Trilogue negotiations have now concluded, pending the final approval of the legal texts by the European Parliament and the Council.
Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, responsible for Promoting our European Way of Life, commented: “Erasmus is Europe’s most emblematic programme, the jewel in our crown. The Erasmus generations represent the essence of our European way of Life. Unity in diversity, solidarity, mobility, support for Europe as an area of peace, freedom and opportunities. With today’s agreement, we are ready for the next and bigger Erasmus generations.”
Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel said: “I welcome the political agreement on the new Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ is one of our flagship programmes. Over the last three decades, participation in Erasmus+ has boosted the personal, social and professional development of over 10 million people, almost half of them between 2014 and 2020. With almost double the budget for the next programming period, we will now work to reach 10 million more over the next seven years.”
Erasmus+ is a real European success story, consistently identified as one of the most successful initiatives of the EU. Since its inception in 1987, the programme has expanded considerably. It now covers all education and training sectors ranging from early childhood education and care, and school education to vocational education and training, higher education and adult learning. It supports cooperation on youth policy and promotes participation in sport.
With a dedicated budget of more than €26 billion, made up of €24.5 billion in current prices and an additional top-up of €1.7 billion in 2018 prices, the new programme will not only be more inclusive and innovative but also more digital and greener. It will be key to achieving the European Education Area by 2025 and will mobilise the education, training, youth and sport sectors for swift recovery and future growth. It will provide many new opportunities for Europe’s learners. With increased accessibility and more flexible mobility formats, it will provide opportunities to a more diverse group of learners, including those with fewer opportunities and school pupils, who are now included in the mobility action. It will offer new opportunities for cooperation, fostering innovation in curriculum design, learning and teaching practices, and will promote both green and digital skills. It will also support new flagship initiatives, such as European Universities, Erasmus Teacher Academies, Centres of Vocational Excellence and DiscoverEU.
Next steps
On 10 November 2020, a political agreement was reached between the European Parliament, EU Member States in the Council as well as the Commission on the next long-term EU budget and NextGenerationEU. As a next step, the legal adoption of the MFF package along with the ratification of the Own Resources Decision is now urgently needed.
Once adopted, the EU’s long-term budget, coupled with the NextGenerationEU initiative, which is a temporary instrument designed to drive the recovery of Europe, will be the largest stimulus package ever financed through the EU budget. A total of €1.8 trillion* will help rebuild a post-COVID-19 Europe. It will be a greener, more digital and more resilient Europe.
*in 2018 prices
