Erasmus Plus 2028-2034: 40 billion from the EU for young people and sport

Seven years of great opportunities for young people, seven years to be fully exploited also due to the huge economic investment. The European Committee of the Regions, meeting today in plenary session in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels, unanimously adopted the opinion on the new Erasmus Plus Program for the period 2028-34. Speaker for all 27 EU member states, Roberto Pella, vice-president of Anci (Italian Association of Italian Municipalities) as well as president of the Professional Cycling League, who illustrated the contents in the presence of the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi and the Commissioner for intergenerational equity, youth, culture and sport, Glenn Micallef, and Kata Tutto, president of the European Committee of the Regions.

DIGIT

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The future seven-year period provides for the Erasmus Plus Program with a budget of 40 billion euros, 30% more than in the previous period: a figure that will have to serve above all to broaden the range of access to education, mobility and sport opportunities and to involve more and more territories. “Erasmus Plus confirms itself as the greatest European success story – the words of Pella, who at the end invited the assembly to follow the Giro d’Italia, also giving Micallef and Tutto the cyclamen jersey -. Every opinion that the Committee of the Regions puts forward is a concrete step towards greater integration of territories and institutional levels. Erasmus Plus, however, is not just a program of mobility, education and sport: it is a pillar of our common identity that we must always commit to strengthening. And it is an extraordinary opportunity for young people: through exchanges and projects linked to education and sport, mobility, participation and social aggregation are promoted, which are also valuable skills in terms of employment. For this reason, strong partnerships and technical support and capacity building processes are needed in the most vulnerable territories which allow all communities, including peripheral ones and inland areas, to fully benefit from the Programme, recognizing the educational and social value that sport has on every day in the territories at all levels Abodi: the work side by side for youth and sports policies that has persisted for a long time will continue to offer young people concrete tools for valorization and inclusion”. Pella then specified that flexible rules, simplified procedures and accompanying paths dedicated to the most disadvantaged areas will be needed, so that no municipality or community is left out. “We continue to commit ourselves and be inspired by the example of a great champion of sport and life, who passed away in recent days: Alex Zanardi, who showed us the way, restored our faith in the dreams from which to start again and offered an endless example.”

abodi

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Abodi was also satisfied and did not want to miss the Plenary Assembly: “The strengthening of resilience among young people through Erasmus Plus 2028-2034 – he said – was the theme at the center of the debate with the aim of encouraging their participation in European democratic life, developing the skills necessary for civic engagement, strengthening awareness of common values and, at the same time, offering opportunities to express solidarity, support communities and face social challenges. Enhancing Erasmus Plus, also in the sports field as proposed by the Hon. Pella, allocating at least 5% of the program budget to sport, as well as the European Solidarity Corps and promoting active participation in the civic life of young people, represents a fundamental strategic priority to be conducted also with a vision that nourishes and empowers boys and girls towards active citizenship, democratic participation and civic awareness to promote inclusive communities”.