OBESSU welcomes the adoption of Erasmus+ and the MFF
Yesterday, the 19th of November 2013, the European Parliament adopted the long-awaited new European programme for education, training, youth and sport, Erasmus+. On the same day, it adopted the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the seven-year budget framework which will secure EU funding opportunities for the coming years.
OBESSU is very satisfied with the new Programme, thinking it has improved substantially since the original European Commission proposal was presented about two years ago. In particular, the inclusion of structural support to European-level civil society organisation is a great improvement and the insertion about individual, organisational and systemic impact is a clear step forward from the original proposal.
However, OBESSU still has concerns regarding the adopted text. For example, the Programme still has a very strong focus on the concept of employability. OBESSU believes that education should be seen as a human right and not as a tool to shape the workforce.
Aside from the text itself, OBESSU would like to express its satisfaction with the process from the side of the European Parliament, which has listened to the concerns of the Programme’s stakeholders and acted accordingly. OBESSU hopes that the process of civil society involvement will also continue with the Programme’s implementation, for example in the work with the new Programme Guide.
For more information, please contact the OBESSU Board at board(a)obessu.org.
See also the OBESSU 2011 reaction to the new Programme.
Download the reaction as a pdf here.
