On 11 May 2026, EU education ministers reached a partial general approach on the future Erasmus+ Regulation for 2028–2034, marking the Council’s first formal position and opening the way for negotiations with the European Parliament. The agreement confirms broad support among member states for the continuation of Erasmus+ as the EU’s flagship programme for education and training, youth and sport, while also signalling a clear wish to strengthen national oversight over the programme’s future development. 

The Council position largely preserves the core architecture proposed by the European Commission, structured around two main pillars: “Learning opportunities for all” and “Capacity-building support”. At the same time, it introduces several changes aimed at making the programme’s governance more predictable and transparent, especially when it comes to new actions proposed under direct management. In particular, the Council reinstates the role of the Erasmus+ Programme Committee and introduces a distinction between a new action work programme and a regular work programme, giving member states stronger scrutiny over how new initiatives are launched and financed. 

For higher education, several elements will be particularly relevant in the next phase of negotiations. The Council text maintains the importance of transnational cooperation and includes a definition of European Universities alliances, confirming their continued political relevance in the future programme. At the same time, the Council takes a cautious approach to new Commission-led initiatives, including the proposed scholarships in strategic educational fields. These have been renamed “talent and excellence development opportunities”, with the Council broadening their possible scope but also placing them under stronger governance arrangements. 

The Council also confirms the integration of the European Solidarity Corps into the future Erasmus+ programme, while seeking to preserve its specific identity through explicit references to volunteering, solidarity activities and youth participation. More broadly, the text gives greater visibility to youth and sport through dedicated provisions: youth actions would continue to cover exchanges, DiscoverEU, youth worker mobility, participation and solidarity activities, while sport would include learning mobility opportunities for people active in grassroots sport, including sport staff. 

The Council’s position is only partial: the programme’s budget, duration and other horizontal provisions linked to the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) remain outside the mandate for now. The European Commission has proposed a budget of EUR 40.8 billion for the merged Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programme, which was upped to EUR 47.39 billion by the European Parliament (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, April 2026). However, the Council has not yet taken a position on this figure. Financial questions will therefore be addressed in the wider EU budget negotiations for 2028–2034, where Erasmus+ will compete with other major priorities.  

The next step rests with the European Parliament, MEP Bogdan Zdrojewski being expected to present his report in the CULT Committee meeting of 3 June. Following the presentation, ammendments will be collected from different Committees and MEPs, with the final report, marking the Parliament’s negotiating position on the future programme, being expected for a plenary vote in the October parliamentary session.