Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, in a written answer on 3 July 2026, told a cross-party group of MEPs that the European Commission does not collect data on pregnant students in higher education, citing data protection rules, and lacks comparable EU-level statistics on students with children. Instead, she pointed to the EUROSTUDENT survey as a source of information on the challenges faced by student parents, and highlighted existing Erasmus+ provisions that encourage higher education institutions to prioritise participants with fewer opportunities, including students with children, and offer top-up grants for mobility.
The answer came in response to a parliamentary question led by Giusi Princi (PPE) and co-signed by 46 MEPs from across the political spectrum, including Antonella Sberna (ECR), Pina Picierno (S&D), and Leoluca Orlando (Verts/ALE). The question noted that while some member states have introduced childcare services and flexible learning pathways, a systemic EU approach to supporting parenthood in tertiary education is lacking. The MEPs asked whether the Commission would develop guidelines or recommendations for member states to address the issue.
Mînzatu's reply offered no commitment to new EU-level measures or data collection. She referenced the Erasmus+ programme guide for 2026, which stresses equal access for participants from all backgrounds, and noted that the programme provides top-up grants for students with fewer opportunities for both long and short-term mobility. The answer did not signal any intention to develop a systemic approach or issue recommendations, leaving the fragmented national measures as the primary response.
the Commission relies on existing programmes and voluntary institutional action rather than new harmonised rules or data gathering. The answer suggests that the Commission considers the issue best addressed at member-state level, with EU support channelled through Erasmus+ rather than through binding guidelines or a dedicated strategy. This approach leaves the burden on higher education institutions and national authorities to design and fund support for student parents, while the EU provides financial incentives for mobility but not for retention or completion of studies. Stakeholders most impacted include student parents, who face continued gaps in support; higher education institutions, which must decide whether to prioritise this group without EU mandates; and member states, which retain full policy discretion but lack EU-level data to benchmark progress.