EAEA's reflections on the future of adult learning in Europe were published in a background paper in December 2019.
13.01.2020

After the EU elections: what will the future of adult learning look like?

The new European Parliament and the new European Commission have started their work on the new portfolios in the second half of 2019. The European Union will have to take a clear direction on issues such as sustainability, democracy, and demographic changes. An EAEA working group explored these issues. The results were published in a background paper in December 2019.

Before the EU elections in May 2019, we launched a campaign in which EAEA and its members asked MEP candidates of all political groups how they wanted to support and promote adult learning. Their answers were published on a dedicated website. Half a year later, the new Members of the European Parliament, as well as the new European Commission, have started their work on the new portfolios.

The European Parliament and the European Commission will have to negotiate the follow-up programmes of Europe 2020, including Education and Training 2020 (short: ET2020). Great Britain will (probably) leave the European Union at the end of January, while other countries are planning to join the EU. Europe faces a number of challenges, such as sustainability, democracy, digitisation and automation, and changing demographics. New European programmes and frameworks will have to take these challenges into consideration and find answers to them.

What does this mean for adult learning? An EAEA working group explored these issues. The results were published in a background paper in December 2019.

EAEA background paper on the future of adult learning in Europe (pdf)

 

Text: EAEAPhotos: EAEA

08.07.2026 activism

Resilience means giving genuine decision-making power to local actors - EAEA's annual event's panel discussion

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30.06.2026 EAEA Annual Conference

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The EAEA Annual Conference 2026 explored resilience as a collective process, highlighting the role of adult learning in strengthening communities in times of uncertainty.