Opinion on Guidelines for the 2027 Budget - Section III

24.2.2026

Mr Johan Van Overtveldt

Chair

Committee on Budgets

BRUSSELS

Subject: Opinion on Guidelines for the 2027 Budget - Section III (2025/2246(BUI))

Dear Mr Chair,

Under the procedure referred to above, the Committee on Culture and Education has been asked to submit an opinion to your committee. On 7 January 2026, the committee decided to send the opinion in the form of a letter. It considered the matter at its meeting of 24 February 2026 and adopted the opinion at that meeting.

The Committee on Culture and Education:

1. Stresses that Erasmus+, Creative Europe, European Solidarity Corps and CERV programmes require a strong budget in 2027 - the final year of the current programming period - to operate at full capacity and achieve their objectives, particularly given their oversubscription, proven absorption capacity, and an orientation towards better inclusion of smaller organisations and persons with fewer opportunities.

2. Highlights the strategic importance of Erasmus+ across its learning mobility, youth and sport strands in addressing skills gaps, promoting excellence in education and supporting talent retention - including through the European University Alliances - that are essential to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness.

3. Recognizes the complex budget situation under the sub-heading 2b and recalls the EP’s position in this regard, that expenditures covering the financing costs of NGEU must not reduce EU programmes and funds. Insists on keeping the programmed (initial) budget of these programmes in 2027 intact, considering their indisputable recognizability and strong EU added value. Strongly deplores any plans to cut the Erasmus+ financial programming in 2027 and stresses that all recoveries stemming from the programme must be used for the programme. Reiterates that Erasmus+ learning mobility grants must adequately reflect rising living costs, especially to further boost its outreach and participation.

4. Underlines that, within the overall EU budget, Creative Europe should be considered as a strategic, low-risk investment with wide-ranging results. Calls for adequate funding for the Creative Europe programme in 2027 and stresses that even the slightest cuts would threaten the sustainability of the cultural and creative sectors. Points out that the demand by far exceeds the programme’s funding capacity, with the Culture strand and its largest action, the European Cooperation Projects, seeing a demand on average four times greater than the available funding, and that the access rates in the Media and Cross-sectoral strands remain very low, 16% and 8% respectively.

5. Emphasises the need for adequate funding for the European Solidarity Corps programme, which has a proven track record in strengthening social cohesion, intercultural understanding and community engagement. More funding is needed to face a general challenge of the programme’s massive oversubscription, as well as to improve the work with volunteers with fewer opportunities and better reach remote areas.

6. Expects a sufficient budget 2027 for the CERV programme, notably its strand on Citizens’ engagement and participation in the democratic life of the Union, in line with the results of the programme’s evaluation, which confirmed its essential role in the otherwise scarce funding landscape for safeguarding and promoting fundamental rights, equality and non-discrimination, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.

7. Invites the Commission to maintain strong support for the system of European Schools to further promote high-quality, multilingual and multicultural education upholding high academic standards, preserving the different cultural national traditions and cultivating a sense of European identity.

8. Highlights the importance of Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions in the EU budget as laboratories for innovation and policy development, enabling the EU budget to respond swiftly to emerging needs and pave the way for new future EU programmes. Emphasises the need to ensure sufficient funding for proposals submitted for budget 2027 by the Committee on Culture and Education, which has so far proven to be the most successful EP committee in introducing implementable PP/PAs.

Yours sincerely,

Nela Riehl

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteur for opinion declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his opinion input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.