24.11.2025 advocacy, Democracy, Erasmus+, ESF, MFF, policy, statements

A bolder and more ambitious EU budget for education, inclusion and social resilience

EAEA welcomes the Commission’s proposal for the 2028–2034 EU budget but calls for stronger focus on social cohesion and lifelong learning.

EAEA welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034 and its intention to provide a strategic, long-term roadmap for Europe’s priorities. We appreciate the Commission’s ambition to enhance the EU’s capacity to respond to global challenges, strengthen its resilience, and invest in its future.

At the same time, we believe that the proposal requires important adjustments to ensure that the EU budget can genuinely support social cohesion, democratic resilience, and the lifelong learning transition Europe urgently needs. We call on the co-legislators to reinforce the social dimension of the MFF and to ensure that adult learning and education receive the visibility and investment they deserve.

Read the full statement “A bolder and more ambitious EU budget for education, inclusion and social resilience” pdf

EAEA recommendations:

  1. An adequate recalculation of the MFF allocation reflecting real inflation rates to safeguard its impact on the social dimension.
  2. A transparent and structured estimation of the budget allocated to the ESF+ as was clearly specified in the previous MFF proposal.
  3. An effective 40% increase of the Erasmus+ beyond the current proposal to offset the inflation and better align to Draghi’s and the European Parliament’s recommendations.
  4. A stronger focus on improving the coherence of the existing instruments, rather than pursuing innovation before NGOs can fully implement existing tools.

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