The Commission of the Bishops’ Conference of the European Union (COMECE) releases its contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034, focusing on cross-border education, training and solidarity, youth, media, culture, the creative sectors, values and civil society, on Tuesday, 16 September 2025. Download the Contribution [EN]
The contribution “Dare and care to invest in the future” has been elaborated by COMECE on the basis of input received from the members of its Commission on Culture and Education and its Youth Platform.
The document highlights how Europe’s key educational and cultural programmes – such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Creative Europe, and the European Solidarity Corps – have become essential pillars of European cooperation, identity and innovation.
Some of the representatives of the COMECE Youth Platform. (Photo: COMECE)
With this contribution, COMECE urges the institutions to commit to the future of European citizens by providing stronger financial support and urgent investments in study and training mobility, as well as support for the EU Member States, which hold the primary responsibility for building resilient and future-proof education systems and cultural environments.
“Especially in the next steps of the MFF negotiations until, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU should to take investments in Education, Culture and Youth to the next level, ensuring the Union can provide a favourable and socially cohesive environment for all its citizens to learn, train, create, innovate and become individuals aware of their identity, culture and indispensable role for the Common Good”, states H.E. Mgr. Janusz Stepnowski, President of the COMECE Commission on Culture and Education.
The members of the COMECE Commission on Culture and Education during a meeting in 2024. (Photo: COMECE)
The contribution also underlines the need to prioritise teachers’ mobility and non-formal education, particularly by joining forces with private education providers, as is the case for many Church organisations working in socio-economically disadvantaged contexts.
In the fields of culture and the creative sector, members of the COMECE Commission and the Youth Platform urged greater support for cross-border collaboration, the protection of heritage, and the development of initiatives to counter disinformation and strengthen public debate.
The COMECE contribution expresses criticism of the insufficient alignment of EU funding programmes with national policies, as well as of the complex reporting schedules and administrative burdens faced by small youth and volunteer-based organisations.
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Contribution “Dare and care to invest in the future” [EN]