EUCIS-LLL believes that we need an intergroup on Comprehensive Lifelong Learning within the European Parliament. We need a vision and the political commitment to ensure our education and training systems deliver better for economic development, social and civic participation, personal fulfilment and well-being. Today it is reported that some 80 million EU citizens will need to update their skills and qualifications to enable them to improve their employment prospects – while participation of adults in lifelong learning has been stagnating for many years and 20% of the EU working age population has low literacy and numeracy skills, reducing by half their chances to be employed but also to access basic welfare services, participate in democratic and associative life or develop a sense of social cohesion. Tackling this situation requires new coordination mechanisms to connect policies and players in the various sectors (health, youth, employment, social affairs, culture, etc.).

Setting up an intergroup on lifelong learning represents a great opportunity to tackle these challenges for the future of Europe in a comprehensive and participative way. Policy-makers and grassroots stakeholders have repeatedly acknowledged that achieving comprehensive and coherent lifelong learning strategies will only be possible if actors and sectors do not work in silos. This is why an intergroup on lifelong learning is so important in terms of coordination, efficiency and participation as well as to ensure the strategic political involvement of the European Parliament in European complex and interlinked processes in education, training and lifelong learning. This initiative is led by EUCIS-LLL in partnership with the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and with MEP Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland) and supported by MEPs from almost all political groups.

Indeed this Intergroup would be the opportunity to foster a sustainable and fruitful cooperation between MEPs and civil society in the field of lifelong learning that has a precious expertise and experience to offer to future MEPs in order to mainstream lifelong learning issues in several areas of the Parliament’s everyday work. The Intergroup could work on transversal topics as various as European democratic and citizenship education, fighting discriminations and promoting lifelong learning as a fundamental right, lifelong learning in the Social Investment Package or the European Social Fund, making the knowledge triangle work, gender equality in lifelong learning, development education, environmental education, etc.

If you are interested in being part of an Intergroup on Lifelong Learning:

 

 

 

 

If you are an MEP, please sign our call!

If you are supporing our initiative: ask your MEPs to sign our call now!

Read our full rationale on a Lifelong Learning Intergroup and our infonote on What is an intergroup? in the European Parliament.