EAEA welcomes the European Commission’s development of the EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness and emphasises the pivotal role of adult learning and education in supporting responses to the current age structure changes, fostering active ageing and intergenerational learning.

EAEA’S 2026 annual theme is closely linked to current EU priorities, especially the Democracy Package – including the Civil Society Strategy and the Democracy Shield initiative. At a time of rising Euroscepticism and threats to democratic values, adult education has the power to strengthen democracy by promoting civic engagement, critical thinking and participation.

On February 4-5, EAEA participated in a learning symposium and keynote speech around climate education research and action, in Geneva, Switzerland. The events were organised in the context of the Horizon Europe LEVERs project, in which EAEA is a partner.

EAEA’s Communication, Capacity-building and Membership Officer, Marina Sakač Hadžić, attended a conference on the topic of Remote Work & Social Change, taking place at the University of Antwerp on the 20th and 21st of January. She combines her work at EAEA with a PhD in law, bringing together insights from non-formal adult learning with ethnographic research.

Europe’s green and digital transitions are transforming labour markets, but many adults still lack the skills to keep up. The RESCALE project pilots Reskilling Labs to improve support for learners who are currently underrepresented in education.

In January 2026, educators gathered in Timișoara for another ETHLAE capacity-building activity. Representing special needs schools, specialised STEM schools, prison facilities, and Romania’s second chance education programme, these educators came together to explore a fundamental question: are we properly using technology in adult education?

The PRISCILA initiative wrapped its activities in December 2025, with the publication of the final guidelines dedicated to co-designing micro-credentials and flexible learning pathways for adults with a migrant background and to developing ALE educators’ competences in these areas.

Between 12–16 January 2026, EAEA organised its third edition of Project Design Training in Brussels, on how to write and conceptualise EU-funded projects in the field of Adult Learning and Education (ALE). This year’s edition highlighted the growing focus of the ALE sector on inclusion, life skills and community-building.

The European Association for the Education of Adults has joined the Call for Action: Towards a Rights-Based, Human- and Planet-Centered Youth and Adult Learning and Education (ALE) in Times of Digitalisation and AI, together with ASPBAE, DVV International and ICAE, to reaffirm the central role of adult learning in shaping a fair, democratic and inclusive digital transformation.

On January 7, the European Citizens’ Initiative “Food is a Human Right for All! Guaranteeing healthy, just and sustainable food systems” from Good Food 4 All started the collection of signatures. The initiative calls for the systematic guarantee of the right to food to promote healthy, just, humane, and sustainable food systems for present and future generations