CG position on Erasmus+
27 May 2014
The Coimbra Group has published its Position Paper on the Erasmus+ Programme, applauding the European Commission for the increased funding for the education, youth and sport programme at a time when in many national contexts education budgets are suffering severe cutbacks. The Erasmus+ Programme brings the promise of innovation, simplification and greater flexibility compared to previous mobility and cooperation programmes for higher education, a promise which the Coimbra Group welcomes. It further offers an important opportunity for promoting more international cooperation beyond the borders of the European Union. Nonetheless, the Coimbra Group is concerned
– that the programme’s overall approach moves away from the essential original underlying aims of the first Erasmus Programme and subsequent EU programmes, which met the needs and expectations of universities and other stakeholders and were, therefore, highly successful;
– that it will fall short of responding to the full potential of actions with partner countries;
– that it overemphasizes short term employment objectives which distort the overall higher education missions and timescales;
– that it dilutes the essential European character of previous programmes in favour of the national level;
– and that it runs a serious risk of granting greater importance to form than to substance.
Coimbra Group Executive Board, May 2014