The AEC and the European Performing Arts Students’ Association EPASA have published a joint statement calling for a more inclusive, flexible, and sustainable future for the Erasmus+ programme. The statement, released on 11 May 2026, outlines four key priorities for the development of the 2028 Erasmus+ Work Programme: improving accessibility and inclusion, strengthening administrative capacity, fixing digitalisation challenges, and reducing administrative burden for institutions and participants.
The statement highlights the importance of ensuring that Erasmus+ remains accessible to students from all socio-economic backgrounds and stresses the need for stronger support structures within higher music and performing arts education institutions. It also underlines the broader role of Erasmus+ in fostering intercultural dialogue, European cooperation, and long-term investment in Europe’s creative and educational future.
In this context, AEC also participated in the Erasmus+ Coalition meeting organised by the Lifelong Learning Platform in Brussels on 11 May. The Coalition brings together European education and youth networks advocating for a stronger and better-funded Erasmus+ programme in the framework of the upcoming EU budget negotiations.
