MEPs on the Culture and Education Committee had one item that mattered more than the rest in Brussels during the week of 28 September to 3 October 2026: adopting a draft report on Erasmus+ for 2028 to 2034. Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski, a Polish member of the European People’s Party, is the rapporteur.
The adoption follows months of wrangling. Earlier in the year, other committees sent in opinions with hundreds of amendments, 286 from Development and 370 from Employment and Social Affairs, and the Culture committee had already called for the programme’s overall budget to go up to EUR 50 billion, counted in 2025 prices. Concerns raised along the way included the unusual budgetary flexibility the Commission wants, the price tag on scholarships in strategic fields and the fuzzy rules on association with the programme. The same committee also had a presentation scheduled on a study of teacher shortages in the Union, and a draft report on how AI is changing the cultural and creative industries.
Health, democracy and defence
The Public Health Committee had two adoptions on its list. One was the draft report on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, with Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu of Renew as rapporteur. The other was the report on an EU rare disease action plan, handled by Nicolás González Casares of the Socialists and Democrats. Elsewhere in the building, that committee met the Environment committee to adopt a report on the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
President Roberta Metsola had a busy diary. She was to receive the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, and the Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and to inaugurate the David Maria Sassoli Building. Her diary also listed to address the EU Parliamentary Democracy Forum and chair the Conference of Presidents.
The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee held its Monetary Dialogue with Christine Lagarde, the European Central Bank’s president. Security and Defence MEPs questioned General Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and worked on the annual report on the common security and defence policy.
Trade, housing and borders
International Trade MEPs took up consent for the digital trade agreement between the EU and the Republic of Korea, and an interim report on the trade deal with Indonesia, formally the EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The Internal Market Committee heard the Commission present two proposals, a Public Procurement Act and an Affordable Housing Act. A press conference was also planned on the situation in Ceuta.
On the justice side, the Civil Liberties Committee heard from Jim O’Callaghan, the Irish minister for justice, home affairs and migration, on the priorities of Ireland’s Council presidency, which runs from July to December 2026.
Sources
- Weekly agenda, European Parliament (week 28 September – 4 October 2026)
- European Parliament updates on work towards establishing Erasmus+ (2028-2034)
