Twenty years after the Lisbon strategy, education policy in the European Union (EU) is at a critical juncture, with a new set of strategic goals endorsed for the 2021-2030 decade. This article examines the complex interplay of ideas, institutions and actors, in articulating education policy priorities in the new European Education Area (EEA).…

Micro-credentials are an emerging phenomenon all over the world. They are seen as instrumental in supporting upskilling and reskilling in response to transformations in labour markets. New technologies and the green and digital transition are changing skills demand , and for such a transition, people will need to keep up-to-date and ensure their…

The purpose of this study is to trace and document the emerging contours of a Vocational Training, Adult Education and Lifelong Learning (VTAELL) space in the EU via an examination of the policy framework built over time in this area over more than six decades, from the inception of today's European Union to the present day. Nineteen key primary…

The "Memorandum on Lifelong Learning" was launched in October 2000 by the European Commission and has been debated ever since in all member states of the European Union, leading to the publication of a follow-up document in 2001 which promoted a "European area of lifelong learning". The "Memorandum" was a unique…

Lifelong learning comprises all learning undertaken throughout life, with a view to improving knowledge, qualifications and competences within a personal, civic, social or employment-related perspective. This EU definition, which is still valid today, was laid down in the document 'Creating a European area of lifelong learning in 2001.' Lifelong…

This chapter focuses on the European Semester and its yearly cycle of policy coordination of fiscal and macroeconomic policies within the European Union (EU). It traces the shifts that occurred through the first codification of the European Semester in 2011, and up to 2018, from softer to more binding procedures, which set the EU agenda well…

This comparative study traces the foundation and development of vocational and career guidance services in three Central and Eastern European countries in the light of the contextually bound factors of this region. Since the beginning of the 20th century, political transitions and changes in the ruling structures in these countries were so…

In the framework of European countries' cooperation on VET and lifelong learning, Cedefop monitors, analyses and reports on countries' priorities and activities. Cedefop's role in the process is pivotal: it gathers the necessary national information through its network of expertise spanning all EU Member States, Iceland and Norway, ReferNet, and…

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the change in the vision of vocational education within the scope of the "Modernization of Vocational and Technical Education Project" (MTEM) and "Strengthening the Vocational Education and Training System" (MEGEP) financed by the EU, which was concluded by the Ministry of…

Purpose: The current student selection process for short-term mobility actions under the Erasmus + program (i.e. intensive programs and blended intensive programs) is based exclusively on the students' order of enrolment and their grades. This study offers an alternative approach using the analytic hierarchy process based on a four-layer model…

The adoption of the European Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development (2022) notes the critical role of education, and demonstrates the commitment of Member States to the attainment of sustainable futures. This Recommendation established a solid political foundation for co-operation in the European…

The European Union has set the goal to make lifelong learning a reality for more people through the creation of flexible pathways to improve access to higher levels of education and employment. Validation of non-formal and informal learning (VNFIL), which is intended to make learning from everyday work and life visible, is an important means to…

The possibility to participate in education and lifelong learning has been introduced in EU disability policy in recent decades as one of the key means to improve the socioeconomic position of disabled persons. Simultaneously, lifelong learning has been developed as the defining concept of EU education policy to increase social cohesion and…

In the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, European authorities reinforced the economic objectives of European lifelong learning policy, promoting employability solutions to address youth unemployment, and increasing their political influence on the implementation of national lifelong learning reforms. This article investigates to what…

The aim of this article is to examine how EU lifelong learning policies are trying to reach the vulnerable by looking at what measures against social exclusion they offer and how equitable these measures are. It is a qualitative study that focuses on policy documents that form the European Union's legal and political frameworks of reference in the…