The European Education Area is an initiative originated in 2017 by European leaders which supports the cooperation among European Union Member States for building and promoting training and educational systems which are inclusive and resilient. The first measures have been adopted in 2018 and 2019 and the general vision renewed in 2020.
The essence of EEA lies in the idea that European civil society, its citizens and economies can be vitalised, empowered, fulfilled and sustained only through an inclusive and quality high educational and training structure offering its perks all along citizens ‘lifespan through a lifelong learning approach. The two years COVID-19 pandemic we are living in has been contributing to further underline the necessity to remove all those obstacles and barriers affecting EU citizens in their full and pain-free participation to the job market and society and contribution to Europe societal and economic prosperity through learning and skills development. Policy initiatives linked to the EEA are the European Pillar of Social Rights; the European Research Area and the European Skills Agenda.
In November 2021, the European Parliament in Plenary has been releasing and adopting The report on the European Education Area: a shared holistic approach (link) as a reply to the Commission communication on achieving the European Education Area by 2025 and to the Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030).
In November 2021, the European Parliament in Plenary has been releasing and adopted “The report on the European Education Area: a shared holistic approach“, as a reply to the Commission communication on achieving the European Education Area by 2025 and to the Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030).
This report, by MEP Michaela Šojdrová, is aimed at supporting the realisation of the full potential of EEA which is perceived: “…the EEA, improvement in its organization, focus on permeability and accessibility within the European programmes, as a new opportunity for the personal development of every single European citizen, but also as a tool to increase the prosperity of each region and strengthen the competitiveness of the EU as a whole.”.