Whether an organisation can apply to an EU call also depends on the country where it is based, and for some countries the situation may change from 2027. I explain what the official sources show today and what is still not confirmed, programme by programme.
Associated country and associated partner: two different things
An associated country is a non-EU country that has an agreement with the Union and takes part in a programme almost like a Member State. An associated partner is something else: an organisation. The Erasmus+ Guide section on Cooperation Partnerships describes it as an entity that contributes to specific project tasks but, for eligibility and contractual management purposes, is not considered a project partner and receives no funding from the programme. To form the partnership, the Guide requires at least three organisations from three different EU Member States or third countries associated to the programme. In other Key Action 2 actions the text is more explicit still: associated partners and affiliated entities do not count towards the minimum requirements of the consortium.
Erasmus+: the situation today
The Guide page on eligible countries (Erasmus+ Guide 2026, version of 12 November 2025) separates countries that “can fully take part in all the Actions” from those that can take part only in certain actions, under specific conditions. The list below is the one in the 2026 Guide and describes the current situation. A note in the Guide specifies that the list of associated countries is subject to the signature of the relevant association agreements.
- Associated: North Macedonia, Serbia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Türkiye.
- Not associated, Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro.
- Not associated, Eastern Neighbourhood: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
- Not associated, others: among them Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
In Cooperation Partnerships, organisations from non-associated countries in regions 1 to 3 can take part as partners, never as applicants or coordinators, if their participation brings an essential added value and the minimum of three organisations from three EU Member States or associated countries is already met. Belarusian organisations are not eligible. For Georgia, a note in the Guide states that Georgian authorities are not eligible under any action.
Erasmus+ from 2027
For 2027 the Erasmus+ annual work programme (decision C(2026) 7171 of 15 October 2026) lists as associated third countries Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Türkiye and Serbia, joined by Switzerland and the United Kingdom “subject to complying with all the conditions of the respective association agreement”. The 2027 call will be followed by the 2027 Erasmus+ Guide, which will set out the eligibility requirements action by action.
United Kingdom: on 30 March 2026 the Council of the EU adopted Decision (EU) 2026/833 on the Union’s position regarding the amendments to Protocol I that allow UK participation in Erasmus+ in 2027. Decision No 1/2026 of the EU-UK Specialised Committee, dated 15 April 2026, amends Protocol I of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement: it enters into force on adoption and applies from 1 January 2027. UK participation is conditional on notifying a national authority, designating a national agency and an independent audit body, and on the Commission’s ex-ante assessment of the national agency. For award procedures linked to budget commitments up to 2026, the rules for non-associated countries continue to apply. On 15 April 2026 the Commission announced the association for 2027.
Switzerland: the agreement on EU programmes was signed on 10 November 2025 and plans Erasmus+ association from 2027, subject to Swiss Parliament approving the funding. According to the Movetia update of 23 October 2026, the Council of States approved CHF 192.6 million on 1 October and the National Council Finance Committee did so on 16 October. The National Council plenary vote is expected in December 2026 and an optional referendum remains possible. If association does not go ahead, the Swiss substitute programme would continue: the outcome stays open until the December vote.
Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and the non-associated Western Balkans do not appear among the associated countries for 2027 listed in the work programme: they remain non-associated countries.
Creative Europe in 2027
The 2027 annual work programme has a section on third-country participation. In 2027 Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway take part and, among candidate and potential candidate countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine, but the level of participation varies. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine take part in all strands. For Moldova the agreement foresees full participation, but MEDIA and Cross-sectoral participation is still pending and depends on written confirmation from the Union that the Audiovisual Media Services Directive conditions are met. Georgia takes part fully in Culture and Cross-sectoral and only partly in MEDIA. Armenia and Tunisia take part in the Culture strand, and Tunisia has been suspended from MEDIA and Cross-sectoral since 31 January 2024. Countries that do not meet the Directive conditions and have no neighbourhood derogation can take part only in the Culture strand and in the Creative Europe Desks.
Kosovo is included among the associated countries taking part in 2027, under a designation that is without prejudice to positions on status. The work programme does not place it among the countries with full participation or among those with partial MEDIA participation, and it does not specify the level of access for each strand.
CERV
The official list of CERV participating countries (version 10.0 of 1 August 2025) names Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine, all for every strand except Union Values. The agreements apply from 1 January 2023 for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Ukraine, from 1 January 2024 for Moldova and Montenegro, and from 1 January 2025 for North Macedonia. Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein do not take part, and no other country has confirmed interest. The same countries appear in the DG Justice update of 14 October 2025. No changes are indicated for 2027.
What this means in practice
The country where an organisation is registered decides whether it can be a full beneficiary, can join a project only as a partner, or is not eligible. The reference to check is always the text of the individual call on the Funding & Tenders Portal. For Erasmus+ 2027 the action by action conditions will be those of the 2027 Guide: until it is published, the 2026 Guide describes the current situation.