Erasmus+ Programme

Department for Education written question – answered at on 24 July 2019.

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Photo of Lord Greaves Lord Greaves Liberal Democrat

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of uncertainties relating to the UK leaving the EU and the possibility of a no-deal Brexit on the Erasmus+ programme; and which organisations which participate in the Erasmus+ programme in (1) the UK, and (2) other countries, have withdrawn from that scheme for 2019–20 for people coming (a) to, and (b) from, the UK.

Photo of Lord Greaves Lord Greaves Liberal Democrat

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people (1) from, and (2) outside of the, UK have participated in the Erasmus+ programme at participating organisations in (a) the UK, and (b) other countries, in each of the last five academic years; and how many such people are expected to participate in 2019–20.

Photo of Lord Greaves Lord Greaves Liberal Democrat

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on the (1) funding, and (2) operation, of the Erasmus+ programme; and what guidance they have provided to UK organisations which participate in that programme about preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit.

Photo of Viscount Younger of Leckie Viscount Younger of Leckie Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We recognise that institutions and individuals are concerned about the impacts of EU exit on staff and student mobility. Following the extension of Article 50, the European Commission has made clear that the UK continues to participate fully in the current programme and has reiterated that ‘the future withdrawal of the United Kingdom cannot be invoked as a justification to cancel a Key Action 1 mobility started (or planned to be started) while the United Kingdom is still a Member State’. This should provide welcome reassurance to participants, providers and our partners in the EU.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK entities' right to participate in EU programmes during the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), such as Erasmus+, will be unaffected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of projects financed by the current MFF.

In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the government will engage with the European Commission with the aim of securing the UK’s participation in Erasmus+ until the end of 2020.

The HMG guarantee will cover the payment of awards to UK applicants for all successful Erasmus+ bids submitted before the end of 2020 and it commits the government to underwriting funding for the entire lifetime of the projects. Successful bids are ones that are approved directly by the Commission or by the UK National Agency and ratified by the Commission. Attached guidance for Erasmus+ beneficiaries on how to register for the guarantee was published in April on GOV.UK at https://bit.ly/2HimZlD. Attached latest news on the possible impact of Brexit on the programme is available on the UK National Agency website at https://bit.ly/2ItnGaE and this includes the UK Government's Frequently Asked Questions relating to the guidance.

Furthermore, the Commission’s Erasmus+ contingency Regulation establishes that students abroad on exit day will not see their mobilities disrupted, even in a no deal scenario. The Regulation applies to mobility activities starting at the latest on the date of withdrawal (31 October 2019) and which take place in the United Kingdom or involve entities or participants from the United Kingdom.

Data on number of Erasmus+ participants by participating organisations is only available for Higher Education mobility. Figures for the last 5 academic years can be found in Table 2 in the ‘Erasmus+ UK Higher Education Statistics 2017’ attached, available on the ‘Project Mobilities and Outputs’ section of the website at the following link: https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/statistics. Figures for the number of people from the UK participating in 2019-20 will be published by the National Agency in due course.

Data on UK participation in the Erasmus+ programme as well as participation from outside the UK is available on the European Commission’s website. Figures for the last 5 academic years have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and are available at the following links:

https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/4e5c3e1c-1f0b-11e9-8d04-01aa75ed71a1 (‘Statistical annex 2017’, pages 20 – 51);

https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/49350560-0d56-11e8-966a-01aa75ed71a1/language-en (‘Statistical annex 2016’, pages 22-47);

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/sites/erasmusplus2/files/erasmus-plus-annual-report-2015-annex-1_en.pdf (‘Statistical annex 2015’, annex 5A – 10B);

http://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/education/library/statistics/ar-statistical-annex_en.pdf (‘Statistical annex 2014’, table 3.7);

http://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/education/library/statistics/erasmus-plus-facts-figures_en.pdf. (‘Statistical annex 2013-2014’, page 34).

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