Erasmus+ Will Open to MENA Students

The EU wants students from North Africa and the Middle East to join its Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programs, according to the European Commission’s “Pact for the Mediterranean” presented yesterday in Brussels. The Pact includes over 100 projects aimed at strengthening Europe's presence and connection to the Southern Mediterranean region. Here’s what the Pact proposes for students.

The southern Mediterranean as an education hub

The Pact identifies three ‘pillars’ that form a “practical framework for cooperation”: People, Economies, and Security. As part of the ‘People’ pillar, the Pact outlines the desire to position “the region as a hub for transnational education, innovation, research and development.” To accomplish this goal, the Pact proposes:

• Establishing a Mediterranean University with multiple campuses across the region and cooperation between existing universities and the European University alliance.
• Increasing mobility for students, researchers, and academics through the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe Program.
• Developing Innovation and Research centers that will combine academic and private sector expertise.
• Establishing a Mediterranean Science Diplomacy Center to influence policy and collaborative projects in the region.
• Developing “intergenerational mentoring programs” to support young people and share knowledge.

A focus on youth empowerment and employment

Young people are at the center of the Pact’s 'People' pillar, which includes proposals aimed at narrowing the gender employment gap, “expanding labor migration pathways,” and developing more skills-based training programs that meet the needs of the labor market. The goal of these initiatives is to promote economic growth in the region and between the EU and the southern Mediterranean by supporting people, particularly young people entering the labor force.

The Pact also proposes the establishment of a Youth Parliamentary Assembly for the Mediterranean, which would enable young people to contribute directly and serve as “important guidance” to community and initiative development.

What’s next?

The Pact will be put forward for endorsement by “the EU with southern Mediterranean partners in November 2025.” Its presentation is set to mark the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration, which established “multilateral cooperation” between the EU and the southern Mediterranean region in 1995.

The southern Mediterranean partners of the Barcelona Declaration are Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia. Other stakeholders include non-EU countries that neighbor EU member states, the Union for the Mediterranean, various UN agencies, and other “international and regional organizations.”

The Pact was a result of an EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting in July 2025, which included input from youth and academic organizations, as well as thought leaders from other sectors. And according to the Pact proposal, there is potential to “expand its scope beyond the southern Mediterranean,” to include partners like Türkiye, as well as those in the Gulf, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Western Balkan region, and the Black Sea region.