On 10 December, the CULT Committee kicked off a series of consultations on the Erasmus+ Programme 2028-2034 with a session on Erasmus+ Sport. Rapporteur Bogdan Zdrojewski (EPP, Poland) welcomed the representatives of sport, research and agencies by setting the scene before handing over to the incoming Cypriot Presidency, European Commission’s Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (EAC) and the Council of Europe for initial remarks. From the Commission's side the proposal advances a lean but strengthened regulation that firmly embeds sport as a driver of skills, innovation, inclusion, and sustainable growth, while stakeholders from the Committee of the Regions and Council of Europe emphasise the need for flexible and equitable mobility opportunities, ethical and safer sport, strong regional and youth dimensions, and dedicated support to ensure sport’s full contribution to Europe’s priorities. The EOC EU Office called for 4 strategic priorities to be considered, including an earmarking of 5% for sport in Erasmus+, the acknowledgement and support for volunteers as crucial actors, a call to maintain centralised management for larger grants and a regular call for large-scale sport events. Especially, the call to earmark 5% for sport was echoed by almost all other stakeholders. The Parliament will have its draft ready by April 2026 to present it in the CULT Committee in May 2026 with adoption before the summer. Plenary would then be able to vote on it just after the summer break.   

This morning, 12 December, we provided feedback to the Committee of the Regions’ consultation on the Erasmus+ 2028–2034 proposal, focusing on the role of local and regional authorities, better support for skills development and intergenerational learning, careful integration of third countries, improved synergies with other EU funding instruments, and safeguards for volunteering as Erasmus+ merges with the Solidarity Corps. Our contribution and other stakeholders’ will be considered for the Committee of the Regions’ position, due to be adopted in May 2026.