The future of the European Education Area

How far are we from a fully functional European Education Area and what is needed for its further development?

In September 2020 and February 2021, the path towards the European Education Area (EEA) was set out with the publication of two main strategic documents (the EEA Communication and the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the EEA and beyond). They aim to develop the EEA as a common European area for quality and inclusive education at all levels, including non-formal and lifelong learning. The implementation of the EEA has been divided into two phases, until 2025 and then 2026-2030. This year marks the end of the first phase of this process, and the current Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU should see a review of the entire framework and the setting of concrete steps, priorities and objectives for its second phase.

To this end, the European Commission, at the end of June, published an interim report on progress made so far in establishing the EEA. The report assesses the EEA in terms of its effectiveness, coherence, European added value, relevance and its priority areas, including the impact at the European and national levels. It concludes that the EEA's objectives are gradually being achieved and that the strategic framework supports and deepens cooperation in education across the EU, even though education is fully within the competence of the Member States and the EU can only issue recommendations in this area.

The entire evaluation includes several documents: the evaluation Report, including an annex that specifies current targets and proposes their adjustment and extension for the next period; an accompanying "Staff working document", which assesses in detail the results achieved and individual aspects of the EEA, and also describes the collection of data from various sources on which the evaluation is based; and a Support Study.

High added value at EU level, but also room for improvement

As one of the EEA's main strengths the report cites the clear added value at EU level, where common priorities and objectives increase the effectiveness of European cooperation and help better coordinate activities at national levels. The EEA’s governance structure at EU level is set up effectively, including thematic working groups and peer-learning activities for Member States. These contribute to sharing good practices and support the further development of the EEA. EU-wide cooperation has also contributed to overcoming crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the integration of pupils and students who came to the EU from Ukraine.

At EU level, the report cites, for example, the European Universities or the Teacher Academies under the Erasmus+ programme among the most successful initiatives. It also notes that several reforms have also taken place at the national levels over the past five years. In Czechia, it highlights the review of digital education, including curriculum modernisation, teacher support, and support for lifelong learning with a focus on disadvantaged groups. As another positive, it mentions the increased investment in digital infrastructure and skills development through the National Recovery Plan and the Technical Support Instrument. Detailed information on the impact of the EEA and national reforms in Czechia is available in the annexes of the Support Study (Annex 6. National Case Studies, pages 159-166).

The report further identifies areas where there is room for improvement. These include, in particular, the development of basic skills, addressing the shortage of teachers and STEM graduates, the demand for mobility exceeding the available budget, low participation of adults in lifelong learning, and continuing inequalities in learning across EU regions and for different population groups. In the context of strategic governance, the report states that in order to fully achieve the potential of the EEA, it would be good to improve governance structures and better allocate responsibilities for individual parts and steps of the entire EEA framework. It also mentions monitoring and data collection as areas where further work is needed. This would allow for a better understanding of the specific impact of national reforms and policies in particular, and would lead to the creation of new, evidence-based policies.

Priorities and recommendations for the second phase of the EEA

The evaluation report shows that the priorities set for the first phase of the EEA’s development are still relevant and valid. However, the overall situation in Europe has changed and the second phase of the EEA needs to respond to these changes and developments. It should therefore take into account new strategies and initiatives in the areas of supporting EU competitiveness, developing skills, addressing skills shortages on the labour market and promoting European values. The report clearly states that education and training are essential for achieving European objectives and should be considered as one of the main political priorities.

The report makes several proposals to the Council of the EU that could be taken into account in the review of the strategic framework and development of the EEA for the period 2026-2030. These proposals are based on current needs at the EU level and include a recommendation to link the EEA firmly with the Union of Skills. The report considers it very important to better and more effectively link education policies with employment, economic and financial policies. Another important step is to strengthen the link with the European Semester, which, according to the Union of Skills, should include specific recommendations for Member States in the field of education. This could support investment and innovation in education at all levels.

The report also suggests linking the sectoral objectives of the current phase of the EEA with the thematic objectives of the Union of Skills. To the current horizontal strategic priorities the report recommends adding greater support for STEM fields, an emphasis on the development of basic skills, support for teachers, lifelong learning (including skills development) and education for active citizenship. The report proposes to add specific measurable targets for the second phase of the EEA, such as a minimum percentage of pupils achieving sufficient knowledge in the area of education for active citizenship (85%), or a percentage of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving good results in reading, mathematics or science (25%). It also proposes to reduce the current target for early school leaving (from 9% to 7%) and to increase the current target for tertiary education attainment (from 45% to 50%).

Finally, the report proposes to make greater use of EEA “flagship” initiatives, such as the European Degree and the STEM Education Strategic plan, to support more effective structural reforms. The report also commits the European Commission to continue to promote cooperation and sharing of good practices and experiences, to support the improvement of the quality of education through programmes such as Erasmus+ and others, and to provide individualised support to individual Member States.

You can read more information in the different sections of the evaluation report itself at the EEA Portal.