EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 18.11.2022 SWD(2022) 750 final COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on progress towards the achievement of the European Education Area















{COM(2022) 700 final} - {SWD(2022) 751 final}



Table of contents Introduction Actions and (policy) reforms towards the EEA 4 I.1. Progress in implementing EEA actions at the EU-level I.1.1. Policy objectives and EU actions to promote cooperation and reforms towards the EEA – state of play and overall assessment I.1.2. State of play on implementation of EEA actions I.1.2.1. Quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality in education and training I.1.2.2. Green and digital transitions I.1.2.3. Teachers and trainers I.1.2.4. Higher education I.1.2.5. Lifelong learning and mobility I.1.2.6. Geopolitical dimension I.2. More and better investment for implementing action and reforms towards the EEA at national and local level I.2.1. Ensuring quality of investment through an evidence-informed approach to policy design and evaluation in education I.2.2. Mobilising EU funds I.2.3. Implementing actions and reforms towards the EEA in the Member States 1.2.3.1 Quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality 1.2.3.2 Green and digital transitions

1.2.3.3 Teachers and trainers 1.2.3.4 Higher education 1.2.3.5 Lifelong learning and mobility 1.2.3.6 Geopolitical dimension Improving EEA governance 43 II.1. Reformed EEA governance and co-creation processes II.1.1. Introduction: context and rationale for governance reforms II.1.2. Towards a stronger political steer, more synergies and impact II.1.3. EEA strategic framework working groups and other Commission expert groups as key pillars of co-creation II.1.4. Other fora and channels for co-creation II.1.5. EEA Portal for enhanced transparency, dissemination and impact II.2. Improved performance monitoring and analysis of progress towards EU-level targets II.2.1. Introduction II.2.2. Three domains for new EU-level indicators or targets II.2.2.1. Inclusion and equity II.2.2.2. Teaching profession II.2.2.3. Sustainability and greening of education and training systems II.2.3. Supporting indicators for the existing EU-level target domains II.2.3.1. A toolbox for early childhood education and care II.2.3.2. A toolbox for early school leaving

II.2.3.3. A toolbox for work-based learning in VET II.2.3.4. A toolbox for tertiary educational attainment II.2.3.5. A toolbox for adult learning II.2.3.6. A toolbox for key competences and basic skills II.2.3.7. A toolbox for digital skills Summary of main findings 63



Introduction The vision of a European Education Area in which learning, studying and doing research would not be hampered by borders was set out for the first time in 2017 in the Commission’s contribution to the Gothenburg Social Summit, and is rooted in decades of European cooperation in education and training. The first initiatives towards the European Education Area were launched in 2018, but it was the Commission Communication on Achieving the European Education Area by 2025 (EEA Communication) that set out a comprehensive and detailed agenda for the European Union to improve access to quality education for all. This approach includes a framework of cooperation, clear focus areas with dedicated objectives for action, cooperation and reform, concrete EU-level initiatives to support Member States in achieving the European Education Area, and a set of proposed EU-level targets. The Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) was also adopted in September 2020 as an integral part and key enabler of the EEA vision, and a major contributor to Europe’s recovery and resilience strategy . Its ongoing implementation supports the long-standing digital transformation of our education and training systems and the acquisition of digital skills and competences. Putting in place such an ambitious agenda requires the ownership and active involvement of Member States, EU institutions and stakeholders, as well as education and training institutions, teachers, trainers and students alike. The Council of the EU endorsed the achievement and further development of the European Education Area as the overarching political objective of the 2021-2030 strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training. Member States, in cooperation with the European Commission, also agreed on governance reforms to help promote effective solutions and policy reforms on the ground and to live up to the ambition of achieving the EEA. The European Parliament also made a significant contribution and endorsed the holistic approach to realising the shared EEA vision. An unprecedented scale of EU funding can be mobilised for reforms and investment in education and training in line with EEA objectives. It is estimated that the total EU spending on education and training will triple between 2021 and 2027 compared to the 2014-20 period. The EEA connects with the European Semester and which provides guidance for Member States’ programming of EU funds (under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, as well as 2021-2027 EU cohesion policy Funds) for actions and reforms in education and training. It also engages and intersects with other policy areas and initiatives, such as the European Skills Agenda, the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Research Area, the Bologna Process, the Green Deal, the Digital Decade and EU equality strategies. It also interlinks with some key recommendations from the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Year of Youth. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of developing resilient education and training systems that deliver accessible, high-quality and inclusive education for all. School lockdowns and the sudden switch to online and blended learning made pre-existing inequalities more visible, laid bare the importance of digital skills (in addition to basic skills), and underlined the key role teachers and trainers play, not only in terms of learning outcomes, but also well-being at school. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the arrival of very high numbers of refugees, many of them children and young people whose education and life has been severely disrupted, served as a major stress test for education and training systems. The EU Education Solidarity Group for Ukraine that the Commission has set up to support Member States hosting displaced children and young people from Ukraine has mobilised all levels of governance, tools and mechanisms under the EEA, by pooling expertise, providing guidance and organising peer learning based on identified needs. The EEA progress report, in the form of a Commission Communication accompanied by this Staff Working Document (SWD), provides an early snapshot of where we are on the trajectory towards building a genuine European Education Area. It highlights first results and experiences with implementing action and reforms at EU and national levels. The report refers to preparations underway for forthcoming initiatives announced in the 2020 EEA Communication and still to come by 2025. It reports on the results of work that the Commission has undertaken to support Member States by ensuring quality of investment through an evidence-based approach to policy design and evaluation in education. It reviews how Member States are using the Recovery and Resilience Facility and EU cohesion policy Funds to modernise their education and training systems along EEA objectives. It assesses the first experiences with the reformed governance and co-creation processes put in place in autumn 2021 and spring 2022. It takes stock of the work on new and improved indicators and data analysis to support evidence-based policymaking towards EU-level targets. The Communication and this report is complemented by the 2022 Education and Training Monitor that tracks progress towards EU-level targets and other key policy trends in the Member States. Part 1

Actions and (policy) reforms towards the EEA I.1. Progress in implementing EEA actions at the EU-level I.1.1. Policy objectives and EU actions to promote cooperation and reforms towards the EEA – state of play and overall assessment The EEA Communication set the ambition of creating a genuine European Education Area by 2025, by proposing new and consolidating ongoing efforts across six dimensions. Building on the EEA Communication, on 18 February 2021 the Council adopted its Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) (EEA Strategic framework Resolution). The Resolution put forward five strategic priorities to support the implementation of the European Education Area. Table 1: Six dimensions of the EEA Communication and five priority areas of the EEA Strategic framework Resolution Six dimensions of the EEA Communication Five priority areas of the EEA Strategic framework Resolution Quality Quality, equity, inclusion and success for all Inclusion and gender equality Green and digital transitions Green and digital transitions Teachers and trainers Teachers and trainers Higher education Higher education Geopolitical dimension Lifelong learning and mobility The strategic priorities and concrete issues and actions identified by the Council under each priority area largely correspond to the six dimensions, objectives and proposed actions under the EEA Communication. The main differences are two-fold: ·Lifelong learning and mobility – is a dedicated priority area under the Resolution, while it has not been proposed as a separate dimension by the EEA Communication, which has treated it as an important cross-cutting aspect most closely linked to quality of education, including also educational mobility and lifelong learning-related objectives under the dimensions on teachers and trainers, higher education, as well as inclusion and gender equality and the geopolitical dimension. ·Geopolitical dimension – While not including it as a strategic priority, the Resolution also stresses the importance of the global perspective, considering cooperation in education and training as an important instrument for implementing EU external policies and cementing the links between the European Education Area and the rest of the world. The correspondence between the six dimensions proposed in the EEA Communication and the five priority areas set out in the Council Resolution can be ensured for operational purposes, including the current progress reporting, by covering the following broad policy goals – that serve as focus areas for action and reforms: Table 2: Reconciling dimensions and priority areas for reporting Improving quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality for all in education and training Supporting the green and digital transitions in and through education and training Enhancing competence and motivation in the education profession - teachers and trainers Reinforcing European higher education Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality for all Education as part of a stronger Europe in the world – geopolitical dimension In each of the above broad policy goals, the EEA set out a series of more specific objectives (see Table 3 below) to guide European cooperation and national reforms in education and training. Table 3 summarises EEA objectives, that will help assessing the connections between the 40 EEA actions. Table 3: EEA objectives Quality, equity, inclusion& gender equality Green & Digital Teachers & Trainers Higher education Lifelong learning and mobility Geopolitical Master basic, including digital, skills Decouple educational attainment and achievement from socio- economic and cultural status Enable change in people’s behaviour and skills, foster sustainable education & training infrastructure Overcome teacher shortages Promote cooperation between higher education institutions Promote the dual freedom for learners and teachers to be mobile and institutions to freely associate within Europe and beyond (link to Quality)* Strengthen international cooperation Master transversal skills Maintain education and training institutions as safe environments, free of violence, bullying, harmful speech, disinformation and discrimination Increase the number of professionals working towards a climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy Increase the attractiveness of the teaching profession Develop a policy framework across borders for transnational cooperation between institutions Make international mobility of students, teachers and teacher trainers part of teacher education (link to Teachers & Trainers)* Promote European interests and values in the world Bring a European perspective in education Support teachers in managing linguistic and cultural diversity Integrate environmental sustainability perspectives across natural and human sciences, support shifts in skills, methods, processes and cultures Support teachers’ continuous professional development Support higher education institutions as central actors in the knowledge square Support robust and inclusive lifelong learning strategies to enable people to re-enter education or update skills (link to Inclusion)* Roll out ambitious partnerships with partner countries across the globe Promote language learning and multilingualism Help Member States to comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Equip people with competences needed for a labour market transformed by technological change Support specialised education programmes in advanced digital skills Promote inclusive higher education institutions for lifelong learning (through recognition and portability of short courses/ micro-credentials, automatic recognition, quality assurance of joint transnational activities) (link to Higher Education)* Support ongoing reform processes in Africa, the Western Balkans and the Neighbourhood countries Make vocational education and training systems more agile, resilient and future-proof Strengthen cross-border cooperation in youth work and promote non-formal learning Promote collaboration between education institutions to attract the best talent worldwide, peer learning and joint international research and innovation (link to Geopolitical)* Widen the association of non-EU countries with the EEA, especially those of the Western Balkans Improve gender sensitivity in education and dissolve gender stereotypes Promote gender balance in leadership positions *EEA objectives under Lifelong learning and mobility were grouped from under relevant dimensions set out in the EEA Communication. The objectives derive from the EEA Communication (Section 2) and the EEA Strategic Framework Resolution (Annex 3). While each objective is listed under a specific focus area (i.e. broad policy goal to which it is most closely connected), in practice most EEA objectives are multi-purpose, serving several broad policy goals.

The EEA Communication has also proposed a total of 40 EEA actions: These are transnational EU initiatives initiated and/or managed by the European Commission, to promote cooperation and co-creation with Member States and stakeholders and to support reforms along the EEA objectives and vision (See Annex 1 for an overview of the state of play on all 40 EEA actions). Steps under all 40 actions have been launched and their preparation or implementation is under way. The 40 actions are complemented by governance reforms (see Part II.) There are different types of actions among the 40 initiatives: ·Examples of strategic EEA initiatives requiring a corporate-level decision include Commission proposals for Council Recommendations (e.g. on blended learning approaches for high quality and inclusive primary and secondary education), Communications setting out a strategic approach in a specific sector (e.g. the European strategy for universities); and Commission implementing decisions (e.g. on the framework of inclusion measures for the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes). ·Other high visibility flagship actions and EU-funded projects have also been identified as ‘strategic’. For example in the focus area of teachers and trainers these include for example the Erasmus+ Teacher Academies that are networks of initial and continuous education providers for teachers, working to improve teacher education policies and enhance the European dimension and internationalisation of teacher education. ·Other EEA initiatives include cooperation or co-creation processes (such as mutual learning) resulting in specific deliverables coordinated by Commission departments: EEA strategic framework working groups through mutual learning activities have been working on topics ranging from monitoring and evaluating quality of early childhood education and care, through learning for sustainability, to gender equality in and through education (see Box 16 in Section II.1.3 for examples of the interim deliberables and main outputs of EEA strategic framework Working Groups so far). The expert group on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy (under the DEAP) has launched guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training . ·Another significant group of actions are initiatives linked to EU funding and subject to the governance of funding programmes, such as Erasmus+. These initiatives include for example the European Universitities initiative – which promotes deep institutional transational cooperation in higher education with an indicative budget of EUR 1,1 bn for 2021-2027, aiming to support 60 alliances gathering over 500 higher education institutions across Europe by mid-2024. The overall assessment of these initiatives shows that most actions although proposed under one of the broad policy objectives (focus areas), tend to be linked to several areas, contribute to multiple EEA objectives, and build on and reinforce other EEA actions (See Table 4 below for the objectives addressed by the highest number of EEA actions.). Practically all proposed EEA actions aim to lift quality in education, and a big majority aim at making education and training more inclusive and gender sensitive, support the green and digital transitions, strive to reinforce European higher education and to improve competences and motivation of teachers and trainers (24-27 of the 40 actions have objectives along each of these areas).



Table 4: EEA objectives addressed by the highest number of EU-level actions EEA focus area Objectives Quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality Mastering transversal skills Mastering basic skills, including digital skills Decoupling educational attainment and achievement from social, economic and cultural status Developing a European perspective in education Green and digital transition Equipping people with competences needed in a labour market transformed by technological change Enabling a profound change in behaviour and skills Teachers and trainers Providing teachers and trainers with opportunities for professional development Higher education Promoting cooperation between higher education institutions Developing a policy framework across borders for transnational cooperation Lifelong learning and mobility Promoting the dual freedom for learners and teachers to be mobile and for institutions to freely associate with one another in Europe and beyond Geopolitical dimension Strengthening international cooperation Promoting European interests and values Many EEA actions have synergies with other EU policy frameworks. The highest number of actions connect with the European Skills Agenda, EU equality strategies or the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion. Several actions also link to the Bologna Process for the European Higher Education Area, the European Research Area, the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Green Deal, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, or the European Semester. Other efforts implemented under the European Skills Agenda , the renewed VET policy and the European Care Strategy, or the European Child Guarantee also contribute to achieving the objectives of the European Education Area, in particular with regard to early childhood education and care (ECEC), adult learning and vocational education and training (VET) policies. Such efforts are not described in this SWD, which focuses on the actions announced in the EEA Communication. The EEA actions are also especially well aligned with the use of EU funds, in particular the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and 2021-2027 EU cohesion policy Funds, in particular the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), but some actions also connect with the Technical Support Instrument, Horizon Europe or InvestEU programmes. The more inclusive, greener and more digital Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes support the implementation of EEA actions across the board, they are particularly relevant for the EEA focus areas of quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality, as well as the green and digital dimensions. (See section I.2.2. Mobilising the Recovery and Resilience Facility and 2021-2027 EU funds.)



Most actions are co-created with multiple actors in the education sector. Co-creation with, and support for mutual learning among Member States, and stakeholder involvement in designing and following up the actions, are primarily guaranteed by the 2021-2025 EEA strategic framework working groups, and other expert groups established under the EEA, such as the expert group on quality investment, the expert group on supportive learning environments and well-being at school or the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks (see section II.1. EEA governance and co-creation processes). I.1.2. State of play on implementation of EEA actions The following sections take stock of progress in developing and implementing the EEA actions, as announced by the EEA Communication to support European cooperation and national reforms in education and training in line with EEA objectives. They present the state of play by the main focus areas of action, highlighting in particular the strategic EEA actions that require adoption by the College of Commissioners and the Council (strategic EEA initiatives providing a framework for action and policy guidance) or are high visibility transnational EU-funded flagship projects supporting policy reform and/or cooperation between education and training institutions launched at the level of Commission departments. The text boxes provide a spotlight on (support for) the implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions (i.e. strategic EEA initiatives that have already been adopted/proposed by the Commission), while the visual overview tables highlight the following for all strategic EEA actions: üthe EEA value added, i.e. the action’s (expected) impact üthe main EEA objective that the action addresses

üother relevant EEA objectives it significantly contributes to üprogress achieved, i.e. implementation milestones, deliverables so far ünext steps, i.e. upcoming milestones and deliverables Given the early stage of implementation and the fact that efforts in 2021-2022 focused on developing the EU-level policy framework, quantitative and qualitative evidence on impact is not yet available. Such evidence will be collected for the full EEA report planned for 2025, particularly through a policy evaluation. Structured summary information on the state of play of all 40 EEA actions is included in Annex 1 (Roadmap of EEA actions coordinated by the European Commission), while the Communication focuses on the one hand on strategic EEA initiatives already adopted (Section 2.1), and those still forthcoming until 2025 (Section 4.1). I.1.2.1. Quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality in education and training This is the most cross-cutting of the EEA focus areas, with objectives that are relevant for actions in all other, more thematic, focus areas. Across EEA actions, two broad objectives linked to this area emerge as most prevalent: the mastering of basic, digital and transversal skills linked to quality, and the decoupling of educational attainment and achievement from social, economic and cultural status, linked to equity and inclusion. Several actions in this focus area – e.g. Commission support for Member States in implementing the Council Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages, and the European quality framework for high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems – have closely interconnected objectives on lifting quality and promoting equity and inclusion. This illustrates that quality and equity are interlinked and mutually reinforce each other. Actions in this area most strongly interconnect – through their objectives – with the focus areas of lifelong-learning and mobility and teachers and trainers. (Actions such as the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps diversity and inclusion framework, the support for language teaching and learning and multilingualism, as well as the Council Recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers have very strong mobility objectives, while the Jean Monnet actions, the Pathways to School Success, and the EU quality framework for high quality early childhood education and care systems have a strong focus on improving the competences and motivation of teachers and trainers.). Among EEA actions under other focus areas, digital actions have a particularly strong potential to contribute to EEA objectives on inclusion and gender equality. This, however, requires targeted support and safeguards. In their absence, the digital transition might lead to increasing inequalities: ·Promoting equity and inclusion through blended (including digital and non-digital) tools, environments, spaces and methods: There is a strong link between the Pathways to School Success initiative (focusing on decoupling educational attainment and achievement from socio-economic and cultural status, underachievement in basic skills and early leaving from education and training) on the one hand, and the implementation of the Council Recommendation on blended learning approaches for high-quality and inclusive primary and secondary education. This synergy has been explored within the EEA strategic framework working group on Schools, which focused its first activities on blended learning for inclusion, supporting the implementation of both Recommendations (see box 2b below). ·Promoting gender equality through digital actions: Several EEA actions in the digital focus area have strong gender equality objectives. They promote gender sensitivity in education and training, better gender balance in career choices and leadership positions, or fight gender stereotypes. Most notable are EEA actions aiming to increase participation and support careers of women in digital and STEM fields, including entrepreneurship. The Girls Go circular initiative offers school girls training in digital and entrepreneurial skills, through the European Institute for Technology and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities.

Since the launch of the programme in September 2020 a total of 13 500 girls at secondary level across 10 countries participated. An additional 6 500 gorls are planned to be reached by the end of 2022. The first ‘Women and Girls in STEM’ forum took place on 28 October 2021 with over 500 participants, and discussed the challenge of eliminating gender bias from entrepreneurial, digital and STEM-related disciplines. The second edition took place on 26 October 2022 with a focus on ‘Empowering Girls in Science and Technology’. Just like in 2021, the event was opened by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and had close to a 1 000 registered participants. Girls and young women played a pivotal role in the event and were able to meet inspirational mentors, exchange with their peers and compete in a challenge. In addition to the mentoring sessions, a high-level panel took place engaging in discussions on eliminating gender bias from STEM with EU policymakers, scientists, and entrepreneurs and sharing success stories to inspire the future EU action on these themes. Under the 3-year ESTEAM project, which focuses on improving the digital and entrepreneurial competences of girls and women, 11 ESTEAM Fests are being organised in 19 EU Member States, and online ESTEAM communities of practice are being built to boost women and girls’ competences. In addition two European Universities Alliances are focusing on gender equality in STEM. To make sure no learners are left behind, in addition to the above-mentioned targeted actions, other EEA digital (such as the Structured Dialogue on digital education and skills) and higher education flagships (such as the European strategy for universities) have a strong focus on inclusion and gender equality objectives. The EEA vision and objectives regarding quality, equity and inclusion have provided a framework for education and training systems to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the trauma felt by many learners and teachers. It has had an impact through the focus on equity (e.g. addressing the overall teaching loss through remote and blended learning, addressing particular learner needs through targeted ICTs, and supporting teachers), and inclusion (e.g. addressing specific learner needs and supporting those at risk of underachievement). Box 1a: Quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality - Spotlight on (support for) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions New strand of Jean Monnet actions: Learning about the EU is an important part of promoting active citizenship and the common values of peace, freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination. The new strand “Jean Monnet for other fields of education and training”, also referred to as “Jean Monnet for Schools”, widened the scope of traditional Jean Monnet actions, reaching out to new groups, such as teachers and learners in schools and vocational education and training (VET) institutes in Erasmus+ programme countries with three types of activities: ✓Jean Monnet “Teacher Training” enables (future) teachers in schools and VET providers to develop new skills, teach and engage on EU matters, empowering them through a better understanding of the EU and its functioning; ✓Jean Monnet “School Networks” facilitates transnational cooperation between schools, VET institutions and teacher training institutions and allows for exchanges of good practices and experiences of co-teaching within a group of countries; ✓ Jean Monnet “Learning EU Initiatives” helps schools and VET providers to develop and implement new and creative ways of teaching about the EU, its values and the role its policies play in citizens’ daily life. In 2022 European 9 million have been made available for Jean Monnet for Schools under the Erasmus+ programme. Council Recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers (5 April 2022): Member States will report on progress annually as part of their regular updates on the Youth Wiki (on the Youth Portal). The Commission facilitates exchange of practices between Member States on tackling possible obstacles to youth volunteering, including through the EU Youth Strategy Platform . It completes the European Solidarity Corps section on the European Youth Portal with information on national volunteering schemes, activities and links to national websites, providing information for volunteers on the national rules governing volunteering. The Commission will also further develop existing EU tools that support the validation of outcomes from non-formal and informal learning (e.g. renewed Youthpass certificates launched in early 2022, and European Digital Credentials for Learning, as part of the Europass platform, designed to validate formal, non-formal or informal learning outcomes and support Member States and practitioners in the field). Box 1b: Quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality - Spotlight on (support for) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions

Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps Framework of inclusion measures (Commission Implementing Decision adopted on 22 October 2021): The Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps Inclusion and Diversity Strategy was published on 29 April 2021. Other relevant supporting documents include the Guide for National agencies, sectoral guidelines on inclusion and diversity, and the European Solidarity Corps and the Erasmus+ Call and Programme Guide, published in November 2021. To support implementation National Agencies have been asked to set up “National inclusion plans”, describing how they intend to translate the measures set at European level into their national context, with a multiannual perspective and a planning of annual activities. The plans are embedded into the yearly programming and reporting round run by the European Commission. A cross-sectoral network of Inclusion and Diversity officers was launched in December 2021. In the same month, a call for expressions of interest was launched for the National Agencies, to appoint a new SALTO Resource Centre for Inclusion and Diversity in Erasmus+ in the fields of education and training. It complements the work of the already existing SALTO for Inclusion and Diversity in the field of youth (Erasmus+ youth and the European Solidarity Corps). The new SALTO was appointed in Q2 2022. A Data collection and analysis of Erasmus+ projects promoting inclusion in education was published in 2022. Proposal for a Council Recommendation on Pathways to School Success (adopted on 30 June 2022): The Pathways initiative has been built on the experience gained from implementing the 2011 Council Recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving, which it repeals and replaces. It aims to answer both long-standing and emerging challenges that deeply influence education systems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the rising number of non-EU migrants and refugees of school age coming to the EU, or the deteriorating trend in the basic skills performance revealed by the results of PISA 2018 (Programme for International Student Assessment). It also takes into account new priorities highlighted by the EEA strategic framework for European cooperation, as well as new research insights. Hence, compared to the 2011 Council Recommendation, it is broader in scope, addressing simultaneously the two EU-level targets on reducing underachievement in basic skills and early leaving from education and training (reflecting the complementarity of these two challenges, their triggers and the measures to tackle them). It then expands to cover dimensions that have a strong impact on educational outcomes, such as well-being at school. The Pathways initiative proposes a renewed framework for action, for Member States to develop their own integrated strategies for school success, supported by effective data collection and monitoring. It outlines a set of policy measures on monitoring, prevention, intervention and compensation, with a stronger focus on prevention and early intervention, which Member States can apply and combine according to their specific circumstances and needs. Follow-up of the implementation takes place within the EEA strategic framework working group on Schools, launched in December 2021. I.1.2.2. Green and digital transitions Building green and digital skills of all learners, to engender a fundamental change in behaviour, methods, processes and infrastructures, is a must for Europe’s resilience and prosperity. Among the green and digital objectives of the EEA, the two that drive EEA actions most strongly are equipping people with competences needed for a labour market transformed by technological change and enabling change in people’s behaviour and skills. In addition, these objectives are especially relevant for actions in the higher education focus area; in particular, the European strategy for universities and the European University Initiative have strong green and digital objectives. Actions related to sustainability include the Education for Climate Coalition, the Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development, the European sustainability competence framework, the cooperation with the European Investment Bank to support the greening of education infrastructure, the European Researchers’ Night initiative and the greening of the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. Digital actions range from the Council Recommendations on blended learning approaches for high quality and inclusive primary and secondary education, through the Structured Dialogue with Member States on digital education and skills and two forthcoming proposals for Council Recommendations, to actions promoting girls’ and women’s participation in STEM, to making the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes more digital. Both green and digital actions usually connect with other areas. However, the linkages between digital actions and EEA objectives in other areas are stronger, with digital EEA actions being strongest on explicitly pursuing objectives related to quality, inclusion and gender equality (as explained in section I.1.2.1. above), but also objectives linked to higher education (e.g. the forthcoming proposal for a Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills). Box 2a: Green - Spotlight on (support to) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development sustainability competence framework (adopted on 16 June 2022): The proposal: ✓Supports Member States’ efforts to embed sustainability across education and training systems; ✓Articulates an EU-level vision and shared understanding on learning for environmental sustainability; ✓Sets out a coherent approach to the competences, skills and attitudes that people need to act, live and work in a sustainable manner; ✓Stresses the importance of lifelong learning; ✓Facilitates the sharing of policy maker, researcher and educator expertise; ✓Supports initiatives at EU level; ✓Encourages investment in education and training for the green transition. The European sustainability competence framework: ✓Supports learners and educators in developing competences on climate change and sustainable development; ✓Provides a common ground for learners and educators on what sustainability as a competence entails; ✓ Supports education and training programmes for lifelong learning. Sustainability competences, as set out in the European Sustainability Competence Framework (GreenComp) help learners become systemic and critical thinkers, and develop agency to live, work and act in a sustainable manner. The Commission facilitates peer learning on education and training for the green transition through the EEA strategic framework working group on Schools (subgroup on learning for environmental sustainability). Launched in January 2022, the group provides a forum for policymakers from Member States and associated countries, employers, trade unions and international education organisations, including UNESCO and OECDthe Council of Europe, to engage in dialogue and exchange experience and good practice related to implementing learning for sustainability. Outcomes support policymakers on effective policymaking and building whole-school approaches for sustainability. The Erasmus+ programme has as a key focus area on green education and sustainability. A call for Forward-Looking Projects dedicated to Supporting education and training systems to adapt for the green transition received 27 proposals. Successful projects receive grants of around European 800 000 and run for 24-48 months. They address at least one of the three following areas: ✓Promoting whole institution approaches to sustainability; ✓Developing sustainability skills and competences of learners and educators; ✓ Empowering citizens to act on sustainability, environment and climate change – including in the context of the Education for Climate Coalition. A data collection and analysis of Erasmus+ projects promoting education for environmental sustainability was published by end 2021. Education for Climate Coalition (launched in December 2020 at the 3rd European Education Summit): The coalition is a bottom-up, co-created initiative aiming to engage the education community at EU, national and local level. As a flagship initiative of the EEA, it is a key instrument for effectively capturing and sharing initiatives and projects of the educational community in support of the transition to climate neutrality, particularly in relation to green skills development and changing behaviour. Based on an extensive mapping of education initiatives during January/February 2021 (online survey with 576 replies), identified participants were guided by the JRC’s experts through a participatory design process. The initial design phase of the coalition (running from January to May 2021) was closed by the Education for Climate Conference on 22 June 2021. This led into the outreach phase, with various public events (side-events at pre-COP26 in Milan in September, and at COP26 in November 2021). This phase concluded with the first Education for Climate Day (25 November 2021), gathering activists and (future) community members for workshops and hackathon-like settings to allow for the co-creation of the first concrete community challenges. The Education for Climate platform informs about the coalition’s aims, current pledges and concrete successes and allows the community to directly communicate, cooperate and co-create. In 2022, the coalition spread and contributed (with the Education for Climate Coalition Policy Forum in May 2022) to the policy debate on sustainability skills. The 2nd Education for Climate Days (7-9 November 2022) were a milestone, enabling a broad contribution of community members to work together for three afternoons on new community challenges, after the first 10 have evolved in the year since the 1st Education for Climate Day. Since then more than 5 000 members have registered on the platform and 9 country groups were launched, allowing practitioners from all levels of education to contribute and get active with the Coalition on sustainability education and climate-related projects. Box2b: Digital - Spotlight on (support for) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions Council Recommendation on blended learning approaches for high-quality and inclusive primary and secondary education (adopted on 29 November 2021): The Recommendation aims to: ✓Make school education more inclusive; ✓ Improve competence development; ✓Support teachers and school leaders. The Commission facilitates peer learning, resources and professional development opportunities to support Member States with implementation. The EEA strategic framework working group on Schools (Pathways subgroup) chose blended learning for inclusion as one of the first topics for exchange in 2022. Based on the Recommendation’s broad definition of blended learning, the group focused on policy conditions and opportunities for supporting schools and teachers to implement blended learning in teaching and learning practices in an inclusive way. A plenary discussion and a seminar brought together ministry and stakeholder representatives to discuss the pedagogical value of blended learning for inclusion and the related crucial and evolving role of teachers. Enabling factors (policies, initial teacher education and continuing professional development) were also discussed to support teachers’ readiness, willingness and competences to fully take advantage of blended learning as a pedagogical approach for inclusion. A number of resources on blended learning for teachers and the wider education stakeholder community, and courses for teachers, have been made available on the School Education Gateway throughout 2021 - 2022. I.1.2.3. Teachers and trainers Teachers and trainers, school leaders and educational and pedagogical staff at all levels are at the heart of education and training systems and are key to any reforms in line with EEA objectives. Enhancing their competences and motivation has thus been identified as one of the strategic priorities guiding reforms and European cooperation under the EEA. The most prevalent objective in this focus area is to provide teachers and trainers with opportunities for professional development. Besides the four dedicated measures in this focus area (Erasmus+ Teacher Academies, European Innovative Teaching Award, European guidance for developing national school education career frameworks and the policy framework for increasing the quantity and quality of learning mobility opportunities for teachers), almost half of the 40 EEA actions include as an objective to provide teachers and trainers with professional development opportunities. Besides mastering of transversal skills, this is the second most dominant EEA objective. The actions addressing this objective come from all focus areas. (E.g.: Jean Monnet actions for Schools and VET, action to support language teaching and learning, the EU quality framework for early childhood education and care – in the focus area on quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality. Blended learning, learning for environmental sustainability, Structured Dialogue on digital education and skills – in the focus area on green and digital transitions. European strategy for universities and the European Universities initiative – in the higher education focus area. Association of the Western Balkans – under the geopolitical dimension.) Among objectives linked to this focus area, relatively fewer EEA actions tackle teacher shortages. Besides the dedicated actions in the teachers and trainers focus area (set out above) only two other EEA actions (EU quality framework for high quality early childhood education and care and Structured Dialogue on digital education and skills) address it explicitly. As spelled out in Section 2.3. of the Communication, this is one of the areas requiring further reform efforts which could be supported by mutual learning. Actions in this focus area strongly complement especially the focus area and objectives linked to quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality: besides improving the competences and motivation of teachers and trainers, these actions also focus on promoting the mastering of basic, digital and transversal skills, bringing a European perspective in education and supporting teachers in managing diversity in the classrooms. The second strongest connection is with the focus area and objectives on lifelong learning and mobility, as these actions strongly focus on making mobility a part of teacher education, promoting the mobility of teachers and promoting cooperation across institutions within and beyond Europe.

Box 3: Teachers and trainers - Spotlight on (support for) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions Erasmus+ Teacher Academies contribute to the improvement of teacher education policies and practices in Europe by creating networks of providers of initial teacher education and continuing professional development and other relevant actors (such as teacher associations, ministries and schools) to: ✓Develop and test strategies and programmes for teachers’ professional learning that are effective, accessible and transferable to other contexts; ✓Enhance the European dimension and internationalisation of teacher education; ✓Address the key EEA priorities for European cooperation and reform, such as learning in the digital world, sustainability, equity and inclusion, teaching in multilingual classrooms and offer teachers courses, modules and other learning opportunities; ✓Develop and test jointly different models of mobility (virtual, physical and blended), to make mobility an integral part of teacher education in Europe. The first call for proposals resulted in the selection of 11 projects out of 56 applications. The selected projects bring together 182 organisations from 23 countries. Of these organisations, 43 are initial teacher education providers, 24 are continuing professional development providers, 47 are practice training schools and 68 represent other organisations with relevant expertise in teacher education and/or bodies defining standards, qualifications or quality assurance criteria for teacher education or research. Project priorities include: STEAM education (based on Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics), education for sustainability, language learning for non-natives, inclusion of learners with special needs and development of teacher competences e.g. via digital platforms. The 2022 call, with its increased budget, will allow 15 projects to be selected, thus helping to reach the target (set out in the EEA Communication) of having 25 Teacher Academies by 2025. I.1.2.4. Higher education Higher education is the sector with highest level of mobility and cooperation within and beyond Europe. The most widespread EEA objective for the sector is to promote deeper cooperation between higher education institutions (including through a policy framework across borders for transnational cooperation), creating incentives for an accelerated transformation of higher education institutions and ensuring a top-quality higher education offer with a focus on equity and inclusion, innovation, connectivity, digital and green readiness and international competitiveness. The EEA's higher education focus area ensures strong complementary links between the EEA on the one hand and the Bologna Process of the European Higher Education Area on the other hand. This is the focus area with the highest number of EU-level EEA actions (several of them linked closely to the European strategy for universities adopted on 18 January 2022), which closely connect with EEA objectives linked to other focus areas, especially to quality and mobility. On the other hand, among EEA actions from other focus areas, many also have higher education-related objectives, most notably digital EEA actions, but also green and geopolitical actions. With the adoption of (i) the European strategy for universities and the related Council Conclusions and (ii) the Council Recommendation on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation, progress in this area has been significant (see visual overview 4 in section above, and box 4 below, with a spotlight on support for implementation and milestones). Box 4: Higher education - Spotlight on (support for) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions The European strategy for universities – adopted by the Commission on 18 January 2022 - aims at supporting and enabling all higher education institutions to: ✓Adapt to changing conditions and respond to the needs of their sector, in order to lead the way forward; ✓Be more creative and stronger together through cooperation; ✓Be better equipped to address present and future challenges and anticipate crises, in health, demographics, climate and geopolitical matters. The strategy sets out an ambitious long-term vision for the European higher education sector, recognising excellence and inclusion as its distinctive features. It represents a significant leap forward for delivering on the EEA in synergy with the European Research Area and the European Higher Education Area, including through action making academic and research careers more attractive and sustainable. Building on the European strategy for universities, the Council Conclusions on a European Strategy Empowering Higher Education Institutions for the Future of Europe (of 5 April 2022), put forward four main objectives: ✓ strengthening the European dimension of higher education, research and innovation as well as the links between them; ✓ driving Europe’s global role and leadership; ✓ bolstering Europe’s recovery and response to the digital and green transitions; ✓deepening the European sense of belonging, based on common values.. The Strategy is accompanied by a Council Recommendation on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation. This aims to facilitate deeper transnational cooperation by supporting alliances of higher education institutions, such as the European Universities , to address the current legal and administrative challenges encountered when implementing joint educational programmes and activities. The Recommendation has been developed in cooperation with the higher education sector, which highlighted a number of barriers to their efforts to engage in deeper and more ambitious transnational cooperation. The Recommendation is a first step aiming to offer a broad catalogue of measures, to help alliances of higher education institutions overcome these challenges. The Recommendation aims to reinforce flexibility for universities when trying to implement innovative and creative deep cooperation models, and is structured around: ✓New measures where needed; ✓Ensuring optimal implementation of existing initiatives, instruments and tools, such as European Universities, European student card, Bologna tools; ✓Step-by-step exploratory process, in close cooperation with the higher education sector and Member States, exploring the possible co-development of new instruments that are more adapted to the size and scope of deeper multi-actor cooperation – such as a possible joint degree based on co-created European criteria and institutionalised cooperation instruments, e.g. a possible legal status for alliances of higher education institutions. Both the strategy and recommendation aim to support the entire higher education sector. Four flagship initiatives underpin the implementation of this higher education policy package: üEuropean Universities: the long-term objective is to expand to 60 European Universities by mid-2024, involving 500 universities across Europe with an Erasmus+ indicative budget totalling EUR 1.1 billion for 2021- 2027 for the further development of the European Universities initiative following a bottom-up approach üExamining the options and necessary steps – in close cooperation with Member States, higher education institutions, student organisations and stakeholders – towards a possible joint degree based on the co-created European criteria: Such a degree would be a specific type of joint degree, testifying compliance with the common Europeanan criteria that recognise the value of innovative transnational experiences and promote a European identity while facilitating the delivery of joint degree programmes across the EU. To this end, under Erasmus+, co-created common Europeanan criteria that could lead to a potential European label for joint programmes will be tested as a pilot in 2022-2023. üExamining the need for and feasibility of institutionalised cooperation instruments, such as a possible legal status for alliances of higher education institutions: pilot as of 2022 under Erasmus+ institutionalised cooperation instruments. The aim is to give alliances, on a voluntary basis, the latitude to act together, make shared strategic decisions, experiment with joint recruitment, design joint curricula and pool resources and human, technical, data, education, research and innovation capacities. üAnother important flagship action to enable further transnational cooperation is to generalise the use of the European Student Card initiative, to facilitate and simplify mobility for both students and institutions.

I.1.2.5. Lifelong learning and mobility Lifelong learning and mobility was flagged in the EEA Communication as a key objective under several dimensions: e.g. highlighting the freedom for learners and teachers to be mobile and institutions to freely associate as a critical element defining the quality of education; inclusive lifelong learning strategies as a precondition for inclusiveness, or international mobility of teachers and teacher educators as key for enhancing teachers’ competences and motivation. The EEA Strategic framework Resolution flagged making lifelong learning and mobility a reality for all as its second strategic priority, regrouping some EEA actions from other areas of the Communication. Besides the three dedicated actions (European approach to micro-credentials, updated learning mobility framework, and support for the full implementation of the Council Recommendation on promoting automatic mutual recognition), several other EEA actions falling under other focus areas tackle strong and sometimes multiple objectives connected to lifelong learning and/or mobility. Notable in this respect are some actions from the geopolitical dimension (e.g. association of the Western Balkans and the internationalisation of Erasmus+, including through making Western Balkan countries eligible to be full partners in the European Universitities initaive starting with the 2023 call), and actions in the area of higher education (e.g. the European strategy for universities and the actions it announces, such as exploratory process towards developing apossible a joint degree based on European criteria or a European Recognition and Quality Assurance System) are also strong on learning mobility and lifelong learning objectives.

The most dominant lifelong learning and mobility objective across the 40 EEA actions is promoting the dual freedom for learners and teachers to be mobile and for institutions to freely associate with one another in Europe and beyond. Over half of EEA actions (21) include this among their objectives. Another three related objectives, including two focusing on lifelong learning, are also quite frequent, driving between a third and a quarter of EEA actions: These objectives are: üSupporting robust and inclusive lifelong learning strategies, to enable to people re-enter education or update skills (14 EEA actions); üMaking international mobility of students, teachers and teacher trainers part of teacher education (14 EEA actions); üPromoting inclusive higher education institutions for lifelong learning (11 EEA actions). While the pandemic had a temporary negative impact on educational mobility trends, it also served as an incentive for innovation and the development of virtual and blended mobility initiatives. At EU-level the adoption of the European approach to micro-credentials (16 June 2022) is a major step towards achieving the EEA by ensuring portability and recognition of micro-credentials by 2025. Box 5: Lifelong learning and mobility – Spotlight on (support for) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions The Council Recommendation on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability (16 June 2022) includes implementation plans on the development and/or adaptation of existing EU tools and services to support the development of micro-credentials by all types of providers: ✓guidance documents and notes, ✓technical implementation and adaptation of the European student card initiative, the European digital credentials for learning and the Europass platform. The Commission will also: ✓ promote cooperation between Member States and stakeholders on key aspects such as quality assurance, recognition, transparency and sharing of good practices; ✓support further research on the uptake of the European approach to micro-credentials, and its added value for learners; ✓fund projects selected under the 2021 call for proposals to support the implementation of European Higher Education Area (EHEA) reforms, six of them being about developing guidance and sharing good practice around micro-credentials. The Commission will also pursue its cooperation with the OECD in 2023 to gather more evidence on micro-credential systems and the way they can benefit learners the most.



I.1.2.6. Geopolitical dimension Cooperation in education and training is an essential instrument of EU external policies, with the EEA vision guiding European international cooperation. The two most prevalent geopolitical objectives of EEA actions are to strengthen European international cooperation and to promote European interests and values in the world. Other geopolitical objectives tackled by several EEA actions include rolling out ambitious partnerships and supporting ongoing reform processes in the Western Balkans, Neighbourhood countries and Africa. Dedicated EU actions under the geopolitical focus area can be grouped under three main headings: 1)Increased cooperation with the Western Balkans 2)International dimension of Erasmus+, promoting staff/student mobility and cooperation between education and training institutions 3)Combined impact of EU and Member States – Team Europe – educational engagement with the rest of the world. (See visual overview 6 above, box 6 below.) Besides the dedicated steps in these three areas, other EEA actions with strongest and multiple geopolitical objectives are those from the higher education focus area (in particular the European strategy for universities) and the quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality focus area (in particular the Centres of Vocational Excellence initiative and the Council Recommendation on the mobility of young volunteers). Russia’s aggression against Ukraine – and the welcoming of an unprecedented number of refugee children in EU Member States – has put the education systems to a test and mobilised all EEA strategic framework governance levels. At the start of the 2022-23 school year around 500 000 Ukrainian children were registered in the national education system of 26 Member States and Lichtenstein. This is much less than the number of displaced children, which is in the millions. (As of 20 September over 4.26 million persons displaced from Ukraine have registered for temporary protection status, the majority women and children, mainly via neighbouring EU countries Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic currently hosting the highest number of displaced persons. This constitutes a significant number of displaced persons in comparison to earlier refugee flows, especially for some Member States in Central and Eastern Europe.) After the COVID-19 pandemic, this has been a second major crisis with a significant impact on education and training systems and on European cooperation in education and training. EEA priority areas and objectives have proven highly relevant in guiding European cooperation – especially geopolitical EEA objectives on strengthening European international cooperation and promoting reform processes in Neighbourhood countries, and objectives on quality, equity and inclusion, such as the objective to maintain education and training institutions as safe environments and to support teachers in managing (linguistic and cultural) diversity in the classrooms, as well as promoting language learning and multilingualism. This has involved gathering available expertise, providing guidance and facilitating peer learning to support frontline Member States in hosting a high number of refugees.

Lessons from the COVID-19 crisis, and relevant EEA actions, including on blended learning approaches, have proven valuable in guiding a common European response. The fully reformed governance structure (EEA strategic framework) has been mobilised under the banner of the EU Education Solidarity Group for Ukraine – convening demand-driven emergency meetings to collect needs, pool expertise and provide support – from the Council of Ministers for Education, through the High Level Group on Education and Training, and meetings of Director Generals to the 2021-2025 EEA strategic framework working groups, which became the main forum for pooling expertise and promoting peer learning on priority areas identified by affected Member States. The new governance body, the HLG Coordination Board has been convened for the first time to discuss the education impact of the war (see sections I.3.6. on Member States’ responses, and II.1.2-II.1.3 on the mobilisation of the EEA strategic framework governance). Box 6: Geopolitical dimension – Spotlight on (support for) implementation of more advanced strategic EEA actions Association of the Western Balkans to Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps, further integration in the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) and the EEA: In 2021, priority was given to non-EU countries that were already associated with the 2014-2020 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programmes. For Erasmus+, these are Serbia and the Republic of North Macedonia. The Association Agreements relating to Erasmus+ and ESC entered into force on 22 November for North Macedonia, with retroactive effect from 1 January 2021. Serbia's Association Agreement with Erasmus+ was signed on 24 November. The full association of the Western Balkans region with Erasmus+ and the ESC is one of the deliverables of the Western Balkans Agenda on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, launched at the EU-Western Balkans Summit (on 6 October 2021). While Albania has expressed its intention not to associate with Erasmus+ in the medium term, exchanges will start with the three remaining Western Balkan countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro – with a view to their possible full association (an “enhanced partnership” will be an intermediary step). A step in this direction is the eligibility of Western Balkan countries to be full partners in the European Universitities initiative starting with the 2023 Erasmus+ call. International dimension of Erasmus+: Much of the international dimension of Erasmus+ has come on track in 2022 during the programme’s second call for proposals. By mid-2022 the first selections of mobility and cooperation projects with third countries not associated to the programme were concluded. These are funded by the EU’s external cooperation instruments. While they are available for cooperation worldwide, the available Erasmus+ regional budget shows the strong priority attached to the Neighbourhood region (including non-associated Western Balkan countries) as well as a substantial increase in funding for sub-Saharan Africa, compared to the 2014-2020 programming period. I.2. More and better investment for implementing action and reforms towards the EEA at national and local level I.2.1. Ensuring quality of investment through an evidence-informed approach to policy design and evaluation in education Education and training have a strong impact on economic development by improving productivity, stimulating innovation, and strengthening employability. They play a large role in building a country’s human capital. By equipping people with the right skills, knowledge and competences, education and training can improve productivity as people learn how to perform tasks more effectively. Higher productivity is key for Europe to retain its competitiveness in the global market, where it must compete against lower-wage regions. Moreover, education and training also strengthen innovation capacity as people learn to generate and adopt new ideas that spur technological progress. Finally, they strengthen people’s employability, which not only affects the labour market and society as a whole but also positively influences individuals’ lives. Education and training also create major social benefits and strongly promote equality, tackling poverty and unemployment and stimulating intergenerational mobility. High quality education and training improves people’s employability. This can then translate in higher earnings and reduce the risk of unemployment, which again is the best safeguard against personal hardship and poverty. In addition, the right set of skills, knowledge and competences may prevent and ease (future) labour market mismatches. Children and young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds strongly benefit from good quality education and training as they reduce socio-economic differences with those from more advantaged families. In that regard, education serves as means for equality and may support intergenerational mobility. The EEA Communication announced that the Commission would help intensify work on investment in line with EEA objectives. The Council endorsed this proposal in the EEA Strategic framework Resolution , which invites the Commission to work with the Member States and provide specific support to local, regional, and national authorities to facilitate mutual learning, analysis and sharing of good practices on quality investment. Promoting quality investment in education and training becomes even more fundamental in a situation where more EU resources than ever are mobilised for education and training to support the recovery after the COVID-19 crisis through Next Generation EU and the new Multiannual Financial Framework (see section I.2.2. below). It is therefore key to ensure that every single euro is spent properly to boost education outcomes, equity, and learners’ well-being. In line with these objectives, a Commission Expert Group on Quality Investment in Education and Training was launched in May 2021. The group’s overall mission was to carry out an evidence-based evaluation of education and training policies to identify those that have the potential to boost education outcomes and inclusiveness, while improving the efficiency of spending. The group was asked to provide robust evidence on the expected costs and benefits of selected education and training policies, on the challenges associated with their implementation and on the methodology for their evaluation. The group has focused its analysis on those areas that represent the bulk of current public education and training expenditure, encompass multiple dimensions of the EEA, and may have a huge impact on education outcomes, notably: i) teachers and trainers; ii) management of education infrastructure and related physical and human resources; iii) digital education, both in terms of infrastructure and competence development; and iv) equity and inclusion. An interim report was published on 19 January 2022. The same day, the Commission organised a workshop to discuss its preliminary findings and conclusions with Member States’ representatives, key stakeholders, and international organisations. The event was attended by more than 100 participants, who had the opportunity to comment on the report and propose improvements. The interim report was also presented at the ministerial conference “Investing in Education” organised by the French Presidency of the Council of Ministers in February 2022. After these two key discussion opportunities, the expert group has added all feedback and comments received to the final report. The final report that was published in October 2022 contains important policy conclusions. In particular, the experts have identified a series of actions that could be conducted at European level in the next few years to boost a true evaluation culture in the field of education and training. First, the report stresses the importance of running pilot experiencesof education policy evaluation based on rigorous methodologies at EU level. Those experiences are rare at Member State level and the advantages would be broader if the Commission succeeds in bringing together this expertise and using it to support local, regional, and national authorities responsible for education and training. Second, there is an urgent need to disseminate knowledge on the best evaluation methods that can be used for each specific policy area. Third, international comparisons show that countries have much to learn from each other to make effective choices about educational expenses. Therefore, peer-learning activities at EU level would be beneficial. Finally, it is crucial to support further efforts on collecting data and gathering evidence on assessment of costs and benefits, which are currently lacking. The French Presidency of the Council of Ministers has also encouraged the EU Member States to continue their cooperation and invited them to join an inter-governmental declaration to build a shared vision of effective, efficient and equitable investment in education. The declaration was issued in April 2022 and signed by most Member States. It recognises that the performance of education systems in the medium and long term is affected by the ability of Member States to maintain an adequate level of investment in education; ensure the effectiveness, equity, quality and efficiency of investment in education, and develop and share evaluation methodologies, allowing each Member State to identify measures that can have high individual and social impact specific to their own national requirements. It also encourages the Commission to draw on the research findings and preliminary recommendations of the expert group mentioned above, thus bedding down the work already undertaken as well as exploring new fields of research in all disciplines that will potentially contribute to creating the tools to help Member States evaluate their education policies at national level. Finally, the declaration invites all Member States to pursue, alongside the Commission, a joint dialogue between the ministers of education and finance, building on earlier initiatives by the Finnish, Slovenian and French presidencies, and in line with the EEA Communication. To answer this call from the Member States and address the current challenges, the Commission is launching a Learning Lab on Investing in Quality Education and Training in November 2022. It will encourage an evidence-based approach to policy design and implementation in education and training and promote education policy evaluations tailored to specific local, regional, and national needs. Education policy evaluation is key to understanding how public investment can most benefit education outcomes and equity. It is an activity that takes place throughout the entire policy cycle: before, during and after a reform, policy or programme is implemented. In the evaluation of educational policies, understanding the context in which the reforms are implemented is a key success factor. Context is critical when reviewing evidence from evaluations, to decide whether (or not) a programme or reform is suitable for implementation in a different education system. Although policy evaluations may show that a particular programme has been successful in improving outcomes in certain contexts, the results are often not transferable when applied in a different context. With this Learning Lab, the Commission will not assess the level or quality of investment by Member States. The Learning Lab will provide relevant authorities with knowledge, tools, methods, and resources they could use for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of their public spending on education and training. It will bring together the Commission (in its supporting role) and the relevant authorities in the Member States, who can participate in this initiative on a voluntary basis. It will improve data collection, test different evaluation methodologies and other evaluation tools and practices, and encourage their use in policymaking. The Learning Lab will strengthen evidence-based policymaking through better policy evaluation at all levels of education. The four focus areas of the Commission's Expert Group on Investing in Quality Education will be prioritised to ensure continuity and build on what has already been done. However, this approach does not prejudge any analytical work on other policy areas, which remains possible. A phased approach is proposed, starting with pilot evaluations and ad hoc activities in the first year, in close collaboration with the relevant authorities, to promote the regular use of educational policy evaluation practices over the long term. To achieve this, work will be organised by level of education, to inform and serve policy design at EU and Member State level. The success of the Learning Lab will greatly depend on the Member States’ involvement and ownership, and on the Commission’s ability to provide flexible but targeted tools and methods for education policy evaluation. Taking this into account, the Learning Lab is planning to run the following activities: ·Mutual learning and capacity building activities with the Member States: one of the goals of the Learning Lab is to facilitate exchanges on specific issues of interest to several volunteering participant Member States and build capacity for education policy evaluation. The final aim is to identify good practices, lessons learnt and success factors to improve the quality of education policies based on robust evidence and build capacity for education policy evaluation in the EU. The Learning Lab could help Member States to exchange information on their educational strategies, policies, and results they have obtained. This would allow Member States to learn from each other, in all the phases of policymaking: from the analysis of needs to the design of the policy interventions, and policy evaluation.

·Tailored training courses on education policy evaluation: training designed to give policymakers and education practitioners an understanding of the fundamentals of evaluation practices in education, and support skills development in evaluation design, implementation and administrative microdata collection, to enhance policy evaluation. ·Carrying out country reviews in close collaboration with OECD: they would cover the assessment of education policy evaluation capabilities at Member State level and the mapping of existing policy evaluations. ·Running education policy evaluation: the focus will be on evaluations of specific policies, programmes or reforms that may lead to actionable policy recommendations to the relevant authorities in the Member States to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their public spending. Different evaluation methods may be selected depending on the aims of the relevant authorities, the scope of the exercise and availability of data, design of ongoing or implemented policy, or national contexts. This activity requires active participation by the interested Member States ·In-depth analyses of the literature: an important service that the Learning Lab may offer to Member States lies in providing them with information about what education and training measures are shown to work better for specific policy objectives, bringing together the results of relevant academic studies. This may help reconcile disagreement across empirical studies that are trying to answer the same question and then translate complex technical results into policy-relevant messages. ·Improving data collection, availability, and timeliness: the focus of this activity would be on improving the comparability and timeliness of EU countries’ data on investment in education, and exploring with the Member States the possibility of further refining current data collections for EU comparison. ·Nurturing the networking between evaluation providers/expertise centres that will become engaged in the Learning Lab activities: to help identify the most effective education policies to boost educational outcomes, while ensuring efficient use of resources. This networking would allow those organisations to learn from each other and share their knowledge to facilitate systemic change towards an evidence-based investment cycle involving policymakers, practitioners, and academics in education, and help similar institutions grow in all Member States. ·Dedicated calls under Horizon Europe: Horizon Europe can also support education policy evaluation and education research in general, as these research areas are generally under-funded. The Learning Lab will build on recent and ongoing analytical work on quality investment in education and training and will use all existing cooperation tools within the European Education Area governance framework. It will capitalise on existing networks (such as the European Expert Network on Economics of Education; the Network of Experts working on the social dimension of education and training; Eurydice), the work of EEA strategic framework working groups and other Commission expert groups, in particular the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks and the expert group on supportive learning environments and well-being at school (see sections II.1.3-II.1.4.). It will also build on collaboration with other international organisations that are active in education and training. Feedback from the sectoral social partners at EU level will be taken on board regularly, in a spirit of openness and co-creation. I.2.2. Mobilising EU funds Education and skills will benefit from an unprecedented level of EU funding in the coming years. Achieving the collective vision of a European Education Area will require structured action, reforms and large-scale investment. EU funds, in particular, The Recovery and Resilience Facility, EU cohesion policy Funds, REACT-EU, Erasmus + and the Technical Support Instrument will provide new opportunities for Member States to address some long-standing challenges in education and training systems, in line with EEA objectives and the priorities highlighted by the European Semester. They will help to further develop education and training in light of the green and digital transitions. According to preliminary estimates, the total funding for education and skills could be triple druing the 2021-27 period compared to the previous one. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) will be the most important source of EU funding for education and skills, with an allocation of around EUR 71 bn, representing 14% of the total RRF budget. As of 30 Septembner 2022, all Member States have submitted their national Recovery and Resilience Plans,and 25 of them have been adopted by the Council based on an assessment by the Commission. Reforms and investments cover all education levels and sectors with a strong docus on digital education. The implementation of national recovery and resilience plans is well under way. As of 30 September 2022 the Commission has disbursed a pre-financing payment of up to 13% to 21 Member States which requested it. As a pre-condition to further disbursements, the Commission subsequently agrees operational arrangements, which set out technical details for monitoring the implementation of Recovery and Resilience Plans. To date, operational arrangements have been concluded for 16 Member States and ten Member States have submitted their first payment request. Spain, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Portugal have already received the first disbursement, based on milestones achieved. The RRF is boosting the digital transformation of education to ensure that young people are given the tools to thrive in a digital world. Member States will undertake major investment in digital education amounting to EUR 28 bn, which represents 20% of the digital transformation pillar. Several countries will invest in the digital infrastructure and connectivity of schools, in some cases with a focus on disadvantaged schools, to close the digital divide. In a number of plans, Investment in digital infrastructure will go hand in hand with measures to develop the digital competences of students and teachers. Such measures can include adapting the school curricula and developing digital resources and content, teacher training on digital as well as modernising the training offer in VET institutions. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) will help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on education. Disruptions caused by the pandemic posed major challenges to education systems across the EU, affecting disadvantaged learners most. Several Member States are using the RRF to implement compensatory learning programmes and targeted initiatives that reach out to disadvantaged learners, to prevent growing inequalities. Early research findings show that such compensatory programmes can effectively reduce learning loss and prevent the impact of the pandemic being too long-lasting. Member States invest in education infrastructure and the modernisation of education and training. About half of the Member States are planning to use the RRF to expand early childhood education and care capacities, entailing sizeable infrastructure investment. These can also help address the extra needs emerging from the impact of the Russian agression against Ukraine. Investment in infrastructure is often embedded in more comprehensive reform efforts. The RRF will also support comprehensive modernisation efforts, addressing some of the long-standing challenges of national education systems, such as low level of basic skills, teacher shortages and education inequalities. In some countries it will contribute to major curricular reforms. Targeted programmes are also planned to prevent early school leaving and improve the inclusiveness of education systems focused on disadvantaged areas or target groups, including learners with special educational needs. The RRF will help empower universities to become actors of change in the twin transitions and transform higher education in line with the objectives of the European strategy for universities. During the pandemic, the digital transformation of higher education received a major boost across the EU. The RRF is expected to further accelerate and consolidate these trends. Member States have planned a broad range of measures to support digital education, such as large-scale investment in digital infrastructure; developing digital teaching resources; adapting study courses and training; digital training for academic staff; developing online courses; strengthening blended teaching and digitalising governance. Effective implementation of these measures could lead to longer term structural changes and help equip students and researchers with the digital skills and competences needed. The RRF will also aim to improve the labour market relevance of higher education, to equip young people with relevant and future-proof skills. Planned investment and reforms include modernising study programmes or launching new study courses, including micro-credentials; developing further graduate tracking mechanisms; stimulating STEM/STEAM specialisation; improving quality assurance, governance and funding and supporting the internationalisation of higher education. Measures included in the Recovery and Resilience Plans are also expected to support inclusiveness and enhance access to higher education for disadvantaged students. Most Member States will undertake investment in education infrastructure. Member States are using the RRF to modernise existing buildings, improve energy efficiency, or build new facilities, at all levels of education. Infrastructure investment often contributes to larger reform efforts, for instance to improve the quality of education, reduce regional disparities or improve the efficiency of the school network. EU cohesion policy Funds will continue to provide major support for education and training policies in the 2021-27 period. Negotiations between Member States and Commission on the future partnership agreements and programmes for the EU cohesion policy Funds have reached an advanced stage. By 30 September 2022, the Partnership Agreement have been concluded for 22 Member-States. The objective is to adopt all programmes by the end of 2022. Preliminary estimates based on adopted programmes tend to confirm that education, training and skills will remain one of the main priorities for investment for the ESF+ in the 2021-2027 programming period, complemented by support for education and training infrastructure under the ERDF. Moreover, through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), the Commission has already provided and will stand ready to offer further support in the area of education and training, upon request from Member States, on a bilateral or multi-country basis. In 2022, 21 Member States have benefitted from the TSI to reform education or training through more than 50 different projects. The support can focus, for instance, on setting up reforms in the field of inclusive education, improving learning outcomes or increasing participation of adults in relevant training. The EU’s technical support may include the elaboration of strategies and action plans, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, quality assurance and recognition tools, or reinforced governance, mostly through mapping and engaging the relevant stakeholders. EU funds have been mobilised to support the reception and integration of people fleeing Ukraine, including in education. The CARE (Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe) initiative adopted in April 2022 provides maximum flexibility for Member States to reorient unused Structural Funds from the 2014-20 funding period (approximately EUR 7 bn). In particular, the legislative amendments allow for a 100% EU co-financing and Member States may use ERDF and ESF interchangeably. The FAST-CARE (Flexible Assistance to Territories) adopted in June 2022 further extended support and flexibility in cohesion policy funding, making available an additional EUR 3.5 bn pre-financing for programmes receiving support from the ERDF, the ESF+ and the Cohesion Fund. REACT-EU has provided EUR 50 bn worth of fresh top-up resources to ongoing cohesion policy programmes (ESF, ERDF and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)) for years 2021 and 2022 to be spent by the end of 2023. The total allocation for education under REACT-EU amounts to around. EUR 4.9 billion.

I.2.3. Implementing actions and reforms towards the EEA in the Member States Member States have taken initiatives and launched various reforms that are in line with the EEA objectives and vision and support their achievement. While the following chapter cannot present all of them, it looks particularly at national and/or regional approaches that address EEA objectives in a noteworthy way. Reforms in education and training have received a boost in recent years as the pandemic required investment in online learning, prompting both investment in learning infrastructure and reforms in the organisation of learning. The measures included n the national recovery and resilience plans or recently planned with support from other EU or national funds showcase a huge variety of ways to improve education and training in all EEA focus areas (see examples in boxes below). 1.2.3.1 Quality, equity, inclusion and gender equality Member State initiatives to improve quality, equity and inclusiveness of education range from increasing capacities in early childhood education and care (ECEC), through reforming educational frameworks and curricula and improving teacher training, to guaranteeing better support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, or with disabilities or special needs. They aim to promote the mastering of basic and transversal skills and decouple educational attainment and achievement from socio-economic, migrant or minority backgrounds and focus on improving education outcomes for all. Increasing access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) and providing all children with a good start in education is a key ambition in many Member States. Participation rates have steadily increased in recent years. Yet in many countries disadvantaged children are enrolled less frequently than their peers. This is partly due to capacity constraints in specific geographical areas or neighbourhoods and shortages of qualified staff. ECEC is often not easily affordable for disadvantaged families. The lack of ECEC capacities could be further aggravated in some countries by the arrival of high numbers of children fleeing Ukraine. Many Member States have launched reforms and investments – often with support from EU funds – to increase capacities and participation rates, improve accessibility for disadvantaged children and improve the quality of early childhood education and care. There is an observable trend towards lowering the age of compulsory education, introducing legal entitlement, reducing participation fees or ensuring free access to ECEC. For example, in 2020-21, the compulsory school age was dropped from 6 to 5 in the French community of Belgium. Slovakia already implemented the compulsory pre-primary education for 5 year-olds in September 2021, and the legal entitlement will be introduced for 4–year-olds in 2024 and for 3 year-olds in 2025. The reforms will be accompanied by an expansion in ECEC capacities, training for ECEC staff in inclusive education, and upgrading of teachers’ qualification requirements. Slovakia also plans to reform the financing system for pre-primary education to ensure sustained national public support, which is key for the planned entitlement, as well as to develop a comprehensive ECEC strategy. In Cyprus, under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the entry age in free compulsory pre-primary education will also be lowered to the age of 4. The measure will be accompanied by the provision of a grant to cover tuition fees in community or private kindergartens for children that cannot be enrolled in public kindergartens due to capacity constraints. Cyprus will also develop, for the first time, a national strategy on ECEC and an accompanying action plan. Some countries are also taking measures to improve the quality of their ECEC provision, for example by reforming educational frameworks and improving teacher training. For example, in Estonia, the ongoing reforms of early childhood education and care aim t increasing the quality of the education by determining learning outcomes and identifying learning support needs early on. Box 7: Examples of measures supported by EU funds to enhance access to quality early childhood education and care ·Spain will invest in constructing new ECEC facilities and refurbishing existing buildings and equipment to establish at least 60 000 new publicly-owned ECEC places for children under 3. The focus is on providing affordable public places for children in areas of higher risk of poverty or social exclusion and rural areas, notably for the 1-2 year old age group. ·Austria will expand its provision of childcare facilities, particularly for children below 3. Language learning will be intensified from the age of 4. The quality of provision will be further developed by improving the staff/child ratio and especially by aligning staff qualifications nationwide. (RRF) ·Lithuania will review pre-school curricula to ensure the content is up-to-date, responding to the latest scientific knowledge about the characteristics and needs of pre-school age children. A system for external evaluation of the performance of schools implementing pre-school education programmes is being put in place to ensure the quality of pre-school education. A study has been carried out to map infrastructure needs for ECEC to ensure that all children have equal access in the whole country. (RRF) ·Croatia aims to create 22 500 new places in ECEC by building new facilities and renovating existing ones. The investment is expected to raise participation rates for children between 3 years and primary school age from 76.3% to 90% by 2026. This will also be complemented by adopting the new financing model for ECEC in 2023, aiming to provide municipalities/local government units with lower financial capacity help from the national level to finance the operating costs of these facilities and ensure that the investment is sustainable.(RRF) ·Romania envisages the development of an integrated ECEC framework and a large-scale teacher-training programme to support the professionalisation of staff working in early childhood education. It will also support the construction of 110 crèches for up to 4 500 children under 3. (RRF) Member States are taking measures to modernise education systems, to help equip young people with the skills needed in the 21st century. Modernisation efforts in some countries, such as Latvia and Lithuania, also entail the reorganisation of the school network. Several countries are undertaking comprehensive curriculum reforms to reinforce the acquisition of key competences, often with a focus on digital and STEM skills. For example, in Czechia a major revision of the Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education should be completed in 2024; it requires changes in textbooks, teaching and assessment, including applying a gender perspective in education materials and fighting gender stereotypes. Italy aims to integrate into all levels of school curricula activities, methodologies and contents designed to strengthen STEM, digital and innovation skills. In particular, 8 000 schools are expected to follow STEM guidance projects and 1 000 annual languance and methodological courses will be provided to teachers by 2025. Greece is also preparing new curricula and updating and renewing textbooks for all subjects in primary and secondary schools. to mainstream focus on climate change. The ministry is also focusing on changing teaching methods and approaches to teaching. For this reason, additional training of teachers in the new curricula is planned, including innovative teaching methods, and the development of students’ critical thinking. Assessment reforms are widespread and aim at ensuring high quality of education across all education sectors. In 2020, Belgium (Flanders) launched an academic support centre to develop standardised tests in schools. The standardised tests will serve as a quality monitoring tool for education policy. The aim is to identify the learning gains of young people and measure the achievement of the attainment goals, at individual and at school level. The tests will be taken at four stages during compulsory education, with a focus on Dutch and mathematics. In 2021, the academic support centre began to develop the tests, with a view to introducing them in the first grade of secondary education as of the 2023-2024 school year. Croatia is introducing national tests in 5th and 8th grade of primary schools (at the beginning and end of lower secondary education), to improve monitoring of education outcomes. In Bulgaria, increasing the quality of education is the main priority of the current reform approach in the educational system. Quality will be raised in a holistic way across all levels of education. This includes a new methodology for assessing the added value of teaching in secondary education. Box 8: Examples of measures supported by EU funds to enhance quality of education ·Greece has developed Skills Labs for kindergartens, primary and secondary education. Skills Labs’ main goal is to equip the students with the skills needed in the 21st century, including soft skills and digital competences. A strategic priority is to also enhance experiential learning and to train teachers in the methodologies of a laboratory approach to teaching. The Skills Labs are organised in four thematic cycles (Living, Environment, Social Awareness and Responsibility, Creative Thinking and Initiative) and include various sub-themes, such as volunteering, ecological awareness, addiction prevention, sex education, entrepreneurship, prevention and protection from natural hazards, mutual respect and diversity, robotics, and new technologies. They are adapted to age groups. Within the framework of the Skills Labs, innovative teaching methods and practices are utilised, the educational material is adapted to each age group according to pedagogical parameters and implementation is mandatory. (ESF) ·Slovakia is u