Students cannot do morewith less: Cutting Erasmus+and Horizon Europe meanscutting Europe’s future

The European Students’ Union (ESU) is deeply concerned and firmly rejects the
budget cuts proposed by the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European
Union in the Negotiating Box for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework
(MFF).

At a time when the European Union has committed to increasing student mobility,
strengthening research and innovation, and making learning opportunities more
accessible, the Cypriot Presidency’s proposal would weaken the very programmes
designed to achieve these goals.

Under the Negotiating Box, the budget for Erasmus+ would be reduced to €34.7
billion, falling below both the European Commission’s proposal of €36.19 billion and
the European Parliament’s call for €42 billion. Likewise, the proposed allocation for
Horizon Europe amounts to €148.579 billion, compared to €154.88 billion proposed
by the Commission and €177.01 billion supported by the Parliament.

For ESU, this is not merely a technical budgetary adjustment. It is a political
choice.

Erasmus+ is one of the European Union’s most visible and successful programmes.
Yet even under the current framework, demand consistently exceeds available
funding. Too many students are already unable to participate due to limited places,
insufficient grants and persistent socio-economic barriers. Rather than addressing
these shortcomings and expanding access, the Cypriot Presidency’s proposal risks
further restricting opportunities for students across Europe.

The proposed reductions are particularly alarming given the ambitions attached
to the European Education Area and the Union of Skills. The Union cannot
simultaneously commit to widening participation, strengthening European
Universities, promoting civic engagement, fostering inclusion and increasing
mobility while allocating fewer resources to the programme expected to deliver
these objectives.

Similarly, Europe cannot aspire to global leadership in research and innovation
while reducing investment in Horizon Europe. Strong research ecosystems
contribute directly to the quality of higher education, support the development of
future researchers and innovators, and enable students to engage with the societal
challenges shaping their generation.

ESU recognises that the negotiations on the next MFF take place in an increasingly
complex geopolitical context and under significant budgetary pressure. However,
responding to these challenges cannot come at the expense of investment in
people and in the future of Europe. Students are not a budgetary afterthought.
Education, research and mobility are prerequisites for Europe’s resilience,
competitiveness and democratic future.

ESU calls on EU Member States to reject further reductions to Erasmus+ and Horizon
Europe during the MFF negotiations. Europe cannot claim to invest in its future
while asking its students to do more with less.

The next Multiannual Financial Framework will determine what opportunities are
available to an entire generation of students. They deserve a budget that reflects
the Union’s ambitions, allows these programmes to reach their full potential and
contributes to students’ personal and professional development, rather than one
that scales them back.