Erasmus+ 2028-2034: what the next programme changes

Picture a youth worker in a small association, on a Monday in November. A partner abroad forwards a headline about a new Erasmus+ from 2028, and adds one line: will our projects survive the change? The board wants an answer by Friday. Most of what she finds online mixes the Commission's proposal with things that are not decided yet. This is a scenario, not a real person, but the question is real.

The short answer: yes, the plan is a successor programme. The Commission's proposal establishes the Erasmus+ programme for 2028 to 2034 as the successor to the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes (European Commission, COM(2025) 549 final, 16 July 2025). It is still a proposal. The European Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text before it becomes law (Legislative Observatory, procedure 2025/0222(COD)).

The Commission proposes an indicative financial envelope of EUR 40 827 000 000 in current prices for 2028 to 2034 (COM(2025) 549 final). The European Parliament's research service gives the same envelope as €36.2 billion in 2025 prices (EPRS briefing 'A reworked Erasmus+ for 2028-2034', February 2026). The Commission compares it with €26.2 billion for 2021-2027, and says it would be complemented by funding from the Global Europe programme (European Commission, Erasmus+ website, 'Commission proposes new Erasmus+ beyond 2027').

Because the new programme also absorbs the European Solidarity Corps, the EPRS compares it with both current programmes together: around 30% more than their combined €27.7 billion in 2025 prices (EPRS briefing, February 2026).

Unlike the 2021 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps regulations, the proposal does not split the envelope by field (education and training, youth, sport) or by action (EPRS briefing, February 2026). That is a real change: how much goes to youth, adult education or VET would be decided later, not written in the regulation.

The changes below come from the Commission's proposal. None of them is law yet, and the Council and Parliament have already asked for amendments.

• One programme for young people: the European Solidarity Corps, including the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, would be merged into Erasmus+, as a single entry point to the EU offer for young people and youth organisations (EPRS briefing, February 2026).
• Two pillars instead of chapters per field: 'Learning opportunities for all' and 'Capacity building support' (EPRS briefing, February 2026). The capacity building pillar combines cooperation among organisations and institutions with support to policy development, across education and training, youth and sport (COM(2025) 549, explanatory memorandum).
• Fewer, merged actions: the proposal removes the chapters per field and merges actions with similar, overlapping objectives (COM(2025) 549, explanatory memorandum).
• A few new actions: Erasmus+ scholarships in strategic educational fields, European School Alliances and Sport Collaborative Alliances (EPRS briefing, February 2026).
• Learning mobility stays central, from an early age and across education and training, youth and sport (COM(2025) 549, explanatory memorandum).
• A stronger inclusion focus, with emphasis on reaching more people with fewer opportunities (EPRS briefing, February 2026).
• National Agencies keep a big role: a significant part of the programme would be run in indirect management, mainly through National Agencies, and the rest mostly by an Executive Agency (COM(2025) 549, explanatory memorandum). The EPRS notes that the proposal would also reduce the number of National Agencies (EPRS briefing, February 2026).
• A new option of partial association for third countries, next to full association (EPRS briefing, February 2026).

If you are used to today's KA1, KA2 and KA3, the proposal does not yet tell you which future action replaces your KA210 or KA220. That detail will come with the final regulation, work programmes and a new Programme Guide. See how KA210 and KA220 work today

Council: on 11 May 2026, the Council agreed a partial negotiating position. It is partial because it leaves out financial and horizontal issues, which are part of the talks on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF). The Council says the programme's budget for 2028-2034 will depend on the final MFF agreement, and that this position is its mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament (Council of the EU, press release, 11 May 2026).

• The Council reinstated the programme committee that exists under the current programme, giving Member States more control over governance (Council of the EU, press release, 11 May 2026).
• It separates a work programme for new actions from the regular work programme, so Member States can scrutinise how new initiatives start and are financed (Council of the EU, press release, 11 May 2026).
• It adds provisions for actions now covered by the European Solidarity Corps, such as youth participation and solidarity activities (Council of the EU, press release, 11 May 2026).

European Parliament: the Culture and Education Committee (CULT) leads, with Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (EPP, Poland) as rapporteur (European Parliament, Legislative Train, 'Erasmus+ programme 2028-2034'). CULT voted its report on 29 September 2026. The plenary debated it on 21 October and voted on 22 October 2026 (text T10-0361/2026), and the file was referred back to the committee for interinstitutional negotiations (Legislative Observatory, 2025/0222(COD)).

On money, CULT proposed raising the envelope from the Commission's €40.8 billion to about €47.4 billion in current prices (EPRS, plenary session preview, October II 2026). The report also stresses that the European Solidarity Corps should stay visible inside the merged programme (EPRS, plenary session preview, October II 2026).

The proposal says the new regulation should apply from 1 January 2028 and repeals the current Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps regulations (2021/817 and 2021/888) from that date. Projects funded under the current rules continue under those rules until they close (COM(2025) 549 final).

1. 16 July 2025: the Commission presents the Erasmus+ proposal, as part of a long-term budget proposal of almost €2 trillion, or 1.26% of EU gross national income (European Commission, 'EU budget 2028-2034').
2. December 2025: EU leaders ask the Council presidencies to aim for an MFF agreement before the end of 2026, so the related laws can be adopted in 2027, in time for 1 January 2028 (Council of the EU, MFF timeline).
3. 11 May 2026: the Council's partial position on Erasmus+ (Council of the EU, press release).
4. 22 October 2026: Parliament's negotiating position (Legislative Observatory, 2025/0222(COD)).
5. Next: negotiations between Parliament and Council on the regulation, and a unanimous Council decision on the MFF after Parliament's consent (Council of the EU, 'The EU's long-term budget 2028-2034').

Meanwhile, 2027 is still a 2021-2027 programme year. The 2027 European Universities call was published on 29 October 2026, with a deadline of 4 March 2027, and the Commission says it is the last such call under the current programme (EU Funding & Tenders Portal; European Education Area, 'Funding for European Universities alliances'). When we checked on 9 November 2026, we did not find a published Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2027. The latest guide is the 2026 one.

Nobody can apply to the 2028 programme yet, and its actions are not final. But the work that decides whether a partnership is ready does not change from one programme to the next: correct registration data, partners who answer fast, and accurate facts about each organisation.

• Use 2027 well. It is the last year of the current programme, so plan your 2027 applications under the rules you know.
• Check your registration. Your OID and legal data must be right before any deadline.
• Gather your partner documents early: legal status, staff profiles, past projects.
• Keep one current partner profile. When the rules change, the facts about your organisation stay the same, and coordinators will still ask for them.

Our guide to OID and PIC shows which code goes where and how to check yours. Read the OID and PIC guide

And our partner documents guide lists what a coordinator usually asks each partner for. Read the partner documents guide

Programmes change every seven years. Coordinators' questions do not: who you are, what you do, who your staff are and what you have done before. That is what the Partner Identification Form (PIF) carries. A PIF sent as an attachment two years ago can be out of date, and nobody knows which copy is the latest.

Start with a clean structure, then check it against the common mistakes. Get the PIF template

Before you send it, run the checklist. Open the PIF checklist

MyPIF keeps the PIF part simple: one permanent link that always shows the latest version, version history, PDF and Word export, and an AI Quality Score for your PIF. It does not write your applications. It keeps the facts about your organisation ready for every coordinator, in 2027 and after. See how MyPIF works

MyPIF opens soon. Join the waiting list before 1 December 2026 and get 2 months of Pro free, no card needed. Join the waiting list: 2 months of Pro free