Parliamentary question

Written question to the European Commission

The war in Ukraine is generating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Over four million Ukrainians refugees have arrived in the EU, of which one million minors who were forced to interrupt their studies and training activities. This will have a serious impact on Ukraine’s recovery in the post‑war phase.

Since the outbreak of the conflict, the EU has strongly responded with military and humanitarian support and financial sanctions, but has not ensured a coordinated approach to guarantee Ukrainian refugees school and university continuity, leaving the Member States to bear the burden of organising education and training initiatives without proper political and financial support.

We would therefore like to ask the Commission the following questions:

1. What actions does it intend to put in place to guarantee all Ukrainian refugee students in the EU the right to educational and university continuity?

2. It is considering the possibility of launching an extraordinary ‘Erasmus4Ukraine’ programme for university students, which would provide for free enrolment at a university during the current academic year, an exception to the requirement for there to be a learning agreement between the two universities in question and the recognition of qualifications and credits acquired at universities in the Member States?

3. Does it intend to finance the aforementioned activities using the funds for youth mobility provided for by the Erasmus+ programme that were not spent during the pandemic?

Answer given by Commissioner Gabriel on behalf of the European Commission

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Council triggered the Temporary Protection Directive, providing people fleeing the war with the right to access the state education system for those under 18 years.

Member States, though, are fully responsible for the content and organisation of their education systems, with the Commission having a supporting role.

As part of this supporting role, the Commission has immediately taken action to support pupils, students and teachers fleeing the war in Ukraine through Erasmus+, using its in-built flexibility.

Higher education institutions in the EU that participate in Erasmus+ are able to offer long-term and short-term study mobility as well as traineeships to students that have fled Ukraine.

The Commission has also dropped the requirement to have a signed learning agreement in place, while full and free access to the new Erasmus+ Online Language Support platform has been ensured.

Pupils displaced from Ukraine can now be quickly welcomed by education institutions involved in Erasmus+ cooperation projects, with flexible use of project funding.

Ukrainian teachers and trainers can receive financial support to facilitate their integration, and qualified staff may be sent, on a temporary basis, to regions where refugees are hosted.

Moreover, the Commission encouraged the Erasmus+ National Agencies to open optional application rounds for organisations interested to run initiatives related to the effects of the war.

Support is also provided through European platforms and by pooling available expertise and providing policy guidance via existing tools under the European Education Area, while working on measures to support fast-track recognition of qualifications and study periods.