Defending Erasmus+: Quality Education Must Not Be Subordinated to Market Logic
Published:
The European Commission has announced plans to transfer Key Actions 2 and 3 of the Erasmus+ Programme into a new Competitiveness Fund as part of the next EU budget (2028–2035). In response, ETUCE has written to European Commissioner Roxana Minzatu to express strong opposition to this proposal, which risks severely undermining the holistic mission of education and training in Europe.
Key Action 2 and 3 — supporting institutional cooperation and education policy development — play a crucial role in promoting inclusion, democratic citizenship, professional development of teachers, and education for social cohesion. Moving these under a fund oriented toward labour market competitiveness would reduce Erasmus+ to a narrow tool for economic outcomes and strip away its core educational purpose.
“Education must remain a public good, not a market service,” says Jelmer Evers, ETUCE European Director. “We cannot allow European education funding to be guided solely by short-term market interests. Teachers and students deserve better.”
ETUCE calls on the European Commission to maintain a unified Erasmus+ Programme that balances individual mobility, institutional cooperation, and policy development. Any budgetary changes affecting teachers, schools, and learners must be discussed in full respect of social dialogue.
We urge European decision-makers to protect Erasmus+ as a comprehensive education programme — not a delivery mechanism for market skills. Education is not just about competitiveness; it is about empowering citizens, strengthening democracy, and building inclusive societies.