Erasmus+ – The European Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport
With a budget of €26.2 billion, complemented by around €2.2 billion from the EU's external instruments, the renewed Erasmus+ programme will fund learning mobility projects and cross-border cooperation for 10 million Europeans of all ages and backgrounds. It aims to be more inclusive and support the green and digital transitions, as outlined in the European Education Area. Erasmus+ also contributes to strengthening the resilience of education and training systems in response to the pandemic.
The new Erasmus+ programme offers opportunities for studying abroad, internships, apprenticeships, and staff exchanges across all sectors of education, training, youth, and sport. The programme is open to school pupils, students, vocational learners, adult learners, participants in youth exchanges, youth workers, and sports coaches.
In addition to mobility, Erasmus+ also funds cross-border cooperation projects. These may involve higher education institutions, schools, teacher training institutes, adult education centers, youth and sports organizations, vocational education and training providers, and other actors in the education field.
Key features of the Erasmus+ programme for the 2021–2027 period include:
The programme aims to provide better opportunities for people with fewer advantages, including those from diverse cultural, social, and economic backgrounds, as well as those living in rural or remote areas. New elements include individual or group pupil exchanges and mobility for adult learners. Erasmus+ also becomes more international, promoting cooperation with countries outside the EU based on the global success of previous exchange and cooperation projects. Such projects are now also available in the fields of sport and vocational education and training.
The pandemic highlighted the need to accelerate the digital transition in education and training. Erasmus+ will support the development of digital skills in line with the Digital Education Action Plan. High-quality digital learning and exchanges will be promoted through platforms such as eTwinning, the School Education Gateway, and the European Youth Portal. Digital sector internships will be encouraged. New formats, like blended intensive programmes, will combine short-term physical mobility abroad with online learning and teamwork. The programme’s implementation will become more digital and streamlined through the full rollout of the European Student Card.
In line with the European Green Deal, Erasmus+ will offer financial incentives to participants who use sustainable means of transport. It will also invest in projects that raise environmental awareness and facilitate exchanges addressing climate crisis mitigation.
DiscoverEU is now fully integrated into Erasmus+, giving 18-year-olds the chance to receive a free travel pass to explore Europe, learn from different cultures, and meet fellow Europeans. Erasmus+ will also support youth exchange and cooperation opportunities through new youth participation activities.
Through its resilience-focused actions in the context of the pandemic, Erasmus+ will mobilize the efforts of hundreds of thousands of schools, higher education institutions, vocational training institutes, teachers, young people, youth and sports organizations, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders. The programme will help accelerate the adoption of new practices that improve the quality and relevance of education, training, and youth systems at national, regional, and local levels across Europe.
The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) provides the general quality framework for European and international cooperation activities that a higher education institution may undertake within the Erasmus+ programme. Holding the ECHE is a prerequisite for all higher education institutions located in programme countries wishing to participate in learning mobility activities and/or cooperation for innovation and good practices under Erasmus+.
