The digitalisation of Erasmus+ is entering an important new phase. AEC has been closely following these developments, participating both in the ESCI+ Consultation Conference in Brussels and in the 22nd Erasmus Congress and Exhibition (ERACON 2026) in Paphos, Cyprus.
On 11 June, AEC participated in the ESCI+ Consultation Conference in Brussels, where the first results of the consultation on the future of the European Student Card Initiative beyond 2027 were presented. The consultation gathered feedback from stakeholders across the European higher education community and explored how the future digital infrastructure of Erasmus+ can better respond to the needs of students and institutions.
The developments presented in Brussels, together with new updates on ESCI+ and the planned 2026–2028 timeline for the digitalisation of the Erasmus+ programme, including developments concerning the Erasmus+ Dashboard, will be reported and discussed at the AEC Annual Meeting for International Relations Coordinators in Trento, 2–5 September 2026.
ERACON 2026: a broad discussion on the future of Erasmus+
AEC also joined the 22nd ERACON, held from 22 to 26 June 2026 in Paphos, Cyprus. The congress brought together Erasmus coordinators, international relations professionals, researchers and other stakeholders to exchange experiences on Erasmus+ 2021–2027, quality, mobility, funding and policy.
With the current programme cycle approaching its final phase, several sessions presented evaluation findings and data from the 2021–2027 Erasmus+ programme, offering insights into achievements, challenges and lessons learned and providing a basis for discussions on the future programme.
Artificial Intelligence was another prominent theme. A practical session explored the use of AI in writing and developing European project proposals, looking at how AI can support different stages of project development while maintaining the quality and responsibility expected in European project work.
Other sessions addressed internationalisation, inclusion and diversity, staff mobility, global partnerships and digitalisation, reflecting the increasingly strategic role of International Relations Offices.
AEC also contributed directly to ERACON with a presentation on EASY Mobility Online, sharing the experience of the EASY consortium of Higher Music Education Institutions and the perspective of the music higher education sector on the ongoing digitalisation of Erasmus mobility processes.
AEC’s participation in both the ESCI+ Consultation in Brussels and ERACON 2026 in Paphos reflects its commitment to following European developments closely and ensuring that the specific needs of Higher Music Education Institutions are represented in discussions on the future of Erasmus+ mobility and digitalisation.
