EU Budget 2026: MEPs and Council reach agreement on increases for Horizon Europe and Erasmus +

The European Parliament and the EU's Council of Ministers have agreed to increase funding for Horizon Europe by €20 million and for Erasmus+ by €3 million compared to the European Commission's proposal for the 2026 budget.

MEPs and EU member states' representatives agreed on 15/11/2025 to increase the funding for Horizon Europe to €12.994 billion and for Erasmus+ to €4.277bn.

After the agreement, the 2026 budget amounts to €192.8bn in commitments (available funding). The Parliament had requested a total budget of €193.9bn while the Council wanted to limit the total to €186.24bn. The Commission's initial proposal was for €193.26bn.

The draft budget for 2026, proposed by the European Commission on 04/06/2025, foresaw €12.973bn for Horizon Europe and €4.274bn for Erasmus+.

While the European Parliament had asked for €13.03bn for Horizon Europe and €4.28bn for Erasmus+, the Council called for a reduction of €211.25m to Horizon Europe on 09/07/2025 compared to the Commission's position. For Erasmus+, ministers proposed a reduction of €257.73m.

Between 2025 and 2026, the Erasmus+ budget…