EU Budget 2025: ESN & ESU call for "preserving Erasmus + funding, in line with broader EU goals"

"ESU (European Students' Union) and ESN (Erasmus Student Network) jointly urge the Council of the EU to take into account the recommendations of the European Parliament's Budget and Education Committees during the upcoming trilogue negotiations, calling for the preservation and extension of Erasmus+ funding in alignment with the EU’s broader goals", state the students' associations on 18/10/2024.

They are writing in response to the EU Council's proposal on 13/09/2024 to cut almost €295 M from the €4 Bn budget proposed by the European Commission on 19/06/2024 for the 2025 financial year.

"This proposed cut poses a serious threat to student mobility and projects to foster transnational cooperation in education.

Cuts to this essential programme would disproportionately affect students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom rely on Erasmus+ grants to access international learning experiences."

The two associations point out that these cuts are "particularly untimely, detrimental and unaligned" with the priorities set by the European Union, such as the development of the Council…