The European Commission held its first implementation dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, on 3 June. Implementation dialogues are a new format for consultations. They involve bringing high-level stakeholders in relevant fields together to discuss the progress made towards achieving policy goals.
The first implementation dialogue focused on the European Education Area (EEA) and was hosted by the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, Roxana Mînzatu. EASNIE Director João Costa joined stakeholders from organisations at both European and national levels to reflect on the implementation of the EEA between 2021 and 2025. They discussed how far the EEA delivers its goals at different levels, and how it has impacted the organisations attending. They also considered barriers to implementing the EEA that exist and how to act on them.
From EASNIE’s perspective, Dr Costa welcomed the Commission’s continued commitment to inclusive education. He described how the EEA has been a catalyst for promoting reforms in EASNIE member countries and has helped facilitate co-operation and knowledge exchange on inclusive education. He outlined the relevance of several EASNIE activities to the EEA, such as Preventing School Failure and Financing Policies for Inclusive Education Systems, which have influenced planning at European and national levels. He also described teacher preparedness as a barrier to implementing the EEA, highlighting the Teacher Professional Learning for Inclusion activity outputs as a tool to help policy development in this area.
The event exchanges built on other events, such as the consultation on the Union of Skills held by Vice-President Mînzatu, which EASNIE took part in earlier this year. The event aimed to find concrete suggestions to improve and better organise the EEA’s governance, efficiency and impact.
For more information, visit the EEA event page.
