Programme countries, partner countries, and where most VET mobility actually happens in practice.
Erasmus+ distinguishes between Programme Countries — the EU member states plus a small number of associated countries such as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye — and Partner Countries elsewhere in the world, which are eligible for mobility under more limited conditions. For VET learner mobility specifically, the large majority of projects take place between Programme Countries.
Because eligibility for individual countries can shift between programme cycles, it's worth checking current status with your National Agency for anything outside the core EU member states, rather than relying on older lists.
In practice, VET student mobility clusters around countries with an established base of host organisations able to place students by profession — cities with a wide enough range of companies to match tourism, IT, engineering, gastronomy and other vocational fields at once. Southern and Western Europe, including Portugal, Spain, Italy and Malta, host a significant share of VET placements for schools from Central and Eastern Europe.
The Erasmus+ programme emblem, co-funded by the European Union.
Beyond eligibility, the deciding factors for most schools are practical: does the destination have enough host companies in the students' fields of study, is there a reliable local partner to manage placements and welfare, is the cost of living manageable within the funding available, and is the destination safe and accessible for a group of minors or young adults. Portugal, and Lisbon specifically, scores well on all four — we cover this in more detail in why choose Portugal for an Erasmus+ mobility.
What makes Portugal a strong, practical choice of destination.
Read more → Portugal & LisbonWhat Lisbon specifically offers VET groups.
Read more → Erasmus+The programme structure behind every destination choice.
Read more →DNA Europe supports vocational schools in Romania, Italy and Poland with Erasmus+ VET mobility in Lisbon — from the first placement idea to the final report.
