On September 13, 2024, the Council of the EU called for a decrease of €295 million to the Erasmus+ budget in its position on the 2025 European Union budget. Erasmus+ provides vital funding to support education, training, youth and sports in Europe. Millions of Europeans participate in the programme annually, with activities ranging from student exchanges, to covering traineeships, and exchange possibilities for teachers and athletes.

In addition to facilitating the mobility of individuals, the Erasmus+ programme is supporting the work of CSOs across Europe in various ways. Key actions of the programme include aiding the cooperation among organisations and institutions, as well as supporting policy developments and cooperation. As part of its programme, Erasmus+ provides funds for actions which facilitate the recognition of skills and qualifications and promotes the validation of non-formal and informal learning. Capacity Building projects in the areas of higher education or vocational education and training are also a part of Erasmus+. An example for this would be capacity building for innovating practices in non-formal education aimed at supporting social inclusion. Additionally, exchanges of good practices in popular education aimed at fostering policy developments are supported by the programme. Overall, Erasmus+ is more than just a popular exchange programme, it facilitates cooperation among NGOs and fosters developments on all levels in the field of education.

The 2025 budget for the Erasmus+ programme is currently being negotiated and it has to be approved by the end of November through the agreement of the three EU institutions. While the Member States are asking for a decrease in the Erasmus+ budget, the European Parliament is asking for an increase in the budget. The CULT Committee approved its opinion on the draft budget which included the suggestion to raise the Erasmus+ budget by €58 million as it is one of the Unions most successful programmes which invests in people’s future. The draft report on the draft general budget by the Committee on Budgets proposes to increase the Erasmus+ budget with €70 million. This is to avoid that due to inflation and rising costs of living Erasmus+ will turn into a selective programme only open to those who can afford to participate in mobilities and constraining the number of organisations that can be supported. The European Parliament followed the recommendations and suggested an increase of the Erasmus+ budget with €70 million in its approved position on the 2025 budget.

SOLIDAR Foundation is opposing the proposed budget by the European Council and calls on the EU Council to take into account the proposals made by the Education (CULT) and Budget (BUDG) Committees of the European Parliament during the next trilogue negotiations. Both committees have advocated for maintaining and increasing Erasmus+ financing in line with the larger objectives of the EU.

The three institutions have until November 18th to reach a deal. To convince the Council to maintain or increase the Erasmus+ budget, advocacy must be done within the Member States, so reach out to your national government to let them know that the Erasmus+ budget should not be decreased.