MEPs and pressure groups have decried a €295m planned cut to the Erasmus+ student exchange programme, formalised by EU member states on Friday.
ADVERTISEMENTEU member states officially agreed on their position for the bloc’s 2025 budget on Friday, including a controversial €295 million reduction to the Erasmus student exchange programme.
The EU’s Council, which represents national governments, described the plans as "prudent" and "realistic", given the financial strains from the war in Ukraine.
But lawmakers – who'll get their own say on the budget next month – have opposed plans that could also see significant cuts to the bloc’s Horizon Europe research initiative, which in the Council’s draft would be €400million lower than the European Commission originally proposed.
Member states unanimously endorsed the position on the 2025 budget taken on Friday, though one EU diplomatic source, speaking to Euronews on condition of anonymity, expressed hope that lawmakers could still restore the funding during negotiations.
Since it was founded in 1987, nearly 16 million students used Erasmus+ to study abroad, and the EU scheme has now extended to cover traineeships, teachers and athletes – a success that meant it’s regarded as sacred by many lawmakers.
Emma Rafowicz, a young centre-left MEP from France, raised the alarm earlier this month after reviewing the Council’s draft position, and announced a petition opposing the cuts in remarks to Euronews’ Radio Schuman. The European Parliament is set to vote on its own position in October, and will then negotiate a final text with the Council starting in November. Rafowicz remains optimistic, saying that the Commission and Parliament are largely aligned on this issue.
But other MEPs have also voiced concerns, including Andrzej Halicki (Poland/European People’s Party), who said: "The Council is attempting to slash the 2025 EU budget to an unacceptable level ... the EPP Group is clear that vital funding for educational opportunities under Erasmus+ must be maintained."
Halicki also emphasised the need for Horizon Europe investment to encourage innovation, a worry shared by his socialist colleague, European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu.
“If the budgetary cuts for 2025 become a reality, this will undermine the credibility of the European project in the eyes of Europeans because it will considerably decrease the financial means to deliver”, Negrescu said in a statement, calling Erasmus+ “one of the greatest EU success stories involving young people.”
The Council’s stance has raised concerns with the European Youth Forum, which represents youth groups across the EU.
“This cut sends a dangerous signal ahead of the next Multi-annual Financial Framework negotiations, casting doubt on the EU’s commitment to investing in its youth,” Álvaro González Pérez, the Forum's policy officer, told Euronews in a statement, adding: “EU institutions must reject this proposal and ensure that political promises are reflected in budget allocations.”
The EU’s budget is set within a broader seven-year framework which runs from 2021 to 2027. Negotiations for the next cycle will begin next year.