On January 28th, 2020, the 2018 Erasmus+ Annual report was published, with some very interesting results. The report showed results for the past three decades. In particular, more than 10 million people have taken part in Erasmus+ actions. For many of them, the experience turned out to be life-changing .
People across Europe engage, exchange and learn when they participate in education, youth and sporting activities across borders. Erasmus+ is a fantastic common success and we should aim for more. More participants, more mobility, more diversity, more opportunities.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life
Erasmus+ has become for our younger generations a gateway to Europe and to the world. It is one of the EU's most tangible achievements: uniting people across the continent, creating a sense of belonging and solidarity, raising qualifications, and improving the prospects of participants.
Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth
2018 was a record year for the Erasmus+ Programme. In particular, for the year 2018, the budget increased 10% in funding compared to 2017, reaching all the up to €2.8 billion. Here are some data that show the course of the programme in 2018:
- 23,500 projects funded
- Mobilities for over 850,000 students, apprentices, teachers and youth workers were supported
- Nearly 10% of the 470,000 students, trainees, and staff in higher education who received a grant during the 2017/2018 academic year travelled to and from partner countries across the world.
In addition to University staff and students, for the year 2018 Erasmus+ supported:
- 40,000 teachers and school staff
- 148,000 vocational education and training learners
- 8.400 adult education staff
- 155,000 young people and youth workers
In the sports division Erasmus+ supported:
- 199 sports projects, 118 of which were run by grassroots sport organizations
- The annual European Week of Sport which hosted over 50,000 events across Europe.
In the year 2018, Erasmus+ supported a plethora of actions addressed to the importance of Europe’s cultural heritage, by building on Synergies with the European Year of Cultural Heritage.
Last but not least, since the year 2018, the Erasmus+ programme has been supporting the important initiative to establish the European Education Area by the year 2025.
Some Background information on the Erasmus+ Programme:
Erasmus+ and its predecessors are among the most successful EU programmes. Since 1987, they have been offering young people opportunities to gain new experiences by going abroad. The current Erasmus+ programme, running from 2014 to 2020, has a budget of €14.7 billion and will provide opportunities for 3.7% of young people in the EU to study, train, gain work experience, and volunteer abroad. The geographical scope of the programme has expanded from 11 countries in 1987 to 34 in 2020 (which includes all 28 EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey). The programme is also open to partner countries across the world.
In May 2018, the Commission presented its proposal for an ambitious new Erasmus programme, seeking to double the budget to €30 billion in the EU's next long-term budget for the period 2021-2027. The aim is to make the programme even more inclusive, more international and accessible to people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
For more information on the Erasmus+ programme, you can visit the EU’s official website.
