Erasmus+ to Invest €5 Billion in Education and Inclusion

Brussels – Erasmus+ will invest €5 billion in 2025 for educational exchanges, inclusion, and cooperation, supporting Ukraine and promoting green, digital change.

Almost €5 billion will be spent by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme on learning exchanges abroad and cooperation partnerships in education, training, youth, and sport in 2025. Representing a 6.5% growth in funding compared to last year, the EU Commission published the Erasmus+ 2025 call for proposals. Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth, and sport in Europe.

What impact will the €5 billion investment have on inclusion?

With around 16 million participants since its takeoff in 1987, Erasmus+ continues to increase in demand. It also continues to grow in terms of access and inclusion for individuals with fewer options. This emphasis aligns with the recently adopted Council recommendation on ‘Europe on the Move’, which establishes ambitious targets for improving mobility and participation, especially for underrepresented groups.

How does Erasmus+ support green and digital transformation?

Additionally, Erasmus+ continues helping a wide range of cooperation models. Erasmus+ will also persist in playing a key role in promoting the Blueprint for a European degree, keeping the automatic recognition of learning qualifications across borders, and enhancing collaboration between higher education institutions. Through its backing for learning exchanges and cooperation, Erasmus+ is paving the way for a more integrated European education system.

Will Erasmus+ play a larger role in supporting Ukraine’s education?

The Erasmus+ programme will remain determined to support Ukraine’s education system, as well as learners and educators in Ukraine or having escaped to the EU. In 2023, Erasmus+ also supported the printing of 500,000 Ukrainian-language schoolbooks. This year, a further 1 million art and computer science textbooks have been provided to schools in Ukraine. A third batch is scheduled for the 2025-2026 school year.

In line with the priority areas delineated in the Erasmus+ programme for 2021-2027, the call will continue to keep a wide range of projects concentrating on promoting social inclusion, green and digital changes, and young people’s participation in democratic life. The total budget unrestricted for Erasmus+ from 2021 to 2027 was selected to be €26.2 billion, complemented with some €2.2 billion from the EU’s external mechanisms.