Erasmus+ reassociation: position paper
Sets out our position on participation in the EU’s Erasmus+ programme.
Introduction
This note sets out the Scottish Government’s approach to the Erasmus+ programme which we wish to see reflected in the forthcoming talks between the UK Government and the EU.
We have been clear that the best outcome for Scotland and for the rest of Europe is immediate full re-association to Erasmus+, and we have called for this consistently. The association to any EU programme should be viewed as a long-term commitment, to ensure the stability of the relationships that they create and maximise the benefits reaped. We also support full reassociation to the EU’s Creative Europe programme.
The Erasmus programme
From the establishment of the Erasmus programme in 1987, the UK’s participation enabled Scottish and UK students and education staff to spend a period of time on attachment elsewhere in the EU and beyond.
The programme also provided for students and teachers from Member States of the EU to spend time in Scotland.
Since then, the programme has been renamed Erasmus+, and the opportunities it offers have expanded from the education sector into areas including vocational training, sport, and social work.
The benefits of learning, transnational engagement, and cooperation with the rest of Europe that the programme promoted - and continues to promote - match the Scottish Government’s vision for a modern, just, and outward looking Scotland.
What Scotland has lost
Speaking in the House of Commons on 15 January 2020, the then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured the House that:
“There is no threat to the Erasmus scheme, and we will continue to participate in it. UK students will continue to be able to enjoy the benefits of exchanges with our European friends and partners, just as they will be able to continue to come to this country”.
Nevertheless, the previous UK Government took the decision during the Brexit process to end UK participation in Erasmus+, although the UK could have associated as a third country.
With no option to participate in our own right in the programme, this decision also ended Scottish involvement – despite the Scottish Government’s clearly stated position at the time that we wished to continue to participate.
Leaving the programme has caused significant damage in Scotland. Scottish participation in Erasmus+ was significantly higher than the UK average rate, and so the impact of non-participation has been felt particularly strongly in Scotland.
Although each case of funding loss is significant, real damage has also been by caused by the loss of extensive opportunities for participation in transnational cooperation, and the deterioration of diversity and internationalism across Scottish society as a result.
Loss of Erasmus+ funding
Between 2014 and 2020, over 141 million Euros was awarded to over 1,000 Scottish projects, enabling over 14,000 participants from across Scotland to take part in an Erasmus+ exchange.
Loss of inward Erasmus+ visitors
The Scottish education sector, and Scottish society more broadly, has lost the opportunity to welcome inward Erasmus+ visitors to Scotland. From 2014, in total over 13,000 EU students had come to study in Scotland through Erasmus+.
Loss of opportunities for disadvantaged learners
Erasmus+ also enabled our most disadvantaged learners to participate in international exchanges through youth work and adult learning programmes. These opportunities are no longer available.
Loss of professional opportunities for staff
Staff across universities, colleges, technical and vocational education and training, schools, early years, youth work, adult learning and sport have lost opportunities to participate in transnational professional development and networking opportunities. This includes third sector partners with international footprints – for example, the British Red Cross. More broadly, opportunities for people in Scotland to access world-leading innovative research, practice, and networks has been limited.
Exclusion from new alliances
Scotland is excluded from new university alliances under Erasmus+ which seek to define Europe-wide degrees. Such exclusion potentially renders some UK universities less attractive than their EU counterparts, and risks damaging the international standing of Scottish institutions.
Stakeholder experience
The people of Scotland did not vote for Brexit, and multiple organisations representing the Scottish youth, education and training sectors have spoken out clearly against loss of access to the Erasmus+ programme as a result of Brexit. Organisations and individuals also report that replacement programmes do not make up for the losses created by no longer having access to Erasmus+.
Colleges Scotland have highlighted that the absence of funding for staff placements has had a direct impact on their ability to access resources, such as shareable expertise and high standards of vocational training, meaning students across Scotland may be placed at a disadvantage against their European counterparts. Their analysis is that, unless the funding package is enhanced to match the provision to students as was available through Erasmus+ and to enable opportunities for staff and institutional partnership, it will be difficult to evidence benefits of the Turing Scheme for institutions and wider economies.
The lack of a multiannual settlement for funding has impacted not only academic institutions but also students directly – as reported, for example, by a student at the University of Edinburgh:
“My study abroad plans have been changed by the replacement of the Erasmus scheme with the Turing scheme because of the uncertainty surrounding funding sources in the year that would have been my exchange year – the academic year 2022 to 2023. This all meant I didn’t feel I could take part in my year abroad because I was unsure where funding would come from.”
Scottish Government priorities for Erasmus+
The Scottish Government is keen to see an approach to Erasmus+ that creates opportunities for both Scotland and the EU and mitigates the damage of Brexit.
We believe detailed discussions with the UK Government are required so that the full range of benefits and costs associated with joining Erasmus+ (and successor programmes) can be determined.
Such an approach and set of arrangements would:
- allow Scotland to retake its place at the heart of cross-European cooperation on youth and learning opportunities
- provide both outward and inward mobility opportunities for Scottish students and staff in a range of sectors
- allow an equitable division of opportunities, funding, and decision-making across the UK
Clearly any wider UK-EU youth mobility measures would be highly relevant to Erasmus+ arrangements. The Scottish Government would strongly welcome the negotiation of a youth mobility visa agreement with the EU, which would provide vital opportunities for young people across Scotland, the rest of the UK and the EU.
Conclusion
The UK’s reassociation to the Horizon Europe programme in January 2024 was undoubtedly a welcome move, enabling significant co-operation to take place in research and innovation between Scotland, the whole UK, and the EU. The decision signalled a desire for a long-term future alignment with the EU and which we hope will cover several EU budget cycles.
The anticipated “reset” of the UK-EU relationship presents an opportunity to establish improved conditions for transnational cooperation, including through UK reassociation to a wider range of EU programmes. This would be to the benefit of the people of Scotland, the rest of the UK and the EU – in particular in the fields of educational and cultural collaboration.
We stand ready to work collaboratively with the UK Government and wider partners to re-build a closer relationship with the rest of Europe.
Contact
Email: contactus@gov.scot