PRIORITIES OF THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME

PRIORITIES OF THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

The program aims to promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion, diversity, and fairness in all its activities. This particularly applies to organizations and participants with fewer opportunities, for whom specific mechanisms and resources will be made available within the program. When designing projects and activities, organizations should adopt an inclusive approach to ensure they are accessible to diverse groups of participants.

National agencies play a key role in this effort, helping make projects more inclusive and diverse. Based on general principles and mechanisms at the European level, national agencies will develop inclusion and diversity plans to better address the needs of participants with fewer opportunities and support organizations working with these target groups in their national contexts. SALTO Resource Centres, which support program implementation, also play an important role in advancing and implementing inclusion and diversity measures, especially in gathering knowledge and designing and delivering capacity-building activities for national agency staff and program beneficiaries. The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) has an equally important role for centrally managed program components. In third countries not associated with the program, EU delegations and, where applicable, national Erasmus+ offices and Erasmus+ contact points are also key to reaching target groups covered by this strategy. To implement these principles, an inclusion and diversity strategy has been developed, covering all areas of the program to enable a broader range of organizations to access funding more easily and to better reach individuals with fewer opportunities. A framework has also been established for projects supported through the program that focus on issues related to inclusion and diversity. The goal of this strategy is to help remove barriers faced by various target groups in accessing such opportunities in Europe and beyond. The list of potential barriers provided below is not exhaustive but is intended as a guideline for taking measures to increase accessibility and inclusion of people with fewer opportunities. These barriers may prevent participation, either individually or in combination.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of digital education for the digital transformation needed in Europe became even more evident. The focus shifted to the need to harness the potential of digital technologies for teaching and learning, as well as for developing digital skills for all. In line with the strategic priorities of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027), the program aims to support efforts to engage learners, teaching staff, youth workers, young people, and organizations in the digital transformation.

The program will support the first strategic priority of the Action Plan—developing a high-performing digital education ecosystem—by strengthening capacity and critical thinking in all types of education and training institutions on how to use digital technologies for teaching and learning at all levels and across all sectors, and by developing and implementing digital transformation plans for educational institutions.

The program will also support the second strategic priority of the Action Plan, specifically through measures to improve the development of digital skills and competences at all levels of society and for everyone (including young people with fewer opportunities, pupils, students, job seekers, and workers). The focus will be on developing both basic and advanced digital skills, as well as digital literacy, which has become essential for everyday life, navigating a world full of algorithms, and fully participating in civil society and democracy.

In line with these two strategic priorities of the Action Plan, a European Digital Education Hub will be launched to strengthen cooperation in digital education at the EU level and to foster the exchange of good practices, co-creation, and experimentation. The platform will enable closer cross-sectoral cooperation among Member States by considering digital education within the framework of lifelong learning. It will connect national authorities, the private sector, experts, researchers, education and training providers, and civil society through more flexible policy and practice development in digital education.

Thanks to the increased use of information and communication technologies, blended mobility (a combination of physical and virtual mobility) and virtual cooperation, the program is expected to reach a broader range of users within the EU and beyond.

ENVIRONMENT AND FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

Environmental and climate protection are currently top priorities for the EU—and will remain so in the future. Communication on the European Green Deal presents a new European growth strategy that emphasizes the key role of schools, training institutions, and universities in working with students, parents, and the broader community to drive the changes needed to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Erasmus+ will be an important instrument for building knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to climate change and supporting sustainable development within the European Union and beyond. The program will increase opportunities for mobility in forward-looking green sectors, thereby promoting competence development, improving career prospects, and engaging participants in areas that are strategically important for sustainable growth—with particular attention to rural development (sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, land protection, bio-agriculture). Moreover, Erasmus+, which centers on mobility, should strive for carbon neutrality by promoting sustainable modes of transport and more environmentally responsible behavior.

Environmental protection and the fight against global warming will be horizontal priorities in project selection. Preference will be given to projects aimed at developing competences in various green sectors, including those contributing through education and culture to the goals of sustainable development, the development of strategies and methodologies for green sectoral skills, forward-looking curricula and study programs, and initiatives supporting the planned approaches of participating organizations to ecological sustainability.

The program supports innovative ways in which pupils, students, staff, and youth workers can make a real positive impact (resource savings, reduced energy consumption, waste and CO₂ emissions, choosing sustainable options for food and mobility, etc.). Preference will also be given to projects that, through education, training, youth activities, and sports, enable behavioral changes related to personal preferences, cultural values, and awareness, and generally support active engagement in sustainable development.

Therefore, participating organizations and individuals should aim to incorporate green practices into all projects when designing activities. This will encourage them to discuss and learn about environmental protection, reflect on local initiatives, and develop alternative, greener ways of implementing their activities.

Platforms such as eTwinning and EPALE will continue to produce supporting materials and facilitate the exchange of effective educational practices and policies related to environmental sustainability. Erasmus+ is also a powerful tool for engaging a wide range of participants in our society (schools, universities, vocational education and training institutions, youth and sports organizations, NGOs, local and regional authorities, civil society organizations, etc.).

PARTICIPATION IN DEMOCRATIC LIFE, COMMON VALUES AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

The Erasmus+ program addresses the issue of limited citizen participation in democratic processes and the lack of knowledge about the European Union, aiming to help individuals overcome these challenges through active engagement and participation in their communities or in the political and social life of the European Union. Familiarizing citizens with the European Union from an early age is crucial for its future. In addition to formal education, this can also be achieved through non-formal learning, fostering a sense of belonging to the European Union.

The program supports active citizenship and ethics in lifelong learning, and encourages the development of social and intercultural competences, critical thinking, and media literacy. Priority is given to projects that offer opportunities for participation in democratic life and for social and civic engagement through formal or non-formal learning activities.

Special attention is given to strengthening awareness of the European Union and understanding its context, particularly regarding shared values, the principle of unity in diversity, and its social, cultural, and historical heritage.

In the field of youth, a common framework is provided by the Youth Participation Strategy, which supports the use of the program to encourage youth involvement in democratic life. This strategy aims to improve the quality of youth participation in the program and complements key EU youth policy documents, such as the EU Youth Strategy and the EU Youth Goals. The Youth Participation Toolkit, which accompanies the strategy, seeks to strengthen youth involvement in all program activities through the exchange of knowledge and experience, recommendations, tools, and practical guidelines. The toolkit modules are specifically focused on how to integrate new horizontal priorities into projects.