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European Education Area

The European Education Area fosters collaboration among EU countries in the area of education, with the aim to build more resilient and inclusive national education and training systems.

What is the European Education Area?

The ambition of the EU is to enable all EU citizens to receive the best education and training.

Though each member state is responsible for its education and training system, the EU plays a key supporting role. It encourages cooperation and the exchange of good practice between member states, and supplements national efforts and reforms.

Education is crucial in bringing EU citizens together and for the future of individuals and the EU as a whole. All Europeans should be able to benefit from the diverse common cultural and educational heritage.

The European Pillar of Social Rights states that everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that allow full participation in society and successful transitions in the labour market.

The European Education Area fosters collaboration among EU countries in the area of education, with the aim of building more resilient and inclusive national education and training systems.

Why do we need it?

Education and training are the best investments in Europe’s future. They play a vital role in boosting growth, innovation and job creation. Europe’s education and training systems need to give people the forward-looking knowledge, skills and competences they need to innovate and prosper.

Education should help empower young people to articulate and engage, participate and shape the future of a Europe characterised by democracy, solidarity and inclusion.

Main initiatives within the European Education Area

High on the European political agenda to enable young people to receive the best education and training and eventually secure jobs, the EU proposes many new and revamped initiatives.

Erasmus+

Spending time abroad to study and learn should be the norm within an increasingly inclusive Europe. The Erasmus+ programme boosts learning mobility throughout Europe and beyond.

EU citizens should have a strong sense of their identity as Europeans, of Europe’s cultural heritage and its diversity. They also have an important role to play in creating a European identity, building on common values and cultures.

The EU wants to do more to encourage participation in this programme.

Digital skills and education

Digital technology enriches learning in a variety of ways and offers learning opportunities, which must be accessible to all. It is important to improve learning and teaching in the digital age, to upskill and reskill learners and educators by providing digital skills training programmes.

The adaptation of education and training systems and infrastructure to the digital age is foreseen through the Erasmus+ programme.

The EU supports the modernisation of education and training systems through innovation - pedagogical and innovative use of digital technologies. The aim is to develop digital competences and media literacy skills among all EU citizens to:

  • build resilience to disinformation and propaganda
  • encourage use of technologies for own well-being and civic participation

Higher education

There are specific challenges for Europe's higher education sector and a need to strengthen collaboration between higher education institutions. Apart from the proven added value of Erasmus+ learning mobility and strategic EU partnerships, some other measures are in the pipeline:

  • develop a network of European Universities
  • multilingual learning
  • the recognition of qualifications
  • develop joint education and research programmes and projects
  • encourage life long learning
  • improve learning mobility by proposing a voluntary European student card

European Universities

The European Universities initiative was launched in 2018 as a flagship initiative of the European Education Area. European Universities are ambitious transnational alliances of higher education institutions developing long-term structural and strategic cooperation. Alliances must bring together minimum of three higher education institutions from three EU or other Erasmus programme countries.

High quality and inclusive education

Everyone should be able to access high quality education, irrespective of their socio-economic background. The EU is working to provide all children including those from socio-economically disadvantaged regions as well as those from all socio-economic backgrounds, access to early childhood education and care systems.

The EU aims to ensure high quality and inclusive education to support development of all learners. More can be done to promote the attractiveness and importance of the teacher profession and that of other educational staff and support their continuous upskilling.

It is necessary to join forces to reduce early school leaving in Europe and increase the opportunities for equal access to education.

Language learning

Knowing two languages in addition to one’s mother tongue should become standard. Multilingual competence should be seen as an important building block of a European Education Area. It fosters understanding and diversity and helps to promote European values. The EU would like to adopt and improve measures aimed at promoting multilingualism, enhancing the quality and efficiency of language learning and teaching.

Recognition of qualifications

School and higher education qualifications should be recognised across the EU. In order to ensure a seamless mobility of learners across there needs to be more cooperation between education and training systems, to encourage the academic recognition of qualifications and periods of study abroad.

Background

The idea to create a European Education Area was first endorsed by European leaders at the 2017 Social Summit in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Council adopted conclusions on moving towards a vision of a European Education Area on 23 May 2018.

In September 2020, the Commission outlined its renewed vision for the European Education Area and the concrete actions to achieve it. The Council adopted a resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training for the period 2021-2030 on 26 February 2021.

The EU and its member states are developing initiatives to make the European Education Area a reality by 2025.

See also

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Last review: 4 February 2025