On 4 June 2025, the European Commission issued a proposal setting the 2026 EU budget at EUR 193.26 billion, complemented by an estimated EUR 105.32 billion in disbursements under NextGenerationEU. Building on the mid-term revision of the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), next year’s draft budget is designed to support strategic objectives, including support for Ukraine, competitiveness, migration management, security and defence, and strategic investments, while maintaining momentum on green and digital priorities. 

In total, EUR 4.274,3 million (in current prices) are allocated to the Erasmus+ programme in 2026. This amount is topped up by EUR 347.8 million coming from the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation (NDICI) and Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) instruments. Budget breakdown for other areas, including research and innovation, can be checked here. 

In 2026, Erasmus+ will focus on its long-standing mission to support transnational learning mobility. It will keep providing support to the various actions on cooperation projects, and to policy development in member states, thereby accelerating structural reforms, accompanying the European recovery plan to mitigate the long-term economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Erasmus+ programme will continue contributing to addressing the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine for the education, training and youth sectors.  

As specified in the 2025 annual work programme for Erasmus+, this year’s budget of the programme amounts to EUR 4,954 billion (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, October 2024), which is ca. 10% higher than the Commission’s 2026 proposal. 

The final budget of the EU for 2026 will be negotiated by the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament in the coming weeks. 

The European Commission’s proposal for the new Multiannual Financial Framework beyond 2027 is expected to be published by mid-July.