CESAER delivers invited contribution to European Parliament consultation on Erasmus+ 2028–2034

At the stakeholder consultation on the next Erasmus+ programme (2028–2034) held at the European Parliament on 28 January 2026, rapporteur Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (Group of the European People's Party) convened representatives from national agencies, governments, universities, students and sector associations to discuss priorities for the future programme, focusing on the higher education dimension of Erasmus+.

He was joined by the shadow rapporteurs Sabrina Repp (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats), Benedetta Scuderi (Greens/EFA) and Annamária Vicsek (Patriots for Europe), who contributed to an open and constructive exchange with stakeholders. Representatives of the European Commission - Diana Jabłońska (Director for Youth, Education and Erasmus+, DG EAC) and Stephan Zotti (Deputy Head of Unit for Higher Education, DG EAC) — also took part to outline and discuss the Commission’s perspective on the future programme.

Representing CESAER, Touko Närhi (Advisor for Benchmark & Higher Education) gave an invited address in which he underlined that education and skills are not peripheral to competitiveness, but the foundation on which Europe will either succeed or fall behind.

He underlined that Europe’s competitiveness ultimately depends on its human capital: developing, attracting and retaining talent with both specialised expertise and the transversal skills needed to work confidently across borders, disciplines and complex socio-technical environments.

In his intervention, he highlighted three key points for a fit-for-purpose Erasmus+ programme 2028-2034:

• Budget: The proposed €40.8b is a good starting point, but insufficient once adjusted for real prices. To fund existing actions and to meet Europe’s ambitions on alliances, joint programmes & degrees, mobility, inclusion and new initiatives such as Erasmus+ scholarships, CESAER and partners have called for a minimum of €60b.

• Unpredictability makes long-term planning extremely difficult: The removal of the minimum allocation share for higher education introduces volatility. Närhi stressed that uncertainty undermines long-term planning and increases the risk of annual political bargaining.

• Programme committee: Linked to predictability, he emphasised the need to reinstate a transparent and balanced committee procedure, ensuring proper checks and balances and enabling evidence-informed decisions on programme design and implementation.

Närhi’s address together with other invited contributions from key stakeholder organisations underscored broad agreement that a strong, predictable and well-governed Erasmus+ is essential for developing Europe’s talent and supporting high-quality cooperation across institutions. CESAER is continuing to work closely together with the European Parliament in shaping a programme that safeguards core actions and advances Europe’s ambitions for education & training and skills, including in and for advanced technologies.

More information:

• Joint budget statement ‘A stronger Europe needs a properly funded Erasmus+’ (7 January 2026)

• Position ‘Erasmus+ for a prosperous, resilient and skilled Europe through science and technology’ (23 June 2025)

• Position ‘Union of Skills: building a strong science and technology base for a competitive and prosperous Europe’ (25 June 2025)

• Op-ed ‘Erasmus+ belongs at the heart of the EU’s competitiveness drive’ (7 July 2025)

For more information, please contact the Secretariat.