislators pushed increased funding for the student mobility programme.

Times Higher Education has reported that the UK will be rejoining Erasmus+ for one year per an agreement secured in 2025, with a 30% discount on its Erasmus contribution for the duration of that year.

In the EU Parliament, MEPs gave 454 votes for passing a new mandate for talks with EU member states around the Erasmus+ programme for the years 2028–2034.

One proposal was a €47.39 billion (£39.7 billion) funding package for the scheme, an increase of €6.6 billion over the €40.8 billion (£34.2 billion) originally proposed by the European Commission.

These mobility grants must reflect differences amongst host cities in cost of living, inflation, and housing, along with greater expenses for students travelling to and from distant areas, the MEPs recommended.

Erasmus is the cheapest investment Europe has ever made in its young people, and British universities were among the most sought-after destinations in the programme

Hilde Vautman, Belgian MEP

The funds will be distributed into several fields, with: education and training totalling 74.6% of the total amount, youth and volunteering taking up 15%, and sports earmarked for 4.1% of the budget.

MEPs also have called for greater participation of both students and teachers of higher or vocational education along with grassroots athletes in the scheme. They also propose that one in five beneficiaries of the scheme should be from a disadvantaged background.

This comes even as EU member states have tightened the purse strings for funds to the EU commission, seeking up to €150 billion in cuts.

The UK’s Erasmus+ contribution for the year it is rejoining will cost £570 million with a target of above 100,000 participants. The Government announced it will review the data before deciding whether to continue participation beyond the agreed upon year.

However, Belgian MEP Hilde Vautman has implored the UK not to see Erasmus+ as just a “one-year experiment”.

Commenting on the UK’s renewed participation, she stated: “Erasmus is the cheapest investment Europe has ever made in its young people, and British universities were among the most sought-after destinations in the programme. Our students have been missing each other for too long.”