Erasmus for all - investing in Europe's youth

Erasmus for All is to become the new and comprehensive EU programme for education, training, youth and sport, which from 2014 will replace the current programmes. Education ministers on 11 May 2012 agreed on the proposal, apart from financing issues, which will be dealt with separately.

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With the same aim as before - to improve people's skills, personal development and job prospects - Erasmus for All will bring together in a single programme the Lifelong Learning Programme, Youth in Action and five international programmes (such as Erasmus Mundus). Sport will be covered for the first time, as it is a new area of EU competence under the Lisbon Treaty.

The proposal features a number of new elements, perhaps the most important innovation being the move away from an approach based on sectors (such as higher education or vocational training) to a horizontal one based on three types of key actions - learning mobility, cooperation aiming at innovation and good practices, and policy reform.

Erasmus for All is also intended to make a major contribution to the EU's Europe 2020 strategy, the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training ("ET 2020"), the renewed framework for European Cooperation in the Youth field, the sustainable development of third countries in the field of higher education and to developing the European dimension in sport.

While the Commission has proposed a significant increase in the programme's funding, the actual sums allocated will not be known before there is agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020, the EU's long-term budget planning exercise currently under discussion at the Council.

The final decision on the programme will be taken jointly by the Council and the European Parliament.

More information:
Council debate (video in all languages)
Press Conference (video)
Erasmus for all (Commission webpages)