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On 4 March 2021, the European Commission published the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan (Action Plan) centred around three headline targets, the second of which is to ensure at least 60% of adults participate in training every year by 2030. The Action Plan also devotes one of its three main sections to education and training and lists a series of actions to be taken both by the Commission and the Member States with a leading focus on skills. The first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights (Pillar) is translated into reskilling and upskilling actions with the corresponding initiatives mostly related to the green and digital transitions aimed at the working population of the EU. The Lifelong Learning Platform – European civil society for education – detects a discrepancy between the first principle expressed in the Pillar where lifelong learning is proclaimed as a right for all, and how it has been translated in the Action Plan, i.e. as a right for those who are labour market participants. This disparity between what is proclaimed and what the Action Plan upholds will form a central tenet of our reaction. A right for all should ensue a right for all, irrespective of an individual’s relationship to the labour market. Read the full reaction here

Even before the pandemic, approximately 1 in 4 children were growing up at risk of poverty and social exclusion across the European Union (EU). On 4 March, the European Commission launched its Communication for the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan . The Action Plan which calls on EU Member States to aim to lift at least 5 million children out of poverty by 2030, will be discussed among EU leaders on 7 and 8 May during the Porto Social Summit. On 24 March, the European Commission launched its proposal for a Council Recommendation establishing the Child Guarantee, a deliverable of the EPSR Action Plan. The Council Recommendation is expected to be adopted in June 2021 and currently, EU Member States are developing their positions. The EU Alliance for Investing in Children has been advocating for child poverty reduction and social inclusion since 2014. The upcoming Child Guarantee and the EPSR Action Plan represent important opportunities to ensure that EU Member States prioritise investing in children in the next years. For this reason, and given that the next two months can determine the future of these policies, the EU Alliance joins forces with the European Parliament and its Intergroup on Children’s Rights to further push the Council of the EU to adopt an ambitious Child Guarantee and to implement and even exceed the targets of the EPSR Action Plan. The European Parliament – EU Alliance for Investing in Children Manifesto on child poverty is expected to be launched on Tuesday 4 May 2021, prior to the Porto Social Summit. Read the Manifesto here

The EU’s new long-term budget for 2021-27, coupled with Next Generation EU is the single largest investment in the history of the European Union. Its core programme, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, is aimed at helping the EU economy recover from the pandemic crisis and foster an economic transformation that meets the targets of the green transition, the digital transformation and the resilience and inclusiveness of European societies. The general framework is set at the European level, while the concrete policies of investment are developed and implemented by the Member States. However what is often lacking in both, is a clear commitment to invest in the one strategic sector that will ensure the long-term transformation of our societies: Education. As highlighted in a report by Civil Society Europe1, the lack of transparency and participatory design of the National Recovery and Resilience (National Plans) phase is also a reason for alarm. This is especially true for Student Councils and Unions, Youth Organisations and Civil Society Organisations in general, who in many cases have been on the frontline of the Covid-19 emergency, addressing the gaps in Member States’ capacity for emergency response. We believe that for these investments to be effective, thorough consultation of the different stakeholders of the education community is paramount, both for designing and for implementing the measures. Read the full statement here

Announced in 2019, the Conference on the Future of Europe is a political process and forum, with the aim of igniting a pan-European, citizen-led debate on the direction of EU policies. The Conference is the first of its kind: the intention being to bring citizens, civil society, and a variety of other holders into the heart of EU decision making. The digital and green transitions provide the backdrop to the initiative’s development. The EU is hoping to give a direct voice to citizens, who will be able to suggest areas of concern and development within and beyond EU competences.   The Conference will be placed under the authority of the three institutions, represented by the President of the European Parliament, the President of the Council and the President of the European Commission, acting as its Joint Presidency. Unfortunately, despite the proclaims of the Conference being informed with a bottom-up approach, the Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe rejected a proposal from the European Parliament to include a representative of the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe as an observer. As LLLP, and as part of the Convention, we pledge to participate and monitor nonetheless the outcomes and the process of the Conference. Launch of a multilingual digital platform The 19th of April saw the Conference launching a multilingual digital platform created to enable citizens from across the EU participate directly in the Conference’s direction. National parliaments, regional authorities, civil society, social organisations and academia are also encouraged to participate. The platform will act as the Conference’s central hub, an arena where all contributions to the Conference will be collected and shared, including decentralised events, the European Citizens’ Panels and Conference Plenaries. The key ideas and recommendations drawn from the platform are set to be used as input for the European citizens’ panels and the Plenaries, where they will be discussed to form the Conference’s conclusions. The platform will also provide information on the Conference’s structure and work. President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, states: “ The platform represents a key tool to allow citizens to participate and have a say on the Future of Europe. We must be certain that their voices will be heard and that they have a role in the decision-making, regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic”.   Above all else, the platform is intended to set the scene for a greater degree of interaction, dialogue and exchange in relation to the future of the EU, essentially opening the floor to a broader set of voices than are usually heard. The conversations will be framed by a number of key topics including: climate change and the environment; health; a stronger and fairer economy; social justice and jobs; EU in the world; values and rights, rule of law, security; digital transformation; European democracy; migration; and education, culture, youth and sport.   The Lifelong Learning Platform believes in open, collaborative forms of decision-making, in line with the principles of European democracy. On our own, through the many networks in which we hold membership (Civil Society Europe, EESC Liaison Group, etc), and through the events and gatherings we organise with our membership, we intend to extensively contribute to the Conference. Because we believe in the essential role of organised civil society for the outlook of Europe on its future, and because the future of Europe is a Learning Europe .

On the 15th of April, MEP Victor Negrescu and MEP Eva Maydell launched the European Education Alliance in an online event with guest speakers Arja Krauchenberg, President of the Lifelong Learning Platform, and Larry Flanagan, President of the European Trade Union Committee for Education . The Alliance enjoys the support of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel who appeared in a video message where she commented on the synergies between this initiative and the achievement of the European Education Area. Briefly put, the European Education Alliance is an open platform which strives to bring different stakeholders together, such as MEPs, civil society organisations, social partners, enterprises and other actors, so as to raise the visibility of education and training in the EU landscape.   Born out of a need to widen the scope of how education is understood and valued at an EU policy level, the alliance recognises that education intersects with many other parts of our lives and should be given due regard. To this end, the Alliance, as a central tenet of its creation, seeks to raise the profile of education in its totality by strengthening its inclusion and relevance in all policy debates. In addition, the initiative aims to transcend the narrow conception of education as an endeavour to be compartmentalised into a brief period of one’s life – by promoting an alternative discourse that notices the benefits of education across the life-span.  In terms of immediate action, the Alliance will call on the need for adequate investment in education and training. The National Recovery and Resilience Plans which Member States are required to submit to access EU funding allocated to support recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, provides one such arena where this call is to be most imminently expressed. It has also been proposed that MEPs involved will mainstream education and training in all parliamentary activities, through amendments, reports, dialogue with the Commission and public hearings to ensure education receives adequate attention across policy lines. The emergence of such an Alliance, on the initiative of Members of the European Parliament, bears many positive outcomes. LLLP welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the initiative’s success by helping to ensure that the voice of civil society is sufficiently represented within EU policy debates. A genuine holistic and multistakeholder approach is paramount if we are to succeed in our endeavours.

On the 25th of March 2021, LLLP project team organised the final conference of the Tampada project on “Wider benefits of learning: Why and How to measure them” ( agenda of the conference ). LLLP was a partner in this EU-funded project which ran for 30-month. While the other partners hosted events at national level in Greece, Sweden, United Kingdom and Slovenia, LLLP opted for organising a European-wide conference in order to exchange practices and raise awareness on the importance of better measuring adult learners’ lifelong and lifewide progress. The conference was quite a success as it gathered over 140 participants from across the EU but also from as far as Japan, Australia and Pakistan! The conference was moderated by Susana Oliveira, LLLP Steering committee member. She welcomed the participants and invited them to share examples of wider benefits of learning using a virtual interactive tool (Mentimeter) – See the examples from participants . It seemed that most participants had already a very good awareness of what those examples can be, such as in social inclusion, citizenship. Presentation of Tampada project outcomes The introduction was followed by a presentation by Pauline, Project and Policy coordinator at LLLP, of the main Tampada project results ( download her presentation ). In her presentation, she outlined why there is a need for better monitoring and assessment of wider benefits of learning in adult education focusing on the European context. She raised the challenge that even though awareness on those benefits is increasing, initiatives to systematically measure them remain scare, fragmented, time-bounded and overall, insufficiently spread. The main results from Tampada are the publication of an “ Evidence collection toolkit and framework for tracking and monitoring the progress of disadvantaged learners ”, which defines AE outcomes under 4 areas: Development of self and life skills, Health and wellbeing, Employability, employment and learning, and Social, community and citizenship. The Toolkit also includes a 6-steps methodology that adult learning providers can follow to measure learners’ lifelong and lifewide progress. This Toolkit has been transformed in a user-friendly digital assessment tool that AEPs and educators can use to measure their learners’ progress. Stakeholders interested in using the tool can express their interest here in a Google Form . Finally, Pauline shared some recommendations from the project addressed to adult education stakeholders and policy-makers for further development of initiatives like Tampada. A Policy report is upcoming and will soon be published on the project website. Panel discussion with three speakers The project presentation was followed by a panel discussion involving a researcher from the Free University of Brussels (VUB and Chair of adult education at Unesco), a representative of adult education in Belgium-Flanders, as well as a policy-maker from the European Commission (Adult learning unit at DG EMPL). Maurice De Greef presented impressive research studies and their results ( download presentation ) on measuring adult learning outcomes. The Goal project was presented by Karine Nicolay emphasing as well the importance of open recognition ( download presentation ). Finally, Martina Ni Cheallaigh shared some European policy achievements, for instance with the Upskilling pathways Recommendation. She also mentioned a few other important EU policies such as the 2020 publication of the European Skills Agenda as well as the upcoming promising revision of the EU agenda of adult learning this year by the Slovenian Presidency of the EU (2nd semester of 2021).

The year 2021 marks the start of the European Education Area as well as of the renewed Digital Education Action Plan and therefore, an opportunity for Europe and Member States to reflect and build capacities to achieve its goals. However, Europe and its Member States face difficulties with citizens’ engagement in policy-making because of a lack of trust, knowledge and/or a lack of social dialogue. This is affecting the quality and efficiency of public services such as education and training. How can we promote EU cooperation in education, training and lifelong learning in national contexts? How can we plant the seed for the creation of a national lifelong learning platform in order to build bridges between sectors? The Lifelong Learning Platform is delighted to present its pilot activity, the Lifelong Learning Lab – National Training for Education Stakeholders. With this format, LLLP seeks to keep the momentum of EU cooperation to assess EU citizens’ capacity to participate in policy-making, suggest solutions and break silos in the education sectors. Further to this, and following the policy recommendation in its Feasibility study, LLLP would also like to explore the possibilities for national lifelong learning platforms. LLLP will be focusing these efforts on the Portuguese context, with the support of the Portuguese Presidency and other EU actors. The goals will be pursued through a two-day event during which LLLP will take participants through a wide range of topics, spacing from EU cooperation in education and training, to EU decision-making processes, and from civil society engagement to national contexts. Save the date for 1-2 June and stay tuned for more information!

In 2019, 22% of children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Now, with a COVID crisis that is threatening the health and well-being of children in Europe, this figure is bound to grow. Because of this, the European Commission has published the long-awaited EU Strategy on the rights of the child , which sets out principles, objectives, actions, and funding mechanisms for the protection and promotion of the rights of the child. LLLP has participated in extensive consultations in the past months and years, and its advocacy efforts have contributed to shaping this proposal for a Council recommendation.   A very comprehensive document, the Commission’s Communication identifies six thematic areas to address: ‘ Children as agents of change in democratic life ’. This includes – among other measures – the creation of an EU Children’s Participation Platform, of a participatory space in the  European Climate Pact. ‘ The right of children to realise their full potential no matter their social background ’. A key area, it established the European Child Guarantee, under which actins in member States will be funded. This section also highlights the need for universal quality early-childhood education and care.  ‘The right of children to be free from violence’ , which includes a series of measures against gender-based violence.  ‘ The right of children to child-friendly justice ’, with suggested actions to lighten the impact of justice on children. ‘ The right of children to safely navigate the digital environment and harness its opportunities ’, which will – among other things – suggest an updated Better Internet for Kids Strategy in 2022 ‘ The rights of children across the globe ’, through which the Commission will seek to alleviate conditions linked to child labour beyond Europe. Under the European Child Guarantee, EU Member States are recommended to provide free and effective access for children in need of: early childhood education and care education and school-based activities at least one healthy meal each school day healthcare Early-childhood education and care, as well as school education, play an important role in the Strategy and in the suggested Child Guarantee. Children with disabilities, children from disadvantaged groups, children with a migrant background and Roma children are particularly addressed throughout the strategy, testifying of a commitment towards the inclusion of disadvantaged groups. However, it is not clear how much of a tailored approach to learners’ needs will inform the actions: a learner-centred approach is proven to facilitate inclusion, participation, and to decrease the rate of early-leavers, which – today – still stagnates at around 10%.   The participation of children in decision-making processes is a positive development that meets LLLP’s expectations in terms of more open, democratic and humanistic education systems. At the same time, it must be mentioned that the revision of the Barcelona targets on the development of childcare facilities constitutes a laudable initiative: wide participation of education stakeholders, including parents, would be beneficial to a truly inclusive dialogue. Regretfully, though, the Strategy does not address lifelong learning as an enabling factor, and it does not mention the useful complementarity of other kinds of community hubs as a means for disadvantaged children to benefit from such services. It remains to be seen how Member States will address the need to guarantee universal access to basic services.   Indeed, while the Child Guarantee answers to pressuring needs, its implementation will be the initiative of Member States, and in particular to their Actions Plans. To this extent, it is good news that the Commission will report back on progress at the annual EU Forum on the Rights of the Child: an evaluation of the strategy will be conducted at the end of 2024, with the participation of children – and hopefully of organised civil society.   When it comes to funding, it is noteworthy to mention that “Member States that have a rate of child at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion higher than the EU average (in 2017-2019) will have to earmark 5% of the ESF+ for combating child poverty, while other Member States will be required to earmark an appropriate amount.” This earmark answers the call from civil society organisations, including that of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children of which LLLP is part .   Today, the Strategy for the Rights of the Child is a first step in the direction of universal access to early-childhood education and care. LLLP looks forward to further developments and to working with the European Commission on its implementation, including an EU Network for Children’s Rights. Read here the full document

On March 4th, the European Commission published its action plan to ‘turn principles into action’ and achieve what was set forth by the European Pillar of Social Rights .   The Action Plan establishes three headline targets for the EU to be achieved by 2030: At least 78% of people aged 20 to 64 should be in employment. At least 60% of all adults should participate in training every year. The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion should be reduced by at least 15 million. Undisputedly good news is the renewed focus on education, training and lifelong learning as a social right. This progress was already apparent in the European Pillar of Social Rights, but the fact that it is making its way up to the top priority testifies that the EU understands the intrinsic value of learning as beneficial to individuals and societies. The importance set on adult learning is particularly telling: it is a noteworthy leap forward from the 15% in the ET2020 framework to the 60% which is the current target. However, it is important to highlight that education and training should really be seen and funded as rights and for their value, not just as gateways or paths to employment – as the underlying concepts of the action plan seem to imply.   At the same time, the European Commission set to achieve the following objective within the same heading: at least 80% of those aged 16-74 should have basic digital skills, a precondition for inclusion and participation in the labour market and society in a digitally transformed Europe.  early-school leaving should be further reduced and participation in upper secondary education increased. These targets build on those set out in the European Skills Agenda , the Council Recommendation on Vocational education and training , and in the Council Resolution on the European Education Area . How to achieve these ambitious goals? The ESF+, with EUR 88 billion, will continue to be the EU’s main instrument to support the implementation of the Social Pillar and achieve the three EU headline targets proposed; other programmes will play an important role as well – the Just Transition Fund, Erasmus+, AMF, HorizonEurope to name a few. These pledges fall within the long-established strategy to break down silos and can only be regarded with favour. However, a more explicit alignment with the UN 2030 Agenda would make the case for a better transition and a more prominent holistic approach.   So, what’s missing from the Action Plan? We are. The involvement of education and social actors. While stakeholder consultations are foreseen for some more technical sectors related to employment, social partners and civil society actors seem to have gone lost with the education goals. The implementation of the Pillar’s principle will be crucial: will it also be inclusive? Find out more. Check out the Factsheet and read the whole Action Plan

The EU’s co-legislators reached an agreement on the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) which for the first time, includes a specific objective and earmarking aimed at fighting child poverty through access to education and other services. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, 1 in 4 children across the EU was growing up at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The pandemic and the socio-economic consequences that it has brought have already affected children and their families significantly. Child poverty levels are now likely to escalate, making it even more urgent to act on, preventing the impact of the crisis from growing further and mitigating its devastating effects on children’s lives, today and in the future. As part of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children, the Lifelong Learning Platform contributed to a statement highlighting the next priorities for early childhood education and care in Europe. Read the full statement.

The current pandemic has disrupted education and training systems across the continent but while doing so, it has raised many questions for its future, too. It has highlighted the dire need for young people and adults to gain greater competences, knowledge and skills as the sole opportunity for a fair, just and sustainable recovery of Europe, as well as for re-orienting the economy toward a green, digital and inclusive kind. What we have witnessed due to the Covid-19 crisis has been a shift to the “virtual world” becoming central if not essential; learners and teaching staff forced to switch to emergency distance learning overnight; parents who have had to support their children in learning from home and most jobs, if not lost, mandatorily carried out remotely. This is obviously the best-case scenario for the luckiest among us who could afford to take care of each other and have had access to the right infrastructure, not to mention competences and resilience. Consequently, mental health has also become a serious issue , especially for young people, and a key focus as people have been isolated for long periods of time and, in too many cases, made feel redundant.   With this statement, we wish to call for European Institutions and Member States to ensure that the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) seriously commit to robust investment and public expenditure in public services such as education and training. Read the full statement here

The Lifelong Learning Platform is delighted to announce that it has joined the ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning (ASEM LLL Hub) in its Advisory Board. The ASEM LLL Hub was launched in Copenhagen in May 2005. It is a network that promotes dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in order to create foundations for evidence-based educational reforms. The Hub is composed of Asian and European universities that are involved in lifelong learning research and supportive of inter-regional exchanges and co-operative efforts. At the same time, LLLP joined the Expert Group on Inclusive and Flexible Lifelong Learning Pathways for the 8th ASEF Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC8) . The ASEF Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC) – formerly called the ASEF Rectors’ Conference and Students’ Forum – is the Official Dialogue Partner of the ASEM Education Ministers Meeting (ASEMME) and the only bi-regional multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for university and student leaders, policy makers and ministers to discuss higher education issues and shape the education landscape in Asia and Europe. Past editions of ARC have brought together over 746 university, student and thought leaders representing 423 organisations from 51 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) countries to discuss emerging higher education issues concerning both regions and to inform ASEM policy makers. We look forward to the internationalisation of education and training and to exploring new partnerships!