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Erasmus Mundus boosts global talent attraction, skills and employability. But for Fabrice Lemoine, it will make an even bigger contribution to achieving Europe’s strategic goals if its funding is significantly increased in the EU’s next long-term budget.
The Erasmus+ programme embodies the vision of an open, united and globally attractive Europe – standing in clear contrast to rising trends of national retreat.
Erasmus Mundus is a unique component of Erasmus+ that supports joint and multiple master’s degrees for students from across the globe, selected on the basis of academic excellence. Since its launch in 2004, it has trained over 50,000 highly employable graduates from more than 100 countries – professionals ready to deliver impact across socio-economic sectors – which makes it a cornerstone of the EU’s global education strategy and soft power.
Moreover, Erasmus Mundus contributes to shaping a new generation of professionals and researchers who are globally connected, deeply engaged in key sectors linked to competitiveness and major societal transitions. It does so by equipping graduates to address major contemporary challenges in a global context: climate change, energy transition, global health, ethical artificial intelligence, sustainable food systems, European culture, and more.
Through innovative, internationally co-designed curricula, Erasmus Mundus positions Europe as a central actor in building global solutions and contributes to the development of advanced skills for green, digital and industrial transitions. In turn, while driving forward ambitious policies in areas such as climate action, environmental sustainability and social inclusion, these graduates also embody and promote European values.
Erasmus Mundus plays a pivotal role in shaping research careers and enhancing employability in Europe, making it an invaluable strategic instrument to position Europe at the forefront of global talent attraction.
This reinforces initiatives such as ‘Choose Europe for Science’, and generally the European Union’s position as a leading academic and geopolitical power. From a strategic perspective, Erasmus Mundus contributes to enhancing Europe’s strategic autonomy and international connectiveness. Indeed, in the current geopolitical context, it is key to attracting top international talents.
Therefore, it should be integrated into a broader attractiveness strategy, serving as a first step to attract talented students to study in Europe and subsequently engage them in other excellence schemes such as Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Research Council (ERC). This is all the more critical in the current landscape, where the EU continues to face technological dependence on foreign countries and is working to foster its strategic autonomy in critical sectors.
As a growing number of international students turn away from the United States and choose Europe as their preferred study destination. Erasmus Mundus can serve as a gateway to research careers, offering tailored pathways to the MSCA, particularly through its Doctoral Networks action.
To attract and retain top global talent, the EU must offer highly attractive scholarships that can compete with those offered by leading competitors. Equally, institutions that offer an Erasmus Mundus joint master’s course must receive adequate funding for their costs, enabling them to deliver excellence in multicultural, multidisciplinary and intersectoral programmes that foster graduates that are equipped to solve problems and create impact.
This is why strengthening Erasmus Mundus, and indeed the wider Erasmus+ programme, is a vital strategic investment for the next multiannual financial framework (MFF). To fully unleash the programme’s potential and meet the EU’s strategic ambitions, a threefold increase in funding is needed. This ambition is backed by strong political momentum: both the Draghi and Letta reports, as well as a 2024 European Parliament resolution, explicitly call for a significant reinforcement of the Erasmus+ budget.
Despite the proven effectiveness of Erasmus Mundus, under the 2021-2027 MFF it accounts for less than €1 billion in total. This is just 3.8% of the total Erasmus+ budget and only 0.054% of the EU budget for this seven-year period. Increasing this under the next long-term budget will not only bolster the EU’s long-term competitiveness, skills agenda and geopolitical autonomy, but also help to integrate future EU members, particularly from the Western Balkans.
Finally, Erasmus Mundus must also be linked to both Horizon Europe and the planned European Competitiveness Fund, particularly in the area of advanced skills development. This will enhance its potential to serve as a key lever to train and retain more talent in Europe — especially STEM graduates and women — thereby strengthening the European knowledge base and enhancing the continent’s innovation capacity.
