Europeanisation and adult education: between political centrality and fragility

Abstract

The paper offers new insights into the Europeanisation of adult education, as an area of intervention and a component of the European education policy and sector, by tracing routes and processes that underpinned this pathway. The analysis provides some original findings, by pointing to four moments (thematisation; lifelong learning dimension; European agenda; political centrality/absence of policies; a new opportunity?) and two trends: on the one hand, one points out the creation of a European Education Area which has regulatory processes and instruments typical of a market; on the other hand, it is against this backdrop the European Agenda for Adult Learning set out action lines around quality and participation. The 2015 mid-term review states it is unlikely that pursuing the political choices made thus far will lead to the achievement of such a goal. Some recent developments, New skills agenda for Europe or Upskilling pathways: new opportunities for adults, may become associated with significant steps to stronger commitment and sustainable policies to increase adult participation in education or, in contrast, and underlining one of the main arguments here advanced, with the continuity of the dual condition of political centrality and fragility of Adult Education, which goes back a long way.