What the Council Has Proposed

On 23 July 2026, the Council of the European Union published draft regulation document ST 8265/26, outlining the framework for the next Erasmus+ programme covering the period 2028 to 2034. The proposal covers education, training, youth and sport, and represents the first formal institutional articulation of how EU-funded learning mobility will be structured after the current programme cycle ends.

Within the sport chapter, the draft explicitly names 'people active in grassroots sport, including sport staff' as eligible participants for learning mobility. It identifies grassroots sports organisations and physical activity delivered for health, educational and social purposes as programme priorities. This is not incidental language — it signals a deliberate extension of Erasmus+ eligibility into community-level sport and exercise delivery roles.

Why This Matters for the Fitness Sector

The draft's framing is broad enough to encompass fitness instructors, personal trainers, exercise referral coordinators and community physical activity practitioners. If adopted in its current form, the regulation would create a structured EU funding pathway for cross-border professional development in roles that have historically sat at the margins of Erasmus+ eligibility.

For training providers, the implication is practical: organisations seeking to develop or fund qualification pathways with an international dimension would likely need to demonstrate alignment with the programme's stated priorities — inclusion, evidence-informed participation, and learning mobility. Providers that cannot articulate how their programmes serve these goals may find themselves outside the scope of eligible activities when calls open post-2028.

For fitness professionals, the proposal is a potential mechanism for accessing structured training or qualification recognition projects across EU Member States — an area where cross-border mobility has remained legally and administratively inconsistent.

A Proposal, Not Yet Law

It is essential that training schools and sector employers read this development accurately. ST 8265/26 is a draft regulation. It has not been adopted. Its practical effects depend on the final text agreed between the Council and the European Parliament, the budget ultimately allocated to the sport strand, and the design of subsequent Erasmus+ calls by the Commission's executive agencies.

The timeline matters here. The current Erasmus+ programme runs to 2027. The proposed programme would begin in 2028, meaning any funding opportunities arising directly from this regulation are at minimum 18 months away from becoming operational — and that assumes the proposal moves through the legislative process without significant revision.

The HEPA Signal Running in Parallel

A second EU policy signal adds context. The European Commission confirmed on 22 September 2026 that it intends to work with Member States and the World Health Organization on a revised Council Recommendation on health-enhancing physical activity, referred to as HEPA, in 2027. The existing recommendation, which promotes cross-sectoral national policies and standardised data collection on physical activity levels, is not currently a binding instrument.

A revised HEPA recommendation could, however, influence national expectations for workforce capability in exercise promotion — and, by extension, what competencies training schools are expected to deliver. Fitness providers operating in countries where health and sport ministries share regulatory responsibility for the sector should monitor this process closely.

What Training Schools and Employers Should Do Now

Given that both developments are pre-legislative, the appropriate response is preparatory rather than reactive. Specifically:

• Training providers should assess whether their current programme structures and learning outcomes can be articulated against Erasmus+ priorities — mobility, inclusion, health outcomes and evidence-based delivery. Programmes that cannot demonstrate this alignment may be disadvantaged when funding calls open.

• Accreditation-seeking schools should ensure their quality frameworks are internationally legible. Erasmus+ mobility projects require partner recognition across Member States, and qualification transparency is a prerequisite.

• Employers and facility operators should track how the HEPA revision process develops through 2027, particularly in countries where health ministry guidance already influences exercise referral or community fitness contracts.

The Council document confirms that the programme should 'support participation in sport and physical activity for all.' For the fitness industry, the question is whether its qualification infrastructure and provider networks are positioned to meet that standard when the funding becomes available.