Supporting people in our societies and social model is a key priority of the European Commission for 2024-2029. One of the objectives is to strengthen the Erasmus+ programme, so that more Europeans can gain new skills and develop a better mutual understanding of other societies and cultural backgrounds.

The challenge

To ensure such outcomes, regular monitoring of the Erasmus+ programme is essential. This monitoring always needs to account for national and regional perspectives across Member States. In order to provide input for the field of education and training in Flanders, the Flemish government commissioned IDEA Consult to evaluate the Erasmus+ programme (final evaluation for 2014–2020 and midterm evaluation for 2021–2027).

Approach & results

IDEA Consult evaluated two Erasmus+ programme periods (2014–2020 and 2021–2027) based on five evaluation criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and European added value. We applied a mix of research methods, including desk research, surveys among beneficiary organisations and participants, and focus groups with stakeholders.

Some key insights from our evaluation:

• Erasmus+ offers a strong European added value against other funding schemes. It can function as a stepping stone to increase internationalisation activities, and it fosters a European sense of belonging for participants.
• Overall, the programme is relevant to the needs and challenges in terms of Flemish education. Through learning mobility, positive impacts are achieved for institutions, educational staff and learners. Nevertheless, there is still untapped potential in the outreach to specific target groups (e.g., profit organisations, people with fewer opportunities, …).
• Whereas simplification measures have facilitated the regional implementation of the programme,  a clear administrative burden remains for both beneficiaries and the national agency Epos.

This evaluation was commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Training. Based on the research, IDEA Consult formulated recommendations for the National Agency Epos and the European Commission.

Would like to know more? Read our report here: https://data-onderwijs.vlaanderen.be/documenten/bestand.ashx?nr=24445