Follow up to T9-0007/2024

Follow up to the European Parliament non-legislative resolution on the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027

Rapporteur: Milan ZVER (EPP / SI)

Reference numbers: 2023/2002 (INI) / A9-0413/2023 / P9_TA(2024)0007

Date of adoption of the resolution: 16 January 2024

Competent Parliamentary Committee: Committee on Culture and Education (CULT)

Brief analysis/ assessment of the resolution and requests made in it:

This resolution contains 120 comments or suggestions, split in two categories: Challenges and problems (paragraphs 26 to 44) and Improving the current and designing the future Erasmus+ programme (paragraphs 45 to 121)

The resolution underlines many positive elements and successes of the implementation: the existing structure of the programme; a good funding ecosystem; the programme’s four horizontal priorities; the new flagship actions; the high budget absorption; and the flexibility of the programme as demonstrated during various unexpected events.

It also stresses challenges such as the difficulties linked to the programme’s IT landscape; the persistent over-subscription; complexity of the application process; heavy administrative requirements; difficulties for participants with fewer opportunities to spend longer periods of mobility. The resolution calls for these issues to be solved in the current programming period.

For the next years and for the future programme, the resolution calls inter alia for:

- wider use of and clearer rules for virtual and blended learning,

- development of synergies between Erasmus+ and other multiannual financial framework (MFF) programmes;

- decentralisation of the Jean Monnet for schools action;

- allocating more funding to opportunities aimed at primary schools and pupils;

- fostering the role of Erasmus+ in increasing a sense of belonging, civic engagement, a better understanding of the Union and support for European values, and to turn the programme into a true promoter of European democracy;

- greater synergies with the European Solidarity Corps programme;

- the necessary programme flexibility in the design of the next generation of Erasmus+, while ensuring uniformity and proper scrutiny of the programme, including by Parliament;

- more gradual and predictable budgetary increases in the next multiannual financial framework programming period;

- from the very beginning in 2028, funding levels must not be less than those of the last year of the current programme (2027) to ensure the smooth continuity and stability of the programme’s actions and activities.

The European Parliament also declares its determination to ensure a substantial increase in the Erasmus+ budget in the 2028-2034 programming period and commits itself to tripling the current envelope, taking the requirements of the programme into account.

Response to the requests and overview of the action taken, or intended to be taken, by the Commission:

Regarding paragraphs 26 to 44 related to challenges and problems, the Commission is already addressing many of the issues underlined in the report, as far as the objectives of simplification and inclusion of the Erasmus+ programme are concerned (paragraphs 26 to 30). The Commission is committed to promoting inclusive access of the programme opportunities, within the limits of the available budget. The Commission has thus put in place a comprehensive framework of inclusion and diversity measures since 2021, including the nomination of inclusion officers in all national agencies.

Moreover, since the 2024 Erasmus+ call for proposals, participants are offered a higher level of grant support in learning mobility. This comes in the context of inflation and escalating price levels that have affected participants and the programme’s implementation. Dedicated travel support has also been introduced for all higher education student participants in learning mobility, which can then leave more budget from the other support items to students. Participants are also encouraged to prioritise green travel as their first choice when planning their trip; the programme offers stronger incentives for those who travel in a sustainable way, while considering the specific geographic situation of the participant. There is also increased support to ensure that participants living in remote areas, islands or with insufficient rail networks are not excluded from these improvements.

The Commission strives to maintain a fair balance between necessary requirements and accessibility to all participants. This is also the case for reporting mechanisms for beneficiaries and national agencies (paragraphs 36 and 43). Reporting requirements are proportional to the size and complexity of the project and the number of deliverables. The Guide for the national agencies provides clear expectations with respect to information about the programme. It also gives clear instructions on the notification of grant award results to the applicants and the ex-post publication of results, to ensure transparency and avoid inconsistencies.

O a general note, regarding budgetary considerations of the resolution, the Commission takes note, but indicates that the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) cannot be prejudged.

Regarding recognition difficulties for higher education mobility participants (paragraph 31), the Commission underlines that automatic credit recognition of mobility periods is a key principle of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, the adherence to which is a pre-condition for higher education institutions’ participation in the Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ national agencies are asked to carefully monitor this aspect of the Charter. The February 2023 progress report from the Commission to the Council on the implementation of the Council Recommendation on promoting automatic mutual recognition shows that 84.4% of Erasmus+ students on study mobility from EU countries to other Programme Countries funded under call 2020 received full recognition. In March 2024, the Commission presented a package for Europe’s higher education sector which includes two proposals for Council recommendations on a European quality assurance and recognition system in higher education.

The figures mentioned in the resolution seem to reflect the results of a survey conducted on a much smaller sample. However, the Commission still aims at reaching the objective of 100% automatic recognition, by using all possible opportunities (evaluations, monitoring, events, meetings, webinars) to urge higher education institutions to respect the relevant commitment taken in the Erasmus Charter.

Paragraph 32 refers to a “lack of encouragement of partnerships between schools and non-profit organisations”. Concerning learning mobility with Erasmus+, the programme does provide a framework for cooperation of schools with non-profit and other expert organisations in finding mobility opportunities. Such cooperation must always take place on a non-profit basis and be beneficial for the school and the quality of their project, so that mobility activities contribute to the strategic development of the school. In addition, the Commission provides direct support to schools looking for mobility opportunities, including through a dedicated online partner-finding tool and funding for transnational cooperation activities, such as partner-finding workshops and seminars. The Erasmus+ programme also encourages cross-sectorial cooperation through Partnerships for cooperation. There are Small-scale partnerships and Cooperation partnerships enabling schools to cooperate with non-profit organisations, the private sector, universities and all other organisations active in education, training and the labour market.

The Small-scale partnerships were introduced in 2021. They are intended to attract and widen access for newcomers, less experienced organisations and small-scale actors to the programme. They are particularly well-suited to bring together schools and not-for-profit organisations. The objectives of the action include increasing quality in the work and practices of the organisations and institutions involved and building capacity of organisations to work transnationally and across sectors. The funding mechanism of the partnerships for cooperation, based on lump sums, is intended to reduce the administrative burden on participating organisations, to facilitate the access to the action and to help them to focus on the outputs of their cooperation.

Regarding the recognition of vocational education and training (VET) as a path of equal value to academic studies (paragraph 33), the Commission is working on increasing the attractiveness of VET through many initiatives. The European Vocational Skills Week held in October 2023 aimed at showcasing the opportunities offered by VET for career and personal development. A flagship event of the European Year of Skills in February 2024, attracting around 400 young people, aimed at increasing awareness and changing perceptions on VET, through showcasing champions from WorldSkills and EuroSkills, interactive stands and discussion sessions. In addition, the Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on Europe on the Move stresses the importance of increasing mobility opportunities also in the VET sector and proposes to establish an ambitious target of 15% of mobile VET learners by 2030 and thus also contributing to putting VET on same level as academic studies.

The resolution regrets the insufficient funding for Centres of Vocational Excellence in view of the demand (paragraph 34). Indeed, it can be noted that Erasmus+ supports a wide range of successful actions, where demand exceeds the financing limitations. The Centres of Vocational Excellence have become a successful action. The high number of applications is due to the industry demands, technological advancements and continuous need for the investment in curriculum development, staff training, and infrastructure. The intense competition can ensure that only the best projects’ proposals are selected. In addition, the projects proposals which are not selected for funding with the Centres of Vocational Excellence call and receive a high score can be funded from other funding programmes under the Seal of excellence. Member States can also complement funding on VET excellence through other available EU funding such as cohesion policy funds or the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

As far as the low uptake for adult education is concerned (paragraph 35), it should be noted that the action to support mobility opportunities for adult learners was only introduced in the Erasmus+ programme in 2021. In this context, the promotion efforts for these new activities had to take place on a short notice and are still developing, while the sector needs time to adapt to these new opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the roll-out, also hampered by the lack of capacity of many adult education organisations. The Commission, together with the national agencies, has put in place specific implementation measures to help adult education organisations to participate in mobility activities. While these measures need time to produce measurable impact, the preliminary results for the call 2023 indicate a positive trend in a take-up of the mobility opportunities for adult learners.

Increasing the participation of adults in learning is a priority of the EU, in line with the 2030 EU skills target welcomed by the EU leaders and the Council in 2021 (at least 60% of adults should participate in training every year). EU actions to this end include the 2022 Council Recommendations on individual learning accounts and a European common framework for micro-credentials, the Pact for Skills, which has resulted so far in 20 large-scale partnerships in all strategic EU industrial ecosystems (two million people upskilled in the first 2 years), and the 2016 Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways. The EU budget 2021-2027, in particular through the European Social Fund+, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility together allocate some EUR 65 billion to education, training and skills activities. These funds may also include learners’ mobility, in addition to the opportunities provided through Erasmus+.

Regarding success rates in centralised youth operating grants (paragraph 37), European Youth Together (paragraph 38), the Erasmus+ programme supports youth organisations via various means. One of them is Civil Society Cooperation (CSC) operating grants in the field of youth. The budget for this action has been increased continuously in recent years. To help the sector in its recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 the Commission allocated EUR 7 million to Erasmus+ CSC call in the field of youth operating grants, covering both 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the annual allocation of the call was increased to EUR 4 million, while the grant amounts were adjusted to reflect the real cost increases of the funded organisations. In line with this necessary adjustment, the success rate decreased to 32% in 2022 (in previous years the success rate was 79% for Framework Partnership Agreements and 36% for Annual Operating Grants), while staying at a level comparable to other actions. In 2023, the budget allocation was doubled to EUR 8 million, addressing the concerns of youth associations with regards to raising inflation and related financial difficulties. Consequently, it was possible to fund the same number of beneficiaries as in the previous Multiannual Financial Framework: 74 Specific Grant Agreements. In 2024, again EUR 8 million were allocated to this action.

European Youth Together projects aim to create networks promoting regional partnerships, to be run in close cooperation with young people from across Europe. The Commission has increased awareness as applications declined during the pandemic, and actively promoted the call, informing potential applicants, and showcasing good practices. As a result, there is an increase in applicants from 47 in 2022 to 71 in 2023. This trend should continue in the 2024 call, which has a stable budget of EUR 8 million.

The sport budget (paragraph 39) is framed by Article 17 of the Erasmus+ Regulation which plans a budget of 1.9% of the total budget for this field. Within this framework and with the funds allocated to sport, the programme supports a wide range of activities, striving to optimise the given resources for a meaningful impact in the sport sector. Overall, an increasing popularity and rising number of applications for the sport actions can be noted.

On IT development issues (paragraphs 40 and 41, paragraphs 49 to 51), significant progress has been achieved in 2023. The Commission has also put in place specific actions to improve infrastructure stability and performance and the quality of the data and as well as delivered specific features to simplify and accelerate the data encoding. The Commission is committed to make more and more data available through data exchange services and is in permanent contact with national agencies to improve data exchange.

The Commission started discussions with the national agencies to have a state of play on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in the submission of projects and in the use of AI in their daily work, as requested in paragraph 42. This issue is growing, and some national agencies are already working on tools/mechanisms to detect frauds in project proposals. It is essential to have a common approach between national agencies on how to manage this type of fraud which must be flexible enough to be consistent with their different national legislation and European legislation. The Commission is working with the national agencies on the best way to support them, for example by providing them with guidelines or tools that could help them identify potential fraud and, more broadly, develop their capacity building in the use of AI.

About a possible shortage of professionals and volunteers to implement the programme (paragraph 44), the Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the proposal for a Council Recommendation 'Europe on the Move' – learning mobility opportunities for everyone of 15 November 2023 (SWD(2023) 719) indeed underlines that ‘Erasmus+ national agencies and beneficiaries report that staff working on mobility projects and activities often do so on a volunteer basis without remuneration and at times having to justify their activities, rather than being recognised for performing them.’

It stresses that this is more noteworthy in the adult education, youth and youth work sectors, where many organisations lack stable and structural funding and rely on volunteer staff and youth workers with varying conditions. It suggests that two changes are needed to improve the situation: changing the workplace culture and management mind-set to better valorise learning mobility activities and by extension the work necessary to implement them, and creating, expanding and promoting the use of regulatory mechanisms for formal recognition of work on organising learning mobility as a valid professional task that counts towards the working hour quotas and career advancement requirements for education, training and youth staff.

On improving the current and designing the future Erasmus+ programme (paragraphs 45 to 120), the Commission will feed its current assessment with the timely requests for improvements to the current programme contained in the resolution, as well as with the ideas for the successor programme post 2027. Some of the points are already the subject of specific actions on which the Commission elaborates below.

Simplification, as underlined in paragraphs 55 to 57, remains a key objective. The Commission is working together with the national agencies and the executive agency to explore simplification of administrative documents, application and reporting processes, while having always in mind the need to keep a correct balance between reporting obligations and accountability rules.

The Commission also introduced new administrative measures such as top-ups and lump sums, to avoid creating additional administrative barriers to beneficiaries (paragraph 114).

Another important and immediate improvement are the intensified Commission efforts in 2023 to accelerate the adoption of digital administrative processes to achieve ‘Erasmus Without Paper’ and implement the ‘European Student Card’ (paragraph 64). Actions undertaken include the provision of technical workshops, publishing new guidance materials and more active consultations with stakeholders. These measures have led to significant progress. Over 2.3 million European Student Cards have been issued and more than 3 000 institutions are today connected to the Erasmus Without Paper network compared to 2 600 in 2022. At the start of 2024, over 350 000 digital Erasmus+ inter-institutional and learning agreements had been successfully concluded. The number of digital learning agreements for the ongoing academic year have already surpassed the previous academic year results by more than 30 000. Technical and business requirements co-developed with the community of beneficiaries and software developers are set to take place in 2024. The same applies to the expansion of digital services into other education and training sectors.

The resolution calls on the Commission and the Member States to help address the problems of accommodation for Erasmus+ mobility students (paragraph 67). While policies for mobile students’ accommodation are not under the Commission’s remit, recommendations to national agencies and higher education institutions to help students in finding appropriate accommodation exist in the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education and are formulated on all occasions of exchanges with stakeholders. The Commission is also working to provide support to students via the Erasmus+ App, and the Erasmus Student Network is also active in this area.

The European Universities initiative (paragraphs 68 and 69) has proven its potential to be a game changer in implementing the European strategy for universities. The European Universities Alliances bring transnational cooperation to a new level of intensity and scope. They are setting-up European inter-university campuses providing seamless mobility opportunities and innovative teaching and learning for students to be equipped with future-proof skills.

The alliances are developing together joint programmes, joint micro-credentials, blended intensive programmes and multiple other forms of cooperation to pool their educational and research potential together to equip the students and lifelong learners with the skills and competences that Europe need, including in strategic areas where Europe needs to improve its autonomy.

As announced in the European strategy for universities, the Commission is consulting stakeholders and Member States on an investment pathway for European Universities to provide continuous support to the alliances in the period 2028-2034, complementing the educational dimension with support across all alliances’ missions, removing silos between education, research and innovation, while building synergies with national and regional funding, as well as other EU instruments. In parallel to the investment pathway, the Commission is also consulting the alliances, higher education sector and Member States on a monitoring framework for the European Universities initiative. This will provide fundamental evidence for funding in 2028-2034.

Overcoming the gender gap in science, technology, engineering arts and math education is one of the policy priorities which is also being promoted through the programme (paragraph 70). In the overall Erasmus+ programme, women represent the majority of participants. For example, for the Erasmus+2022 call, female participants’ share was 59.4% (across all actions and fields) and in general the average share has been increasing over the last 10 years. Within the Cooperation Partnerships, the Commission prioritises to fund projects to promote girls and women in STEM fields. The 2024 Erasmus+ European policy experimentations call also prioritises boosting gender balance in ICT related studies and professions and GreenTech.

As for the digital transition in the programme (paragraphs 71 to 73), the Commission is developing a Strategy on implementing the digital priority of Erasmus+ (and European Solidarity Corps). The Strategy will address all sectors and guide national agencies and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), as well as beneficiaries, in implementation of projects addressing the digital priority. This Strategy will also address improving quality and inclusiveness of projects through different digital tools and virtual or blended learning. Moreover, these programmes contribute to the efforts to reach the EU targets in digital skills development in synergies with other EU funding, for example Digital Europe programme, Horizon Europe, European Social Fund Plus, Recovery and Resilience Facility, Just Transition Fund or European Regional Development Fund. These programmes are complementary in scope, to achieve greater impact.

The European School Education Platform (ESEP), combining eTwinning and the former European School Gateway on a single integrated platform (paragraph 74), offers information on Erasmus+ opportunities, notably through practical tools (course catalogue, mobility opportunities and partner search) to help schools prepare their Erasmus+ applications.

To promote a better understanding of the EU, both in general education and vocational training (paragraph 75), the Erasmus + Jean Monnet Actions in these sectors (teacher training and Learning EU Initiatives) provide teacher training institutions, schools and teachers with co-funding for developing further competences and resources aiming at contributing to the European dimension of teaching at school. The Erasmus+ programme provides professional development opportunities to teachers through learning mobility periods abroad (courses, job shadowing or teaching assignments). In addition to these mobility opportunities, a policy experimentation call for proposals has been launched in the context of Erasmus+ in 2024. This call should stimulate innovative approaches towards structural obstacles to learning mobility of teachers, for example by ensuring substitute teachers during learning mobility periods.

In November 2023 the Commission presented a proposal for a Council Recommendation ‘Europe on the Move’ – learning mobility opportunities for everyone, (as part of the Talent Mobility Package). The Council adopted the Recommendation on 13 May 2024. With the full support of Member States in the implementation phase, this key building block of the European Education Area will contribute to make learning mobility opportunities a reality for everyone by removing structural barriers to the implementation of learning mobility of learners and staff in any education and training sectors. It will also give a specific boost to learning mobility for teachers through a dedicated policy framework.

As far as funding opportunities for schools are concerned (paragraphs 77 and 78), the Commission notes that the demand in the school education sector is indeed growing at a very rapid pace. Given the high motivation of the sector, further funding would make it possible to achieve systemic impact on European school education, in line with the objectives of the European Education Area.

The Commission remains committed to working with the national agencies, schools, school authorities (national, regional and local) and all other interested stakeholders to ensure the widest possible reach of Erasmus+ within the budget limitations. Further improvements to the consortium project format are particularly important in this context. The current budgetary limitations do not meet the needs to reach the full potential of Erasmus+ accreditation in the school sector, for example regarding inclusiveness and accessibility, could be reached with a higher budget available under this specific objective, within the resources allocated to the programme.

The Council Conclusions on the contribution of education and training to strengthening common European values and democratic citizenship adopted in November 2023, and the Communication ‘No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred’ of the Commission and High representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, highlight the contribution of Erasmus+ to support the relevant priorities. The Commission proposed to increase in 2024 the funding for cooperation with UNESCO on combating antisemitism, racism, anti-muslimism hatred and hate speech through education (paragraphs 79 and 80).

There is a high number of projects supported by the programme focusing on anti-bullying and the enhancement of non-discriminatory environment (paragraph 81). The special call for policy experimentations organised this year includes in the field of school education, under Pathways to School Success, a sub-priority on building a systemic, whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing in schools in Europe aiming to build schools’ capacity towards addressing well-being and mental health. Such a strategy should include a high focus on prevention, combined as appropriate with intervention measures, be evidence-based and combine universal measures with targeted and/or individualised provisions for learners requiring additional attention. It should be multi-layered and multisectoral (cooperation between health, education, social welfare and child protection).

Support to civic engagement and EU values is a core element of the Erasmus+ programme (paragraphs 82, 83 and 118) through the impact it has on the participants. 82% of participants in learning mobility activities declare that they feel more European and 72% are more interested by European topics after their mobility in projects which promoted civic engagement and EU values. Specifically, 27% of the cooperation projects supported under Erasmus+ in 2022 supported democratic participation and common values, for a total grant amount of EUR 340 million. Moreover, Erasmus+ supports specific actions with a strong citizenship education component, such as youth participation activities or the EU Youth Dialogue, Jean Monnet actions or Erasmus+ Teacher Academies. Moreover, a whole set of instruments has been developed in the programme implementation to ensure both promotion and respect of EU values. Respect of European values is a fundamental principle of the programme that all beneficiaries, accredited or not, must comply with. The Commission and the national agencies are committed to follow-up any indication that a given beneficiary is not in compliance with these rules. In case of non-compliance, a full range of remedial measures is available, including termination of accreditations and grant agreements.

When initiating the DiscoverEU initiative (paragraphs 84 to 86) in 2018, the European Parliament chose to focus on young people turning 18, as this age marks a major step to adulthood and to European citizenship.

The results of the post-travel surveys show that the action fosters European identity, cultural understanding, tolerance, and solidarity among young participants. 80% reported increased openness to Europe's multiculturalism after their DiscoverEU journey. In addition, 83.5% visited museums and galleries during their trip, while 77.7% explored cultural heritage sites. 63% reported improvements in their foreign language skills.

The implementation of the DiscoverEU Learning Cycle by the Erasmus+ national agencies at national level amplifies this learning component. The cycle incorporates the organisation of meet-ups for the young people, which focus on intercultural understanding and the discovery of Europe’s cultural heritage. The cycle also encompasses pre-departure information meetings for participants and, as of 2024, post-travel feedback meetings as a pilot initiative. Finally, as a legacy of the European Year of Youth 2022 and its flagship initiative to increase the cultural dimension of DiscoverEU, the young travellers now all receive a discount card on cultural activities. These initiatives not only reinforce participants' sense of belonging within the DiscoverEU community and the EU, but also create further learning opportunities.

To give all young people the chance to participate, the Commission is making DiscoverEU as inclusive as possible. Young people with special needs can specify it in the application form when applying on the European Youth Portal and can receive extra support if necessary.

Since 2022, with the launch of the new DiscoverEU Inclusion Action, the Erasmus+ national agencies have been awarding grants to organisations working with young people with fewer opportunities. The DiscoverEU Inclusion Action allows participants to receive extra support while travelling, such as the possibility to be accompanied, to receive extra budget for subsistence, organisation of mobility activities, mentoring, and support to the journey preparations. The aim is to allow young people with fewer opportunities to participate in DiscoverEU on equal footing with their peers. In the first three rounds of the DiscoverEU Inclusion Action, more than 400 projects have been submitted by the organisations, and the first projects started in March 2023.

To maintain and build on the European Year of Youth’s momentum and experience including approaches towards youth activities across EU programmes (paragraph 87), the Commission adopted on 10 January 2024 a Communication on the European Year of Youth. This Communication deepens the youth dimension of EU policies and puts forward actions directly addressing youth concerns across policy areas and giving young people a greater voice in EU policymaking. When designing EU policies, the Commission will apply a ‘youth check’ which will ensure that their impact on young people is systematically factored in. The full potential of the Better Regulation framework will be used to apply a youth check on all relevant new initiatives mentioned in Annex I of the Commission’s annual work programme. The youth check will happen in four key phases outlined in the Communication.

Additionally, the Commission will further strengthen its internal capacity to work with young people. Building on the experience of the Year, the Commission will continue the internal Commission Youth Network where youth correspondents would be the primary contact points on youth issues in their respective policy areas and would help strengthen cross-sector cooperation and youth mainstreaming. This network, animated by the EU youth coordinator, will exchange information on policies and instruments in preparation that could have a potential impact on young people. The Commission will explore the feasibility of providing micro-grants in the future Erasmus+ programme. These low-threshold and low-value grants were successfully tested by some national coordinators during the Year. They provide easy access to funding for young people to work on common projects, develop their skills, capacity for action and their confidence, to make a positive difference in their communities. Moreover, micro-grants are an efficient mechanism for raising young people’s awareness of and interest in EU opportunities for young people.

The 2021-2027 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes are key instruments supporting the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 objectives and activities (paragraph 88). There are already strong links and alignment between the programmes and the Strategy’s objectives and activities, for example through new or updated actions, such as the Erasmus+ Youth Participation Activities and DiscoverEU, which have enriched the opportunities open to young people and supporting their democratic, civic, social and humanitarian engagement. The European Youth Work Agenda within the EU Youth Strategy guides the support to youth work provided by Erasmus+, notably through Youth Worker Mobility, civil society cooperation, cooperation partnerships in the youth field and the cooperation with the Council of Europe.

Specific support is provided by Erasmus+ to the EU Youth Dialogue, such as grants for the national process within the Dialogue, and the wide-ranging outcomes and recommendations of the EU Youth Dialogue feed into Council documents and the EU Youth Strategy Work Plans.

The follow-up to the Communication on the European Year of Youth 2022 and the Commission Report on the interim evaluation of the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027, provide insights into the links between with the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes, other EU and national programmes and the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027, and efforts for strengthening the implementation of the EU Youth Strategy.

With regard to the content of the Erasmus+ programme Key Action 2 in the field of youth, the objective of the programme, among others, is to share strong links with beneficiaries typically active in the area of non-formal education, such as local, regional, national and European NGOs, social enterprises and youth workers. The request for a better definition of objectives and roles for projects in Erasmus+ Key Action 2 in the field of youth is a valid and constructive suggestion that the Commission takes note of. It is important to acknowledge the continuous evolution and dynamic nature of youth-related programmes.

The national agencies communication network, in cooperation with SALTO-YOUTH Participation & Information (Support, Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth), supports the national agencies by providing them with knowledge material and skills to carry out more tailored communication and outreach activities (paragraph 89). In particular, the annual meetings and webinars organised by the network feature the participation of leading experts in the field of public communication, contributing to presenting the latest trends and tools in communication. One of the main priorities of the network is the topic of inclusion and in particular the inclusion of participants with fewer opportunities.

The Commission attaches great importance to measures ensuring access to education, across formal, informal and informal settings (paragraph 92). Micro-credentials make it possible for individuals to acquire knowledge, skills and competences in a flexible and targeted way, can be instrumental in upskilling and reskilling of learners but they do not replace traditional qualifications. Before it becomes possible to deliver on the full potential of micro-credentials, Member States need to create enabling eco-systems conducive to their uptake on a wide basis. For this reason, the 2024 policy experimentation call includes call for projects supporting reforms and policy impact in Member States in the implementation of the Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability.

On top of the policy experimentation call, there is also funding set aside in the Erasmus+ Work Programme 2024 for the development of micro-credentials in three areas: higher education, vocational education and training, and adult education.

The Council Recommendation on individual learning accounts (ILA) adopted by the Council in June 2022, aims at increasing the incentives and motivation of individuals to take up training and ensuring access to labour market relevant training for all, including for professional transitions and irrespective of their labour force or professional status. It aims to support all working-age adults and it recommends Member States to consider setting up a personal account for training entitlements, embedded in an enabling framework that includes a national registry of training, validation, and career guidance opportunities that are eligible for funding from the training entitlements as well as paid training leave arrangements for employed adults.

The Erasmus+ programme provides the opportunity to support the development of ILAs, under Key action 2, especially in forward-looking projects and in partnerships for cooperation (adult education strand).

About the need to improve the visibility of some actions underlined in paragraphs 100 and 101 (support available for adult learning and education activities or for sport), the Commission can underline that together with the Erasmus+ national agencies, efforts were joined to reinforce the promotion and communication on opportunities for adult learners offered by the programme, being at national level or through EU platforms like the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE)l. In terms of funding rules, additional support is provided for supporting people with fewer opportunities in their participation in learning mobility abroad with Erasmus+.

In the framework of specific rules managed by the Commission, Erasmus+ national agencies can transfer funds between actions and sectors, based on the demand from applications received following the publication of the annual Erasmus+ call for proposals. For example, unspent funds for mobility activities for adult learners are transferred by the national agencies to the cooperation partnerships projects to finance more projects’ proposals, from the reserve list. The Commission is taking measures to ensure that the synergy between EU programmes (ESF+ in particular) is effectively addressed by fostering closer coordination between relevant stakeholders (ESF+ managing authorities and Erasmus+ national authorities and Agencies).

To ensure good visibility of the sport funding in Erasmus+, every year, the EACEA organises a Sport Info Day for all interested stakeholders, in addition to regular promotional activities. This event is well attended and can be followed in person and online. The awareness and knowledge of the funding opportunities appears to be growing, as the number of applications in sport is increasing every year. The Erasmus+ funds are granted through open calls for proposals according to well-defined criteria which apply indiscriminately to all applicants following award procedures set by the financial rules applicable to the EU budget.

Paragraph 111 stresses the need to accelerate synergies between the European Education Area, the Digital Education Action Plan and the European Skills Agenda in shaping a digital education policy. The Commission stresses that the Digital Education Action Plan (DEAP) and the objectives of the European Education Area (EEA) and the European Skills Agenda complement and reinforce each other. As part of the implementation of the DEAP, the adoption of the Digital education and skills package in November 2023 was another step towards achieving the European Education Area and its targets. This concerns the EEA Union level target of reducing the share of low achievers in computer and information literacy to less than 15% by 2030. The Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills and competences in education further supports the objectives of the European Skills Agenda to help all individuals develop more and better skills to strengthen competitiveness. This concerns achieving the European Skills Agenda target of 70% of adults aged 16-74 having at least basic digital skills by 2025. The policies outlined here are highlighted and translated in the Erasmus+ programme priorities. In addition, the Commission will continue to support Member States and stakeholders in the implementation digital education policies through new actions, including guidelines on digital education content and informatics; higher education interoperability framework; and ‘Digital Education in Europe’ survey.

As regards taking account of fraud (paragraph 119), the Commission is continuing its efforts to ensure that the Erasmus national agencies are aware of fraud risks and are properly equipped with the necessary guidelines to handle suspected fraud cases. National agencies have to handle the fraud cases at national level and report the cases to their national antifraud authorities. In accordance with the Commission guidelines, national agencies also report the suspected fraud cases to the Commission which liaises with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) when investigations are ongoing. The Commission ensures that, after closure of the investigation, action is taken to protect the EU budget by recovering the amounts identified by OLAF or the EPPO. The Commission is also reinforcing its procedures to exclude organisations where appropriate.

Finally, as far as the European Parliament’s commitment to tripling the Erasmus+ budget in 2028-2034 is concerned (paragraph 121), the Commission takes note of the European Parliament’s views regarding the budget of Erasmus+ for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) post 2027 as well as the excellent budget performance of the programme combined with low success rates observed in most of its actions. The Commission recalls that the next Multiannual Financial Framework cannot be prejudged at this stage. The Commission will table a proposal for the post-2027 MFF by July 2025.