25.02.2015

Commissioner Malmström answers to EAEA’s concerns on TTIP

After hearing rumors suggesting that adult education would be part of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), EAEA wrote to Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström last November, to ask for her support in excluding adult education from TTIP. EAEA believes that adult education is a public good and that it should not be part of any trade agreement.

In her letter, Commissioner Malmström underlines that “the Commission is fully aware of the sensitivity of the education sector and will therefore continue to provide the necessary protection for the sector”. Concerning the investor-state-dispute-settlement (ISDS) in TTIP, the Commissioner highlighted that “neither the European Commission, nor EU Member States or the European Parliament would consider an agreement that would lower our standards or limit our government’s right to regulate.”

EAEA will continue to follow-up the developments of the TTIP negotiations in the upcoming months and advocate for the exclusion of education and public services in general in the TTIP agreement.

Text: EAEAPhotos: EAEA

06.10.2026 EAEA Grundtvig Award 2026

EAEA Grundtvig Award 2026 publication out now

Get to know the innovative projects that applied for the 2026 EAEA Grundtvig Award on Resilience and Community-Building!

05.10.2026 ABC of ALE

Resilience-building in ALE from a community perspective at the ABC of ALE training 2026

What is the role of ALE in strengthening our democratic societies? How can we build community and resilience? These were the core questions of the ABC of ALE training 2026, organised from 28 September to 1 October by EAEA and supported by CVO Crescendo.

02.10.2026 advocacy

Adult Learning for a Changing World

To strengthen adult education worldwide and reinforce commitment to advancing adult learning and education (ALE), while recognising both its challenges and its important role in society, 142 UNESCO Member States adopted the Marrakech Framework for Action (MFA) in June 2022. Four years on from the adoption of the 2022 MFA, we now identify three central issues that EAEA believes deserve more attention: basic skills education, the digitalisation of work and global responsibility.