On 14 January, the European Parliament held its first 2026 consultation on the Erasmus+ programme, bringing together rapporteur MEP Bogdan Zdrojewski (EPP, PL), shadow rapporteurs, youth organisations, National Youth Councils, and Michael Teutsch, Head of the Erasmus+ Coordination Unit (DG EAC).

The consultation aimed to foster dialogue and gather the youth representatives’ views and needs for the future of Erasmus+. This input guides rapporteurs in preparing the upcoming report for 2028–2034.

During the discussion, Michael Teutsch (DG EAC) highlighted the need for a significantly increased overall budget and confirmed that youth participation, inclusion, and democratic engagement will remain key funding priorities. However, it is crucial that these commitments be translated into concrete action, particularly through the structural safeguards being advocated for.

ENGSO Youth Committee member Luca Wernert was in attendance to advocate for ENGSO/ ENGSO Youth’s position on the future of Erasmus.  Luca’s contributions were reflected in the consultation by ensuring youth sport priorities were considered among the key topics discussed. Our position paper on this can be found here.